Bernard Lagat adds M35 outdoor 3K world record to indoor mark
Bernard Lagat
About Ken Stone
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
Ken Stone
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9 Responses
Ken,
Went to wikipedia for Steve Scott and it showed the following bests. I havent researched it but maybe your 3000 time for him isnt right..
Distance Mark Data Location
800 m 1:45.05 July 4, 1982 Byrkjelo, Norway
1000 m 2:16.40 August 23, 1981 Nice, France
1500 m 3:31.76 July 16, 1985 Nice, France
One Mile 3:47.69 July 7, 1982 Oslo, Norway
3000 m 7:36.69 September 1, 1981 Ingleheim, Germany
5000 m 13:30.39 June 6, 1987 Eugene, Oregon
Oops, you must have found a 35plus time for him. I should have known you were on top of it. Funny how the time is exactly 20 seconds slower. 7:36.69 to 7:56.69….
Lagat will be just as fast in two years time, anywhere form 3:31 in the 1500 to 7:32 in the 3K, the question is will he retire after the 2012 games, or maybe go one more year through another world champs?
If he runs competitively through age 40 then all records will be broken from 800-5K if he so chooses.
It is conceivable that he could run 3:36 for 1500 or even 7:40 for 3K as a 40 year old but who knows if he will continue at the World class level.
The 7:36:69 time appears to have been run in 1981. Steve Scott wasn’t 35 until 1991 and ran the then WR time of 7:56:69 listed on the USATF site
http://www.usatf.org/statistics/records/view.asp?division=american&location=outdoor%20track%20%26%20field&age=masters&ageGroup=35-39&sport=TF
I doubt his M35 records will stand. Does anyone think Bernard will submit the paperwork to USATF or is there a different set of rules for athletes of his caliber?
Matt, it will indeed be exciting to watch Bernard Lagat’s progress through the record books. I believe he turned 35 in December 2009, and at the 2010 Millrose Games he scorched the mile in 3:56.34. As I am sure you know, the American indoor record in the mile for M35 is 4:25.27 by Chad Newton. In 2009 at our indoor masters nationals, Charlie Kern cruised to a 4:18.89 in M35, but apparently that didn’t count.
The key date for American marks appears to be March 28, 2010, as that was the most recent date I could find for a “pending” American record. Presumably, most of the pending American marks will be accepted in December 2010 at the annual USATF meeting. Bernard Lagat’s 3:56.34 from Millrose is not listed as pending, and thus I guess it will not be accepted in December.
In terms of the indoor 3000, as you also know, Chad Newton is our American recordholder at 8:42.00. Charlie Kern bettered this mark at our 2009 indoor masters nationals, but apparently that time (8:37.94) did not count. As far as I can see, in February 2010 Bernard Lagat ran 8:12.60 at altitude in our open indoor nationals, but that did not gain pending status. The next month, at the world indoors, he ran much faster, a 7:37.97. That, also, did not get pending status, leaving Chad Newton sitting unopposed at the top.
In terms of world masters marks, they are updated every few months or so, and thus perhaps Bernard Lagat has a chance there. I did not see any marks for him when I looked at the Web site today.
In conclusion, I hope, Matt, that you take good notes, because at some point there may be a move to recognize some of Bernard Lagat’s marks in M35 or even, as you indicate, M40 when it comes to that.
I look forward to seeing Bernard Lagat in live ation at our meets. What puzzles me is why Charlie Kern’s marks from our own Nationals have not been accepted. If we do not trust our officiating and process from our biggest and best meets….what the heck is going on!?
Well, Susan, I have been vigorously chastised for writing too much about records, but what’s the diff, it’s Memorial Day weekend (fewer readers), and thus I will write a short note to you and Bill Zink.
Bill, how well I remember your fine race in Section I of the Hartshorne Mile in January 2008. You weren’t even in one of the elite races, and yet you uncorked a very nice 4:58.93 at age 47. About an hour later, John Hinton tore through the elite mile (running in M45) in 4:20.18. It took almost two years before that became an American record, and even today (May 28, 2010) it is not listed at usatf.org as a world record, even thought it is far superior to the listed mark. Thus, these things take time.
Susan, in terms of Charlie Kern, what a runner he has turned out to be. In his 2009 mile he simply buried the field, and I have a mental image of him with his elegant stride sweeping around the last curve. Or was that the 3000, in which he also broke the American record? Regardless, even though he destroyed both fields, his performances were not enough to be American records (although well below the listed marks).
I have been genuinely surprised by the Kern omissions (he went on to win at Lahti), because they looked absolutely legitimate, and many other marks were accepted from that meet. Oh, well. I had believed that legitimate marks from our masters nationals were a lead-pipe cinch to be ratified, but I guess I was wrong. It would be nice to get an explanation, but I won’t be expecting one.
In terms of Bernard Lagat, if records set at the open masters nationals are no longer “automatic” I cannot imagine what chance records set by open (albeit M35) athletes at Millrose Games, open indoor nationals, and open world nationals would have of being accepted as world marks unless the athlete vigorously pursued them (or someone did on his/her behalf). That is why I was surprised that Ken Stone ended his title of this posting with “to indoor mark” (of Bernard Lagat). He has no masters marks either indoors or outdoors, and he is not going to get any, as far as I can see.
Bill Zink, I apologize for my sloppy answer to your point about whether B. Lagat would submit paperwork for his marks or whether there was a different standard for athletes of his caliber. I don’t know the answers, but I did some research and found something very interesting about our M35 and W35 American OUTDOOR records for 800, 1500, 1 mile, 3000, and 5000.
800 M35 Johnny Gray 1:43.36 1995
W35 Joetta-Clark Diggs 1:57.84 1998
1500 M35 Steve Scott 3:40.83 1991
W35 Ruth Wysocki 4:07.08 1995
mile M35 Steve Scott 3:54.13 1991
W35 Mary Slaney 4:26.10 1997
3000 M35 Steve Scott 7:56.69 1991
W35 Francie Larrieu 8:51.84 1988
5000 M35 Steve Plasencia 13:26.03 1993
W35 Francie Larrieu 15:15.2 1988
Notice that all of the runners were OPEN superstars, and notice how good the times are. None of the runners became a member of the masters circuit later on. But what I found most interesting is that the marks were all made in the period of 1988 to 1998.
Clearly, something happened after 1998 or so, as we are now in our 12th year of no new American marks in M35 or W35 in the 800 through 5000 outdoors. Interesting. Or is this just an oddity?
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