My apologies to Caren Ware. She became the first woman in her age group to complete the new women’s decathlon at the Alabama multis meet, so she has first dibs on the W40 WR. I neglected to notice that a few days ago. Her local California paper told her story. “Remember when we thought marathons were too harsh a distance for a female and a few gutsy women wore ball caps and ran anyway?” Caren told the paper. “Now we are showing that we can do some fabulously fit things over 40!” U bet, Caren. Best of luck at Riccione!

The story, shud the link go dead:

Ware Sets Decathlon Record
Despite having broken her elbow in May at an event in Oregon, Lake Arrowhead resident and USA Track and Field Masters athlete Caren Ware took the national championship in Birmingham, Alabama by storm.
Ware set an American record in the decathlon, amassing the highest total score in the 10-event, two-day competition held on June 9 and 10 in 90 degree temperatures and 90 percent humidity.
The decathlon is a two-day miniature track meet designed to ascertain the sport’s best all-around athlete. Within its competitive rules, each athlete must sprint 100 meters; do the long jump, shot put and high jump; run 400 meters; throw the discus, javelin, pole vault; and run the 1500 meters.
Athletes participate in five slated events each day with a half hour set time between each event. The decathlon has traditionally been a men’s event with the heptathlon (seven events) being the female counterpart.
Only recently has the track world voted and opened the decathlon to women, which added the pole vault, discus, and 1500 to the equation.
Ware, as the American record holder in the heptathlon, took on the challeng e of setting the first American record in the decathlon. “I am always up for firsts!” said Ware, a mother, wife and avid outdoors women.
“We put so many limits on our abilities that we are now proving are breakable. Remember when we thought marathons were too harsh a distance for a female and a few gutsy women wore ball caps and ran anyway. Now we are showing that we can do some fabulously fit things over 40!” Ware said.
As a member of the nationally and world-ranked female team Athena Track Club, Ware and her teammates are running in prestigious open all-comers meets like the Millrose Games, Drake and Penn Relays.
“We are astounding the world that we can still move that fast at our ages,” Ware said. “ We want to be an inspiration that we (the baby bombers) can continue to do the sports we love at any age and at any pace, even a fast and furious one!”
DECATHLON CHALLENGES
Ware had to learn to pole vault, handle a javelin, and fling a discus…all events not offered when she was a youth just starting on the track. “I know how to run, but am impressed with all the new and improved methods to develop fast twitch movements, core strength and agility,” she said. “I train four to five hours a day while running a business and household,” Ware added.
Ware uses The Club and personal trainer Ralph Reitz for a lot of the core, agility and strength training. She has certain hills and roads to run with running specialist Stan Stauble, finding her favorite spot to be on the backside of Deer Lodge Park off Highway 173. She also works closely with Olympian and hurdle coach Gayle Watkins at Mt Sac and the Athena National Coach Eric Dixon.
Ware is sponsored by Fitness Quest 10, a personal training facility in San Diego whose main clients are the Padres and Chargers. “They are on the cutting edge of physical training, with so many resources and techniques to build a strong, competitive body,” Ware said.
“All this is a great foundation, but it comes down to keeping a level head, consistent focus, and steady performances to win a decathlon. I am a runner, but not the strongest thrower, but this past competition proved I am the most consistent, steady, and technical,” said Ware. “I thank the mountain for giving me a great place to train.”
Ware intends to take a break from track competition after she represents the USA at Worlds in Italy this September.
“I hope to be able to give some time to coaching the high school kids,” she said. “ I also hope to introduce an elementary and junior high program, ‘In It for the Long Run,’ in which kids build up laps during recess and PE until they accumulate 26.2 miles, the equivalent of a marathon. I would like to introduce kids to road races and challenging distances…get them outdoors and away from TVs and computers for a spell and let them experience the joy of accomplishing a physical goal. But for the next three months it is all about training!”

Bud Held added a comment to the story, pointing out that Caren isn’t the first masters deca-lady:

Congratulations on completing this challenging event. There are several other masters women who have completed a decathon, including Rita Hanscom who at age 52 scored 7213 points and Nadine O’Connor who scored 8464 points at age 64.