Alisa ‘quite happy’ about her latest American indoor record
“Thank you,” began Alisa Harvey’s note. The new W40 indoor mile American record holder was replying to my latest congratulatory email. “I am quite happy,” she said. She resolved the mystery of her DNF in the 800 at the Lynchburg meet where she ran a 4:50.95 mile: “I was pace-setting the 800m race for a young lady that I coached at Geroge Mason two-years ago – I’m fine.”
Amazing. Can you think of another national-class elite runner who’d play rabbit for a friend while going for a record in another event at the same meet? Me neither.
Alisa also wrote:
“A U. of Maryland runner set the pace and lead until 800m (2:27). I stayed just off of her shoulder wide. After my husband yelled ’39 seconds’ for my split, I jumped to the lead and negative splitted the second half.
“After the race, a runner in the mile said that when they announced while we were on the line that the lady in the yellow top was trying for the American Masters W40 record (she) and her teammate were like, ‘What 40-year-old woman? You don’t look 40!’ I just laughed. The athletes and spectators were very happy to see me racing well.”
Does Alisa have a 2:04 in those 40-year-old legs — the qualifying standard for the Moscow IAAF World Indoor Championships in mid-March?
“I just don’t know about 2:04,” she writes. “I did feel very good in the mile. My speed is nice right now. I will certainly go into the Nationals with the intent to run fast!”
Stay tuned. Alisa could surprise us again.
(Update on Feb. 20: The surprise came sooner than expected. Alisa Harvey has accepted an invitation — or rather encouragement from Bob Weiner — to compete in her first USATF national masters championships. She’ll run at the Boston indoor nationals — competing in the 3000 meters or mile, or both. The listed American indoor record for the W40 3000 meters (just short of 2 miles) is 9:58.88 by Madelyn Noe-Schlentz, 41, of Massachusetts in 2002. The W40 world record is outtasight: 9:02.83 by Lyubov Kremlyova of Russia in 2002. The AR isn’t soft, but Alisa should get it.)
