Today’s Mt. SAC Relays had some wonderful masters races — even with some major no-shows (injuries and otherwise). I also had a chance to chat with a high jumper I idolized in high school: two-time Olympian Reynaldo Brown. He’s making a masters comeback, he says, at the Pasadena Senior Games this summer. It’ll be his first competition since 2000. A kidney ailment sidelined him for years, but now it’s resolved, Rey says. He’s 58 this year — and looks fantastic. (I’ll post photos of him and all the masters events in coming days.)

Among the masters highlights at today’s events:
— Colleen Barney, the 2003 world champion at 100 meters in W35, made a triumphant return to competition after a few years off, focusing on her legal career and a daughter who is a champion diver. Colleen might race only once more this season, however. (That’s what I’m told by a friend.) But she seemed to have fun out there on a cool but comfortable day in Walnut, California. Her W40 race was combined with the W50 race, BTW, after several entrants had to drop out with injuries, including last year’s champion, Rita Hanscom.
— Canadian Tom Dickson, 54, won the M50 100, wearing all red. Tom also won this race in 2005 and 2006. He’s a coach at Simon Fraser University who accompanies his athletes at Mt. San Antonio College and jumps into the masters sprints for fun. This winter, Tom was named the 2007 British Columbia Master Athlete of the Year.
— Horace Grant, an M55 newbie, edged M55 world champion Nolan Shaheed, 58, in the men’s 800. Nolan bravely pushed the pace for much of the race, but Horace (traveling all the way from his home in Texas), showed great strength in outsprinting Nolan in the last 300.
— Willie Gault, who turns 48 in September, had the honor of anchoring the HSI elite team in the 4×1 invitational race — which pit him against world champion Tyson Gay! The Hudson Smith International ‘A’ squad clocked 39.72. I doubt any relay foursome in history has ever gone sub-40 with a 47-year-old on board.
— Aaron Thigpen, who ran a legal 10.60 a year ago at this meet, defended his 100-meter victory with a legal 10.95 today. But after winning the 200 today in 22.45, the results show him without a place. Whatever. He collected a gold medal for the effort anyway. In fourth place in the 100 was Jeff Williams, who the PA announcer reminded us several times was the 5th-place finisher in the Michael Johnson 19.32 race at the Atlanta Olympics.
A day earlier on the Hawaiian isle of Maui, 37-year-old Jeff Laynes ran a 10.36 for 100 in the Blue and Gold Invitational at the Yamamoto Track & Field Facility. That appears to be his fastest time since 2006, when he clocked an amazing 10.17.
Here’s how the local paper reported Jeff’s race:

Also taking place on Saturday was the Runner’s Paradise 100-Meter Challenge, featuring sprinters Andrew Ammons, Ricardo Williams, Jr., Garry Jones, Carlos Moore, Jeff Laynes and Andrew Reyes, all with personal bests in the low 10-second range.
Williams edged Laynes finished neck-and-neck with Williams named the winner with a time of 10.351 to Laynes’ 10.358.
Moore was third in 10.42, Ammons fourth in 10.59 and Reyes fifth in 11.24.

Here are the masters results at Mt. SAC:

Event 503 Women 800 Meter Run Master’s
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Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Thane, Mary Mountain West TC 2:23.13
2 Fischer, Tania SeeJaneRun 2:24.47
3 Paisley, Jennifer Mountain West TC 2:32.38
4 Contreras, Patricia So Cal Track-Fle 2:42.54
5 Lee, Debbie So Cal Track-Fle 2:49.07
Event 504 Men 800 Meter Run Master’s
===============================================================
Name Year Team Finals
===============================================================
Finals
1 Grant, Horace Houston Elite TC 2:07.31
2 Shaheed, Nolan So Cal Track-Fle 2:07.86
3 Barda, Kevin Fluffy Bunny TC 2:09.98
4 Connel, Steven Unattached 2:11.79
vent 513 Women 100 Meter Dash 40-Mixed Master’s
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Name Year Team Finals Wind
=====================================================================
Finals
1 Barney, Colleen Masters 14.16 0.5
2 Matthews, Brenda Masters 14.47 0.5
3 Bowman, Jeanne Masters 15.27 0.5
4 Willis, Valeri Unattached 15.62 0.5
5 Quintana, Susan Masters 17.90 0.5
Event 511 Men 100 Meter Dash 50-Mixed Master’s
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Name Year Team Finals Wind
=====================================================================
Finals
1 Dickson, Tom Masters 12.18 -0.9
2 Leake, Damien Masters 12.23 -0.9
3 Pizza, Greg Masters 12.25 -0.9
4 Chinn, James Masters 12.36 -0.9
5 Cummings, Steve Masters 12.55 -0.9
6 Wilson, Thad Masters 12.64 -0.9
7 Richardson, Robert Masters 12.85 -0.9
8 Yeck, Raymond Masters 12.98 -0.9
9 Johnson, Rodney Masters 13.46 -0.9
Event 515 Men 100 Meter Dash 40-Mixed Master’s
=====================================================================
Name Year Team Finals Wind
=====================================================================
Finals
1 Thigpen, Aaron Masters 10.95 1.0
2 Faulkner, Chris Unattached 11.36 1.0
3 Freeman, Andre Masters 11.40 1.0
4 Williams, Jeff Masters 11.49 1.0
5 Speed, John Masters 11.53 1.0
6 Krulee, Marty Masters 11.66 1.0
7 Turnage, Felton Masters 11.69 1.0
Event 530 Men 200 Meter Dash 40-Mixed Master’s
=====================================================================
Name Year Team Finals Wind
=====================================================================
Finals
1 Speed, John Masters 23.05 0.7
2 Turnage, Felton Masters 23.63 0.7
3 Krulee, Marty Masters 23.90 0.7
4 Chinn, James Masters 24.40 0.7
— Thigpen, Aaron Masters X22.45 0.7