Relay records, Peyton-Collins duel highlight final day at Olathe

From left: Gary Sims, Charles Rose, Mack Stewart and Bob Lida and their WR time in the M75 4×4.

With temps in the 80s (at last) but headwinds still a nuisance, the Olathe masters nationals wrapped up Sunday with four world records in the relays and an amazing M60 American record for Oscar Peyton in the 200 — beating Bill Collins and a 10 mph wind. I got shots of all these in the gallery I posted tonight. Oscar’s 24.32 nipped the listed AR of 24.37 by Don Neidig in 2004. Bill, who earlier won the 1 and 4, finished in 24.38. The sparse audience heard the announcement of the W40 4×8 WR of 9:18.33 by Grace Padilla, Lisa Ryan, Jennifer Burke and Sonja Friend-Uhl, which not only beat the listed WR of 9:40.30 by a Canadian quartet but also the W35 WR of 9:25.27 by a U.S. foursome. But only a handful of people on the track celebrated the M75 4×4 record of 4:54.64 by Gary Sims, Charles Rose (M80), Mack Stewart and Bob Lida, beating a German mark of 5:01.51 set in 2006. USATF noted several other records on the final day at nationals, including two shuttle hurdle marks.

Members of the W40 4×8 relay team celebrate WR after Sonja Friend-Uhl’s anchor leg. She’s at left.

But the biggest surprise (to me at least) was a shocking third-place finish in the M55 400-meter hurdles by moi — after taking fourth out of four in the race and seeing John Gallagher DQ’d for crashing into a hurdle (he got up and still beat me). Contrary to rumor, I didn’t urge John to get up and finish. (I was too busy grunting over each barrier.)

Me and my miracle medal, a bronze, in the 400-meter hurdles at Olathe nationals.

Me and my miracle medal, a bronze, in the 400-meter hurdles at Olathe.


John appealed the DQ but was turned away after video was viewed, according to a gent who accompanied him to the session.

I would have been delighted with a fourth-place ribbon. More important, I’m staking claim to being the oldest quarter-mile hurdler in the country this season. My time was beyond ugly, but it wasn’t bad for the limited training I had and the fear I overcame in tackling the long hurdles for only the second time in about eight years.

Also welcome was news Saturday night from national masters chair Gary Snyder that Jeff Brower would launch (perhaps in August) a website where people could track the progress of their USATF record applications. The site — long overdue — will likely be based on usatfmasters.org.

This means that athletes will no longer have to wait long months until the annual meeting to see if their records got thumbs up or down. And it affords the public a chance to see what records are pending. Good stuff.

Congrats to Steve Robbins and his records-reform committee for making this happen. Gary says rules changes are still needed, and may take years, but the masters records morass is on the way to being fixed. Great stuff.

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July 14, 2013

9 Responses

  1. Jeff Davison - July 15, 2013

    M55 400 hurdles
    Congrads to Ken Stone for his medal.
    And John ran a gutsy race.

  2. Jeff Davison - July 15, 2013

    W40-49 American Record in the shuttle hurdle relay

  3. Ken Stone - July 15, 2013

    John Dyer’s 400-meter hurdle victory was sensational! Here’s the video:
    http://runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=6668&do=videos&video_id=96421

  4. Ken Stone - July 15, 2013

    NWI is usually shorthand for no wind reading. So it’s ineligible for record. Even a 0.1 mps wind can be measured.

  5. bert bergen - July 15, 2013

    Announcer here was adequate but without Peter Taylor , it’s just another big meet . With him ,it is a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP .

  6. Jeff Davison - July 15, 2013

    2013 SHUTTLE HURDLE RELAY IN OLATHE

    USATF report that Ken linked to reports that
    the 2013 M60-69 shuttle hurdle relay was a record … sorry, that is incorrect. Last years M60-69 shuttle hurdle relay mark still holds the American record.

    ALL of the shuttle hurdle relay teams this year did a great job. And it was very cool to see the W50-59
    team celebrating when the W40-49 shuttle hurdle relay team broke the American Record … great to
    see other athletes celebrate when someone else does great. Great sportsmanship.

    The M50-59 shuttle hurdle relay in Olathe just barely breaking the pending mark set at St Charles, Missouri earlier this year …

  7. Pino Pilotto - July 16, 2013

    Congratulations KEN for Your medal!
    The next year the distance will be 100m shorter and the hurdles 3’’less and only(?)7 (and You one year older LOL).

  8. Matthew - July 19, 2013

    Congratulations Ken! Good job!

  9. random - July 19, 2013

    I thought the track had to have a curb or cones for a world record to be set? Is this different for masters?

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