Alisa Harvey claims W40 USA 800 outdoor record
The Boston indoor nationals on Friday and today was the scene of many world and national records. But a Boston absentee this weekend also set an impressive American record — outdoors. Alisa Harvey ran the 800 in 2:08.05 today at the Fred Hardy Invitational to lower the listed American W40 outdoor record by nearly 2 seconds. “My splits were 63.x, 64,” Alisa writes from her home in Virginia, not far from the meet site, the University of Richmond. The old American record was 2:09.85 by Rose Monday in July 2000.
If Alisa can improve another 2 seconds, she’ll likely qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. The “B” qualifying standard for the Trials is 2:06.50. (But she’ll have to contend with Eugene’s plant life. USA Today recently noted that Alisa battles allergies to grass and ragweed, among other things.)
The W40 outdoor world record remains the ungodly 1:59.25 by Russia’s Yekatarina Podkopayeva in June 1994.
Also yet to be reported by USATF:
Chad Lindsey of Wyoming, competing at Boston nationals, shattered the listed American record in the M35 shot by more than 3 feet. Chad today threw 15.60 (51-2 1/4). The old record for the 16-pound shot was 14.48 (47’6¼”) by John Kuemmerlin at the 2005 indoor nationals in Nampa, Idaho. (But John also has a 14.63 to his credit i 2006.)
Chad’s record may not last a year, however.
Olympian and world champ John Godina turns 35 in late May. The listed M35 world indoor record is 20.93 (68-8) by Romania’s Gheorge Guset in 2005. And the M40 world indoor record is the amazing 20.07 (65-10 1/4) by American Brian Oldfield in 1986.
The M45 indoor record in the shot (also 16 pounds) is 16.43 (53-11) by Robert Otrando in 2002 — also better than Chad’s mark (an indication, perhaps, that M35 records don’t reflect reality.)
4 Responses
Without taking anything away from Chad Lindsey’s fine throw, Brian Oldfield was throwing very far between ages 35 and 40. I can’t believe he didn’t throw indoors during those years. I personally witnessed throws over 75 feet (with large fouls) in practice in 1984, so I’m sure he threw over 65 feet indoors.
Age 40: Wysocki 2:03.95? Thought that was the record, don’t tell me it did not count because of paperwork! This race by Harvey was an open race too right?, so why do I see Wysocki in the Record book?
Great catch, Matt! I forgot to look up single-age records, which often trump “official” records.
In the 2002 edition of Pete Mundle’s Masters Age Records (which has a photo of Rose Monday on the cover), Ruth is credited with a 2:03.95 at age 40 on May 3, 1997.
And mastersathletics.net also lists a 2:06.15 for Ruth on May 10,1997.
And my apologies for not noting Ruth’s birthday! She turned 50 on March 8!
Come back, Ruth!
I’ll be the first to admit that the distance at this meet was lacking and not deserving of a record. John K. from CO was the first one to really push that the M35 shot put record be tracked after his winning throw in Boise, ID two years ago. I had hoped to break at least 17m as I had the past two seasons, but a migraine from losing a contact the day before prevented any decent distances on this day. This record certainly belongs to “The Big O” or Glenn Thompson, but I will do my best to get it closer to 60′ than 50′ in the next 4 years (knock on wood).
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