Count on Thad Wilson claiming hurdles titles until the year 2052
Thad Wilson is my hero. And not just because he gave me the stick in Lahti and guaranteed me a bronze medal at worlds in the 4×100. He’s just a guy who ran no faster than me in high school but found a way to preserve his speed, strength and skill at 60 — and set a world record in the 100-meter hurdles in Berea. (He beat Courtland Gray’s amazing mark of 14.62 by going 14.37 seconds — into a wind!) But I didn’t get a chance to interview him until last week. (I’m still the world champion procrastinator webmaster.) The biggest revelation: He’s decided to hang up his spikes. But don’t sweat it. That won’t be until the year 2052.
Thad (left) already has a big lead over Steve Cummings in SoCal meet.
Masterstrack.com: After winning a world title and setting a WR in your first year as a M60, what motivates you to train hard again at 61?
Thad Wilson: The guys I compete against (especially the hurdlers) keep me motivated. When I compete with guys like Jim Broun, Ron Bolling, Colin Williams, Tim Walters, we expect that everybody will bring their “A” game to the starting line. I don’t want to let those guys down, so I need to be ready. Also, Masters Track & Field is fun and it’s easy to be motivated when you are having fun.
What were the key elements of your training last year? Did you focus on speed, strength, technique or a combo?
The most important part of my training last year was that I actually executed the plan I wrote up. I’ve been writing one each season for about the past 5 or 6 years, but this was the first year I executed almost 90% of the plan. My plan focused on speed training days and recovery days. A 100-meter hurdle race is about 51 or 52 steps; only 10 of them are over hurdles (about 20%).
The object is to get to the finish before the other guy, so speed is important. I have seen videos of some of my races and know my trail leg likes to float (I’m working on it), so maintaining speed between the hurdles is critical for me. Because of some health issues, I had to make some lifestyle changes that contributed to me getting more out of the training I was doing.
What do you do for a living, and how do you find time to train?
I retired from the U.S. Navy in 1996 after almost 27 years and now work for a company that supports the U.S. Navy in Port Hueneme, CA. I have no small children or pets at home so can train almost every day. I have daily access to a track as I was a cross country and track coach for one of the local high schools.
Who is your support system in [your home of] Oxnard? Â Family, coaches, massage therapists?
My biggest support system in Oxnard is my wife, Pat. She puts up with me acting like a kid when I’m doing my track stuff. I train by myself during the week, but meet with my Pacific Coast Track Club teammates for workouts on Sunday mornings.
You ran into a wind for your 100H WR. Â Can you go faster in 2012? Â How much?
I do most of my hurdle training into the wind, so a headwind is not that much of a big deal to me. I’m not going to publicly predict any times for 2012. I have some goals that I want to meet this year but what I try to do is run the best I can and let the time take care of itself.
Have a shot at the WR in the 300 hurdles? Â If so, what do you think is possible?
I have to change the way I train in order to have a shot at the M60 300 hurdle record. I don’t do a lot of sprint endurance work (it shows in my 300/400 hurdle races) and that is what it is going to take to run faster than the mark Guido Müeller. set [42.31 at 1999 Gateshead worlds.]
What were your all-time PRs in all track events?  Tell me about your major elite meets — Olympic Trials, etc.
All my pre-masters PRs were when I was in high school. I joined the Navy after the fall semester of my college freshman year. They are below.
60-yard High Hurdles 7.9 seconds
120-yard High Hurdles 14.9 seconds
180-yard Low hurdles 19.4 seconds
No elite meets. After high school, I ran two races for Naval Station Mare Island Track & Field team in 1973, then not again until the Saddleback Masters meet in 2002.
Why do you still run? Unfinished business from your elite years? Â Record chase?
It’s fun. It’s healthy. I like to hear people say “Wow, you run hurdles?” I like knowing that athletically, my body at 61 can still do some of the things it did at 18. I’m not as fast or as flexible, but I’m still performing at a high level for my age.
What challenges do you face/overcome as an M60 that makes your marks even more remarkable?
Like most masters athletes, the biggest challenge is staying healthy. I have been fortunate that most of my injuries have been relatively short-term in nature. I have also learned that if something doesn’t feel right when I’m working out it’s time to go home, put some ice on it, and have a beer.
Do you see yourself competing at 70, 80 or 90-plus? Â What are your ultimate track goals?
Yes. I like to think that I have about 40 more years of eligibility that I have to use before I retire from Track & Field.
23 Responses
At one of the big 2011 meets, I think it was probably Berea, I told Thad that I would start treating him like the big star he is (or words to that effect).
If you told someone that one of our masters, in his 60s no less, ran 14.37 for the 100 they would be extremely impressed. All you have to do at that point is say:
“And he did it in the hurdles.”
This is a great interview. Good luck Thad! Hope to see you at some future meets!
Hey Thad…It was awesome watching you compete in such great shape last season and to see your success on the track!! Here’s to more of that! Love how “real” you are….ice and beer! Have a great season!!!
Mr. Wilson is a class act.. Always nice to talk with him about training methods etc.
Sully
Well deserved !
Great interview and well deserved! I am amazed by your incredible world record time and look forward to having a “cold one” with you after the meets..and hopefully giving you someone in the “rear view mirror” to think about! I have really enjoyed your company and great advice as we experience the joy of competition and friendship.
Great interview. Good plan to avoid injuries between 1972 and 2002. Don’t forget, Thad is also a multi-eventer (Pent) and does a mean Long and Triple Jump. All the best in M60 (happily spoken from M55!).
Great interview, It’s great to have Thad in our backyard (Oxnard) Good luck in Indy.
Thad, real proud to know you are great guy and to me you deserve to be a world record holder because you have always been a world class person first and you hold a record that is in usa track and feilds family great job much respect.
thad you the reason why I want to run when in my 60s,but then im shore i will have to deal with mr. ASHFORD UP ABOVE,good luck at nationals im out with knee problems.
dave when do you turn 50 buddy
I first saw Thad in 2006 at the Charlotte Nationals. His energy inspired me to think about trying hurdles again. Great technical runner. He’s the Bill Colllins of the hurdles. I’ll just keep running through their dust.
thad is a tough as they come…he makes the hurdles vanish…which it the mark of a great hurdler…and age..? it doesn’t stand a chance…! nice going…!
About 40 more years of eligibility…I like that! Hope it comes true for you, and for all of us.
I was standing on the side line in Berea when Thad ran the hurdles. I don’t know him but I sure remember watching that race – he was so fast over the hurdles. I still remember how fun it was to watch. Best wishes to him to meet all his goals.
Glad, Thad, that you got the record. Keep it up!
Yes, Kim, I rememember that race in Berea as well, as I announced it. Thad was almost unbelievably fast, with the man in second finishing a full 2.38 seconds behind him.
In addition, Thad’s time of 14.37 in Berea for the 100 hurdles was 1.10 seconds faster than the world M65 mark of 15.47 set by Rolf Geese of Germany in Lahti. That’s a big gap for just 5 years in a short race. As I noted, from now on Thad needs to be treated like a big star, not just a very good hurdler.
Thad and I practice our hurdles on the exact same track, into the same wind, though never at the same time. Every 5 years, when he is at the top of his age division, I am in the bottom of that same division, which coincidentally has been the year I have put together my best conditioning. 7 years ago, I was at my best. I was 3 stepping a whole flight for the first time in at least 18 years and set my M50 PR in the 100H. In that same race, I was up against Thad. Second hurdle, CRASH, and Thad is gone–out of the race. This might be the only time I beat the guy. By the 6th hurdle I realize he’s back on his feet. If you’ve ever tried to get your momentum back after falling between hurdles, you know what an incredible feat that is by itself. He was behind me, so I don’t now how he did it. So as I was powering through to complete what is the best race of my life, he was running his worst . . . and he zipped past me to win by .30 That’s the kind of competitor he is. http://scausatf.org/events/usatf_masters/2005wrmasters.htm
Great interview & great motivation to stay healthy! If I hadn’t told you lately, I love you & I’m proud you’re my dad!! And I’ve got 40 more years of cheering you across finish lines!! xoox
Andrew that’s a great story.
One of the things no one knows about Thad is that, when he works with the Navy, a lot of the time he is at sea with the Navy, yeh, out in the ocean. Try training on a Navy ship at sea bobbing up and down and side-to-side with a metal deck. I know. I did it for a number of years. They are not like cruise ships. Thad, you da man!!
This story is well overdue and you deserve all the props, world record, national and world titles. I knew who Thad Wilson was before I returned to masters track in 2006. I was motivated by you, Jim Broun and Colin Williams. No question, you’re tough!!! Now you’re a guru. I look forward to continue to occasionally cruise beside you in hurdle races and catch you with you hydraulics down. My favorite hurdle race was with you at Santa Barbara. That was my best race that I was beat by (.05) sec when I was sure I had you at the 10th hurdle.
I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Wilson at the Clackamas Community College Mini-meet in March. Then I ran in the same race at Hayward where he came in 2nd to M50 Mark Berry. Here are links to videos:
He is in lane 4. I’m in lane 2 but nursing a hammy pull…:-)
http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&video_id=63995&event_id=33
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2MKlDfoIT8
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