Archive for March, 2017
M45 Allen Woodard lowers own 400 WR to astounding 49.09
Last April, Allen Woodard of Houston was open about his 400-meter goal: sub-49 at age 46. A year later, he’s closer still. At Saturday’s Texas Southern University Relays, Allen clocked an incredible 49.09 against the kiddies to lower his own listed M45 outdoor American record of 49.32 at 2016 Grand Rapids nationals. (The listed WR […]
March 19, 2017
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Why is British team at Daegu worlds bigger than America’s?
Athletics Weekly reports that many of the nearly 600 Brits from their masters nationals are entered at Daegu worlds. Tom Phillips counted 109. This means a country a fifth the size in population of America has more entrants. I can only guess why. UK’ers take “athletics” more seriously. They have more disposable income. They have […]
March 18, 2017
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Canada’s Christa Bortignon warms up for Daegu with 2 W80 WRs
As Americans and old and new friends flood into Daegu for worlds this weekend, we should pause to appreciate last weekend’s Canadian masters nationals at Toronto Track & Field Centre at York University. Daegu-bound Christa Bortignon, who turned 80 in late January, set two world records as close to 260 entrants made it the largest […]
March 17, 2017
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Pete Magill credits Cal Coast teammates on, off track for 5K AR
Pete Magill is the Bill Collins of distance comebacks. Let me explain. With his M55 American record Friday in the track 5K, Pete pulled off a 15:42.13 in the wake of fighting injuries from age 53 1/2 to 54 1/2, when “I wasn’t sure I’d ever come back strong,” he says. In Bill’s case, his […]
March 14, 2017
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Ed Whitlock dies at 86; greatest masters distancer of all time. Period
Like a metric ton of bricks this hit. My inbox overflowed with the shocking news that Ed Whitlock, my email pal and Canadian track hero for years, had died at 86 of prostate cancer. A year ago, we were chatting about fetching M85 records in the 1500 and up. In the past eight years alone, […]
March 13, 2017
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101 Americans are Daegu-bound, but no Dalmatian jokes
But headlines are fair game, Disney fans. In a news release set to go live Monday, Peter Taylor and Bob Weiner share highlights of Team USA set for Daegu worlds starting March 19. One revelation is W75 Marie-Louise Michelson is “making a comeback after being away from the action for a while.” I covered some […]
March 12, 2017
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China scratches from Daegu World Masters Indoor Championships
Worst fears are realized. This reply came early Friday from WMA President Stan Perkins of Australia: “I have just received a formal notification from the Chinese Athletics Federation that the team who were to attend the WMA Indoors Championships to be held in Daegu have taken the decision to withdraw from the championships. This notification […]
March 10, 2017
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Are dozens of Chinese banned from traveling to Daegu worlds?
Bad luck for Chinese athletes entered at Daegu worlds. According to news reports, like the Financial Times, China is throwing a hissy fit about an anti-missile system being deployed to South Korea and barring tourist travel from China to South Korea. The ban supposedly takes effect March 15, and the Daegu meet starts March 23. […]
March 9, 2017
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Alisa Harvey courageously dissents in USATF vs. Youth EC case
Last May, USATF HQ suspended Chairman Lionel Leach of the USATF Youth Executive Committee and his entire panel. It didn’t involve us, so I didn’t report on the firestorm that ensued. But now that a National Athletics Board of Review panel has reinstated 12 members of the YEC (everyone but Lionel), it’s worth noting that […]
March 8, 2017
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The secret of Khalid Mulazim’s 52.02 American record 400 for M50
Six years after setting a then-WR in the M45 400-meter dash at 2011 Berea nationals, Khalid Mulazim of Cleveland ran a spectacular indoor 51.21 in January — faster than any known M50 400 — better than Fred Sowerby’s fabled 51.39 in 1999. Last weekend, he clocked a 52.02 in the masters exhibition at USATF Indoor […]
March 7, 2017
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