Masters News and Muse

The April edition of National Masters News is out, and USATF Masters T&F Chair George Mathews has a column discussing the lost NYC indoor nationals (detailed several places on this blog). Happily, George's column also is online. Sadly, NMN has ceased its tradition of printing an April Fools' article. This is the second April issue in a row without one. Sometimes they just recycled old articles, but a tradition is a tradition. So it goes.

Here's George's column for April, for posterity:

Boston Steps Up Again

Many of you have probably heard that The Armory in New York City has backed out of their successful bid for the 2007 National Masters Indoor championships. We are very disappointed in this development and are taking steps to prevent this in the future. Maybe we could force the issue, but we surely don't want have a Championships where are not wanted.

There were several situations which prompted their withdrawal. Their official statement was "that the cost to stage a meet of this complexity here in New York City could not be met through the entry fees of the athletes". They also claimed not enough admission fees from spectators and the current rates for hotels in NYC as reasons for their withdrawal. Another reason I believe was that the two people from the Armory who made the bid are no longer there. That's the bad news.

The good news is that Boston as once again stepped up and has taken on the meet in 2007. As second bidder we gave them the right of first refusal. Thank you, President Gary Snyder, Masters Chair Lee Hess and Event Manager Steve Vaitones for stepping up and taking this important meet on. This is the second time they have done this for us. The first time was in the late 90's when the University of Missouri backed out when there were personnel changes. Thanks again, Boston.

One of the biggest issues we face in big cities such as Boston and New York is hotels. Lodging can be a very big expense in these cities. One of the biggest mistakes that New York made was not blocking rooms. If you don't do that at the time of the bid, you are subject to market conditions at the time of the meet. In most cases the rates are going up except when you have a catastrophe such as 9/11. Hopefully that won't happen again. The rooms in New York would have cost $175-200 per night if they had gone through with the meet.

Those of you are participating in this year's meet Boston realize what a good deal their blocked rates were. They will be working hard to find us reasonable rates for 2007.

It was interesting to me the input from athletes from around the country on alternative sites. I must say how much I appreciate that information. Hopefully, most have recognized how complicated it is to put on these meets. It is a lot more than just a venue, which are few and far between. Most are owned by colleges and universities which have them scheduled up most of the time. The costs are another consideration. These facilities cost a lot of money to operate and in many cases are multi-use. Many are 300-meter flat tracks.

Besides the venue, there has to be a local organizing committee that can deal with all the details that are involved with running these meets. We particularly like to see strong support and involvement by the local association. Convention and Visitors Bureaus, officials, track coaches, and a significant volunteer base are all very important.

Without most of these entities, there is a strong chance of failure.

That being said, I encourage all interested Associations to bid for 2009 next December. Ken Weinbel, our Championship Site Chair, is willing and able to help all interested parties in preparing their bids. We have learned from this experience!

Please be advised that by addendum to the 2006 USATF Rules of Competition, the 80+ men will start using the 3k shot and hammer as of May 1, 2006.

Posted by Ken Stone at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Becky Sisley of Oregon knows a thing or three about track. First, she's a world-class masters jumper and thrower herself. Second, she's a world-class meet organizer, with experience that includes the Hayward Masters Classic. So she was the ideal person to write a meet manual for USATF Masters Track & Field. The timing couldn't be better, given the debacle of the Armory spiking its 2007 indoor nationals and such.

The USATF Masters site had reserved a spot for the meet manual for months, but it's only just been uploaded.

Here's the preface to Becky's dissertation:

PREFACE - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When this project was started I had no idea what the end product would be. The Masters Track & Field (MTF) Meet Management Manual evolved day by day once the process was underway. I was fortunate to be able to draw upon my experience serving on the Hayward Classic Committee many years and being the Meet Director on two occasions. My years as Masters Regional Coordinator
and member of the MTF Games Committee also enhanced my exposure to other aspects of meet management. A number of the exhibits included within this Meet Manual are resources I developed prior to this project.

From my past administrative positions, I learned that a timeline is an effective tool to organize all that needs to be done to complete a complex task. Once this chronological listing was started, the need to elaborate about selected tasks became apparent. The idea for checklists came from a review of the Meet Manual that George Kleeman edited for USATF Pacific. I wish to thank Kleeman for allowing me to use information from his equipment lists and to adapt his officials’ organization chart.

Additionally, I was able to draw some insights from meet manual materials that were passed on to me by former MTF Chair, Ken Weinbel, which included an outline of major areas prepared by Dave Clingan.

Focusing on something so intently makes it easy to not see the forest for the trees, and thus make obvious omissions. I definitely needed new eyes to read my drafts, plus there were some segments which I needed the expertise of others. There was an extended group of reviewers whom I praise for taking the time to carefully read through the Meet Manual when it neared final completion.

Special thanks go to Mark Cleary, Jim Flanik, Rex Harvey, Frank Lulich, Mike Olson, Sandy Pashkin, and Jerry Wojcik. There was also one long-time friend and former English teacher who provided suggestions and technical editing assistance right from the very beginning and throughout the processes.

I thank Karen Meats, for her support, good ideas, and for reviewing the working
drafts on several occasions.

The other area needing assistance was in the preparation of documents that could be placed on the web. Mike Olson gave helpful advice when I was creating the Official Organization Figures. Angela Egremont, from the National Masters News (NMN) office, provided formatting assistance and Dave Wilkins was instrumental in solving some computer tech issues related to preparation of some exhibits.

Suzy Hess, MTF Vice-Chair, National Masters News Publisher, and the member of the USATF MTF Executive Committee who asked me to take on this project, was always ready to provide assistance and respond to my concerns. Suzy’s support and positive encouragement were truly appreciated, and I thank her so much! From the USATF National Office, Keith Lively and Andy Martin provided
sound advice in getting the MTF Meet Management Manual in the proper shape to be placed on the web site, and in actually getting the document on the web.

The goal was to develop a “user friendly” manual that would help people in planning and conducting a Masters track & field meet, and with the valuable contribution of others, it is now in your hands.

Good luck, and may you experience many successful events!

Becky L. Sisley, Ed.D

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In early February, I excitedly mentioned the entry of an "Alfrederick Joyner" in the M45 triple jump at the Boston masters nationals. He's otherwise known as Al Joyner, brother of JJK and an Olympic champ himself (in 1984). (He also was the husband of the late Florence Griffith Joyner, aka FloJo.) But Boston came and went -- with no Joyner in the results. I wrote to several people, and all agreed he simply didn't show up (or call to say why). But I've also learned a possible reason for his mysterious absence: family duties.

A source close to Al wrote:

"I saw him at the San Clemente H.S. Invitational where his daughter Mary was running and high jumping (5'2") for Tesoro H.S. Also, his wife gave birth earlier in the month to their first son."

So I Googled for "Al Joyner" remarried and found a dead link to a site that at one time suggested he got hitched again in June 2003.

Then later I got this further note:

"His wife's name is Alisha Biehn. They've been married for almost 3 years now. They have a daughter Skylar (2 years old) and a son Jayden Alfrederick Joyner (under 1 mo). He coaches at the Olympic Training Center and also does some private coaching (professional ballplayers mainly)."

I Googled Alisha Joyner and came across a wedding magazine's Web site, which covered the nuptials and posted a slide show of the happy couple's event! More details on the marriage are available here.

So no wonder! He's got a pooping machine to change and a wife to spell.

Hang in there, champ. Diapers aren't forever.

I also learned from meet announcer Pete Taylor what the Boston organizers did to recognize the recent passing of M70 sprinter Paul Johnson:

"I gave a very brief statement (in which I reported that from at least one source Paul had taken actions in those last moments that may have saved many lives on the ground). Apparently, Paul had made an impression on far more people than I realized. Jim Stookey told me about his help, and of course Courtland Gray was helped by Paul. The other Paul Johnson (racewalker) was stunned. We observed about 30 seconds of silence (this was right before Paul's 400 [M70, Saturday]), in which he was actually given lane 6). I noted that lane 6 had been left open for Paul."

(Since only three M70s ran the race, nobody was displaced by the honor, BTW.)

OK, now that THOSE questions are resolved, on to bigger and better ones.

For starters: What's up with the Hayward Masters Classic? Canceled? Moved? Change of date?

Stay tuned.

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:12 PM | Permalink

Bob Fine of Florida wrote the original WAVA Constitution and was part of that small Toronto group in 1975 that launched masters track's world governing body. Cesare Beccalli of Italy also was at Toronto and later became the president of WAVA (now WMA) twice. Both have responded to my invitations to reflect on the passing of Canada's Ian Hume, who helped found WAVA.

Here's what Bob wrote:

"Many outstanding athletes just take from thhe sport and give nothing in return. Ian was an important contributor when the masters' program was getting started. If there ever will be an International Masters Hall of Fame, Ian should be among the first inductees."

Here's what Cesare sent:

"I was the only Italian competitor in Toronto 75 . From there started a long personal story and the foundation of the Italian Masters movement (IMITT) as well as that of the EVAA. Because of that, I became WAVA president in 1987 and I have been elected WMA President in San Sebastian 2005.

"Therefore I always felt and still feel a great debt of gratitude towards those who were founders and/or Masters' pioneers. I did not have the occasion to hold very close personal relationships with Ian Hume like I had with others, for example Don Farquharson and Bob Fine, but I knew this gentlemen and I was aware of the important role he had in starting the movement and of his absolutely top-level athletic performances.

"Simply a glory whom we'll never forget. Let me say that I would like to avoid to use the sad word 'condolences' while I find much better to say 'honour for ever to his memory.' "

Posted by Ken Stone at 7:46 PM | Permalink

Canada's Ian Hume -- who along with countryman Don Farquharson and Americans Dave Pain and Bob Fine helped found the World Association of Veteran Athletes in the mid-1970s -- died Tuesday at age 91, reports RunnersWeb.com. Ian's 70-year competitive career ended in 1999 after he set dozens of masters records and won 29 world medals (13 gold). His funeral is Friday in St Lambert "not too far from the scene of his exploits on the track there when it was one of the main running venues in the Montreal area," the site reports.

The report continued:

Ian was born in Foster, Quebec in 1914. He graduated from Bishop’s University with a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 19.

From the day in 1929 when Ian won his first gold medal in athletics at the age of 15, he was launched on a glorious sporting career that was to span 8 decades.

With the introduction of the World Association of Veteran Athletes inaugural World Championships track and field meet in Toronto in 1975, Ian returned to competitive athletics. Over the course of the next 25 years, he proceeded to set more than 40 world masters age group records in 9 different events -- high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, hurdles, javelin, weight throw, pentathlon and decathlon.

Having competed in 7 World Championships, he has won 10 gold, 12 silver and 6 bronze medals. Although Ian retired from active competition in 1999, he continued to hold more than 35 Canadian outdoor and indoor records at the masters level .

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:28 AM | Permalink

I've known Johnnye Valien for close to 10 years, and she never ceases to amaze. Yesterday, she finally got recognition from the Mother Ship, being named USATF Athlete of the Week. A week earlier, it was Bill Collins' turn for that tip-top track honor. Now if only USATF would recognize meet announcers, all would be right with the world. Here's Pete Taylor's latest thoughts on the recently completed Boston indoor nationals:

First, my two mottos are "be positive" and "be accurate." You may have noticed that I always accentuate the good about people, to the point that I never even call a person "last" during a race.

Rather, I say they are "6th," "8th," or whatever their position is. Being accurate is essential because what good is an announcer who doesn't have the facts straight? Occasionally, one goal interferes with the other.

In my desire to praise B.J. Freeman (of Canada) as an impressive newcomer I neglected to mention that as a noncitizen she can't really win US events. Liz Palmer, another promising newcomer (from California) won the W45 pentathlon, and Pam Gunneson (believe she is from Connecticut) won the W45 hurdles.

To make things worse, B.J. Freeman was actually second overall finisher in the W45 hurdles behind another foreign athlete, Marie Kay of Australia (I had her as the "winner"). Sometimes when we try to be extremely quick we end up stumbling -- my apologies.

There are three kinds of "international" athletes at our meets, and all three groups added so much to Boston. One type is the "pure" foreign competitor, such as Peter Crombie, Marie Kay, and Carmel Papworth of Australia -- what a thrill to have such fine athletes from "The Land Down Under."

Another type lives in the US but competes for another country, such as Stefan Waltermann of North Carolina (believe he ran 4 x 400 relay for Germany in 2003 worlds) and Hillen von Maltzahn (lives in New York, competes with great proficiency for Germany in the worlds).

A third type would be represented by Lesley Chaplin-Swann (from the UK, lives in Georgia, became a US citizen on October 26). As much as possible, I present these international backgrounds when I announce, as I believe that doing so gives the meet a certain richness, a very pleasing texture.

For those who were not familiar with my announcing, you saw that my style is more elaborate than that of some other announcers. I try not to drown the audience in detail, but I believe there is quite a difference between saying "Bill Collins is in lane 5" and "In lane 5, Bill Collins, the world indoor champ in the 60, 200, and 400.

Bill was an All-American at Texas Christian University, and he ran on the record-breaking US 4 x100 team in Dusseldorf in 1977 that uncorked a 38.03." Of course, I can't usually get all of that in, but I believe the geographic and historical details add something to the meet -- one imagines Bill flying down the track as a young man at TCU, sees him slightly later in Germany, then looks down and sees him standing in lane 5 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston in 2006.

He was a superstar as an open athlete and, can you believe it, he runs with us. Bill is unusual; we also have types such as Oscar Peyton (M50, Maryland) and Sid Howard (M65, New Jersey) who had no college career whatsoever and are now national champions (Sid is a Hall of Famer who grew up a few miles from me in New Jersey. He was a 2:03 half-miler in high school and then gave the sport up. At age 39, I believe, his son informed him of a mile race for "old people," and the rest is history.)

We also have some younger women and men who are not yet stars or superstars but are already very good and are adding so much to our meets. I cannot stress the following point enough -- the two major changes I have seen in the last few years (and they overlap greatly) are (a) the tremendous improvement among the women and (b) the fact that so much of our championship meet looks like college competition.

We now have women in their 50s and even 60s (think of Nadine O'Connor) who could compete today for many US colleges. Can you believe it? Again and again at Boston I thought of how much some parts of the championship looked (and felt) like a college meet. The intensity, the uniforms, the almost frightening speed, the resurgence of club competion; it's all wonderful.

Continuing on a personal note (for those who do not know me), my regular job has nothing to do with track and field (as an editor, my main concerns are type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia, which are often seen together; the epidemiology of certain viral diseases; and epidemiologic patterns for certain cancers).

I no longer compete in track meets and have nothing to do with USATF. I spend very little time reading about masters track and field. I say this because there are many other announcers, and there is no particular requirement that I be the announcer at Boston or anywhere else. Not everything was easy for me at Boston, and some people were pleased by my performance while others were apparently less than happy.

I won't venture a guess here as to what the future holds.

Posted by Ken Stone at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

What do mafioso and masters have in common? They get nicknames. Well, at least the athlete superstars do. I refer to Phil "The Legend" Raschker. Pete Taylor coined Earl "The Great" Fee. And now in his latest thoughts on this past weekend's Boston masters nationals, where he was meet announcer, Pete dubs M45 hurdler Karl Smith "The Quick." Sounds good to me.

Pete's latest report:

Many, many good things to talk about.

In the 60 hurdles, Karl "The Quick" Smith was unreal, to put it mildly. The 1984 Olympian (representing Jamaica, Karl starred at the University of Texas) gets to the first hurdle so fast it's absurd. Not long ago the world indoor mark for M45 was 8.36; it's 8.18 now that Karl has had his way. Karl, who is 5'11", reports a recent 400 dash (indoors) of about 51 flat. Oh my goodness, as I would say.

California's Dave Ashford, who ran 13.73 for 110 hurdles (39 inches) in Puerto Rico (2003) can get a track scholarship anywhere he wants in my state (Virginia). The top time at the University of Virginia (42-inch hurdles) last year was 14.31 seconds. I don't think that guy wants to tangle with Dave. But Mr. Ashford is in his 40s and doesn't need to go to college. He was very impressive at Boston in winning M40 hurdles.

Nadine O'Connor (W60 winner in hurdles from California) should be locked up, she is so good. Irene Thompson (W50 winner in hurdles from upstate New York) needs more recognition, as she has had a great career highlighted by her 100 and 200 wins at Buffalo (1995 Worlds) and her membership on the first women's masters team to break 4 minutes in 4 x 400 (Eugene, 1996).

Newcomer B.J. Freeman (who won the hurdles and pentathlon, don't know about her other events) is 47 going on 20 and is someone to watch. A former gymnast, B.J. (from Calgary, Alberta) claims only about four actual track meets before this one. Maybe being a gymnast helps.

In the mile, John Hinton of North Carolina showed me something special (he won M40 in 4:16.23). There was great excitement in mile, 400, and 200 -- they may have been the most exciting events of meet.

The second of the women's 3000s (Wanda Toro Scheib in W40 was first with a time of 10:49.98; her rivals Terri Cassel in 10:53.02 and Carla Kehoe [who fell 100 meters from finish] in 10:53.65 ) brought the house down.

Pete Magill from California was very impressive in posting best men's time of night in 3000 (8:43.12); first time I had seen him run. As in 60, Aaron Thigpen (from San Diego State) showed consummate ability as he roared to victory in M40 200 in 22.73. Aaron ran 10.80 at Hawaii in finals (but I believe he ran 10.73 in trials -- must have been wind-aided). Another scholarship, also not needed? Best time at University of Virginia last season was 10.65 by someone presumably 2 decades younger.

With all of the brilliance and the great reaction of spectators at Boston one hopes there will be more greats and near-greats coming to future meets.

Posted by Ken Stone at 1:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Masters meet announcer Pete Taylor, who only a year ago was recovering from serious illness, has sent along his observations on the just-completed USATF National Masters Indoor Championships in Boston. He's one of the few people in the sport who witness just about every event at nationals. His race calls add excitement to the meet, giving it a special atmosphere. Athletes appreciate the star treatment.

Pete writes:

My first impression of what happened at Boston:

If for some reason California and Texas had been barred from the meet, it would have been a totally different experience. When I announced the standings on Sunday I saw that 2 of the top 3 teams were from California. Sprinter after sprinter from California; it was glorious.

Aaron Thigpen (M40 out of San Diego State) would have crushed many college sprinters with his 6.90 in the 60 dash. Kathy Bergen (W65 from La Canada, California) is still in complete control of both sprinting and high jumping (world mark). Nadine O'Connor (W60 from Del Mar, California) is on another planet.

Nolan Shaheed (M55 from California) was the best musician in the meet and broke the world mark in M55 mile. The list goes on and on.

From Texas, M55 sprinter Bill Collins (out of TCU) was shockingly fast in 60 and 200. Bobby Whilden (M70 from Univ of Texas) is even faster than Payton Jordan. What?! Marie Kay (W45 from Australia) thrilled the crowd with her brilliance in 200 and400.

Other major impression: The women's competition has gotten so much better. Mary Grene's mile race (Mary's from Kansas) in W40 and younger was considered one of the highlights of the meet because it was so dramatic, with 5 or 6 women in contention in the late stages.

Lorraine Jasper (W40 from Pennsylvania) said that she almost collapsed from watching it, as it was so exciting. Lesley Chaplin-Swann (W45 from Georgia) was absolutely dominant, but her performances were not as exciting in some ways because she was well ahead. Alisa Harvey (W40 out of University of Tennessee, now living in Virginia) is simply phenomenal, and the crowd loved her in 400 and 800.

More comments in a day or 2.

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Boston indoor nationals wrapped up today with a raft of records -- some duly noted and at least three overlooked. Also, the Day 3 results sheet posted Sunday included an addendum: "Some Day 3 results were not received from the meet and are, therefore, notincluded on this page. USATF is trying to get the missing results and will post them as soon as they are received."

In addition, Friday's men's pole vault results have yet to be posted -- all age groups M60 and older.

Oh, well.

But let's savor what we know about.

Jill Geer, USATF director of communications, noted:

Johnnye Valien of Los Angeles set her second world record of the meet in field competition, triple jumping 5.57m/18-3.25 to break the listed women's 80-84 world record of 5.15m/16-10.75, set by Margaret Hinton in 2002.

(Me: In fact, JV upped her own W80 world TJ record. Johnnye went 5.27 (17-3 1/2) in Linz earlier this month. Not mentioned was her high jump Sunday -- 0.94 (3-1), which betters the listed American W80 indoor record of 0.92 set by Hinton in 2003. Johnnye's 0.94 is just short of the W80 world indoor best of 0.96 (3-1 /34) set by Germany's Margarete Strüven a week ago in Linz.)

The 3,000-meter race walk saw an American record set as Miriam Gordon of Hollywood, Fla., set the W80 record with her time of 23:08.58, as the first American of her age to walk the distance.

(Me: Not so sure about Miriam being the first W80 to racewalk 3K indoors. In any case, the distinction of being the oldest American 3K racewalker probably belongs to W90 Mary Lathram, who heel-toed 28:13.40 indoors in 2005. And American Fay Benno-Caris holds the W85 world indoor record at 27:11.02, set two years ago in Boston.)

Several other athletes came tantalizingly close to setting records. World Masters Athletics Indoor gold medalist and last week's USATF Athlete of the Week, Bill Collins of Houston, threatened his own M55 200m dash world record of 23.36, set at the 2006 WMAs.

On the women's side, Alisa Harvey of Manassas, Va., was just a few strides off her own record in the W40 800 meters, running 2:08.68 to finish near her record of 2:07.23 run last month.

(Me: All true. But Jill missed three other records -- JV's high jump and these on Sunday:

-- Bob Whilden, 71, of Houston broke the listed M70 American indoor record for 200, going 27.11 to better the 6-year-old mark of 27.75 by Harry Brown. (The time also beat the listed M70 world indoor best of 27.40 by Britain's Allan Meddings in 1998.)

-- Kathy Bergen, 66, of La Canada, California, cleared 1.31 (4-3 1/2) to break the listed W65 American indoor record of 1.28 (4'2¼") by Evelyn Wright three years ago in Boston. (It also topped the listed W65 indoor world record of 1.30 by Holland's Rietje Dijkman last year.) Kathy also set a 60-meter-dash world indoor record in this meet. Her husband, Bert, was fifth in the M65 high jump, BTW. Bert, 68, jumped 1.35.)

So there we go. Another Boston in the books.

Let's do it all over again next year -- in Boston.

Posted by Ken Stone at 10:40 PM | Permalink

Poor Dexter McCloud. He ties or breaks the M45 world indoor record in the 60 hurdles twice in a day at Linz, and a week later Karl Smith lowers the mark even further. So it went on Day 2 of the Boston masters nationals. Dexter's 8.22 at the WMA world meet broke Colin Williams' 4-year-old record of 8.36. Then Karl goes 8.18 Saturday. Dex hardly had time to savor the WR.

Even more impressive was the 6.90 clocked by Aaron Thigpen in the M40 60-meter dash, smashing a venerable American record (6.97) by Olympian Eddie Hart that had stood since 1990. (The M40 world record is 6.81 by Holland's Troy Douglas.)

Anywho, USATF's Jill Geer had some cute riffs on records in her Day 2 report from Boston (but forgive her occasional gaffes on records):

BOSTON - Jazz trumpeter Nolan Shaheed kept up an allegro tempo on the track Saturday, breaking the world record the men's 55-59 mile during the second day of competition at the 2006 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Shaheed's record was one of no fewer than six pending world records and 17 pending American records set on the day, including one by local star Mary Harada of West Newton, Mass.

Wonderful World Marks

A resident of Pasadena, Calif., former trumpeter for Count Basie, and a member of the National Masters Track & Field Hall of Fame, Shaheed added the M55 indoor mile WR in his new age group, having previously inserted his name throughout the M50 record book. Shaheed's time of 4:42.89 on Saturday easily surpassed the previous WR of 4:49.33 set by Alston Brown of Jamaica in 2004.

Mary Harada added local flavor with her world record in the W70 mile. The 70-year-old clocking a time of 7:12.59 to break the world mark of 7:19.44, set by American Toshiko D'Elia in 2001.

The sprints also saw their share of world marks as Kathy Bergen of La Canada, Calif, broke the W65 world record. Her time of 9.27 snuck under the listed mark of 9.29 by Gertrude Reichart of Germany, set in 2004. Robert Whilden of Houston, Texas, broke the M70 world record in the M70 dash, his time of 8.20 besting German Bruno Kimmel's time of 8.22 from 2004.

Karl Smith of Silver Spring, Md., posted an impressive WR in the M45 60-meter hurdles. Already the record holder in the 40 age group, Smith ran 8.18 on Saturday to break the WR of 8.36, set by Colin Williams of the United States in 2002.

The Merrimack Valley Striders set a pending WR in the W30-39 4x800m relay with their time of 10:00.68, but the Athena Track Club ran even faster in the W40-49 relay, their time of 9:55.86 setting a pending American record. An ad-hoc team in the women's 50-59 relay ran 10:36.50 for another AR.

Living the American (Record) Dream

American records fell like the consumer confidence index during a recession, led by Paul Heitzman of Eudora, Kan., who claimed his second American record of the meet, this time in the M75 mile (6:23.95). Other records on the track included Aaron Thigpen of Brentwood, Calif., in the M40 60-meter dash (6.90); and Lesley Chaplin-Swann of McDonough, Ga., in the M45 mile (5:08.81). David Buysse of Carmel, Ind., also bettered the listed American record in the M35 mile with his time of 4:35.71.

Records in the field were posted by Bruce McBarnette of Sterling, Va., in the M45 high jump (1.95m/6-4.75); Tom Lagenfeld of Edina, Minn., in the M70 high jump (1.41m); Gary Hunter of Fort Wayne, Ind., in the M50 pole vault (4.40m/14-5.25); George Joachim of Fort Wayne, Ind., in the M35 long jump (6.55m/21-6); and Mary Roman, 70, of Norwalk, Ct., in the W70 shot put (8.01m/26-3.5);

400m drama

The 400 meters provided some fierce competition, including a rematch of the M60 gold and silver bronze medalists from the 2006 World Masters Athletics Championship Indoor, held one week ago in Linz, Austria. Roger Pierce of Essex, Mass., led throughout the race in Boston, setting a torrid pace. But the tall and lanky gold medalist, Peter Crombie of Australia, surged ahead in the final straight to win in a thrilling finish in 57.62. Pierce crossed the line in 58.12. In the 60m dash, Pierce (8.07) got the best of Crombie (8.12), but they both finished behind winner Stan Whitley (7.86) of Alta Loma, Calif.

Former NCAA 1,500m champion Alisa Harvey of Manassas, Va., sought to add another record to her growing list of masters marks. Already owning the world indoor marks at 800 meters and the mile, Harvey's lightning fast first 200 meters might have caught up with her. Beginning to slow a bit in the final stretch, she finished in 57.81, just off of Lesia Batiste's world and American record of 57.40.

The 400 also saw the elder statesman of masters track & field, 92-year-old Max Springer of Knoxville, Tenn., run 2:14.91.

More records

In competition late Friday night, Franklin "Bud" Held of Del Mar, Calif., broke the WR in the M75 pole vault with a clearance of 2.90m/9-6.25, breaking American Carol Johnston's mark of 2.82m/9-3 that had stood since 1988. 42-year-old Pamela Swan of Bowdoin, Maine, did the same in the W40 pole vault (2.82m/9-3). William Garrahan, 76, of Narragansett, R.I., added an American record in the M75 weight throw Friday night with a mark of 13.23m/43-5.

Me again:

A few corrections to Jill's report.

-- Bruce McBarnette didn't come near the American record of 2.04 (6-8 1/4) in the M45 high jump, which Dennis Lewis made earlier this year (and is listed as pending on the USATF Web site). Also, Bruce fell short of his own M45 PR: 1.96 at Linz.

-- Gary Hunter's 4.40 vault in the M50 group is short of the 2003 indoor jump of 4.41 by Jeff Kingstad -- and it ties the 4.40 by 1976 Olympian (and my KU track teammate) Terry Porter in 2004.

-- Tony Young has run 4:05.51 indoors for an M40 mile (on an "oversized" track), and the listed M40 American record is 4:11 by Bill Stewart in 1983, so I have a hard time believing that "David Buysse of Carmel, Ind., ... bettered the listed American record in the M35 mile with his time of 4:35.71." (The listed record is 4:37.53 by Chris Yorges at last year's Boise nationals.)

in In fact, in 2005 alone, these folks recorded faster indoor miles in the M35 age group:

4:28.29 STIRLING INCE (032)
4:29.29 ERIC GREEN (151)
4:32.16 JASON CAKOUROS (046)

And in 2003, Yorges himself had a faster indoor mile in the M35 age group: 4:31.48.

-- Along those same lines, Jill writes about an American indoor record set by "George Joachim of Fort Wayne, Ind., in the M35 long jump (6.55m/21-6)." Oops! George already has a mark of 6.74 (22-1 1/2) from a Michigan meet in late January. And don't get me started on elites. (Larry Myricks jumped 8.45 (27-8 3/4) indoors at age 33.)

-- Contrary to Jill's report, the indoor world W40 record in the 400 isn't 57.40 by Lesia Batiste. It's 56.82 by Holland's Tilly Verhoef, set way back in 1997.

-- Watch your P's and Q's, Jill (especially your M's and W's). She wrote: "Lesley Chaplin-Swann of McDonough, Ga., in the M45 mile (5:08.81)" Lesley changed citizenship (from British to American) recently, but she's still a woman.

-- And on Day 1 of the meet, Jill wrote: "Johnnye Valien of Los Angeles made the most of entering the W80 age division by breaking the listed WR in the pole vault with a clearance of 1.25m/4-5, besting American Margaret Hinton's 2002 mark of 1.20m/3-11.25." Actually, JV jumped 1.35 -- and fell short of her own W80 record of 1.40 set in Linz a week earlier.

Some interesting side notes:

-- Pamela Swan of Bowdoin, Maine, did raise the W40 vault record to 2.82 (9-3) -- but she's still short of the W45, W50 and W60 American records!

-- Phil Raschker, probably still nursing her injuries from San Sebastian worlds, was an unlikely third in the W55 60-meter dash. When was the last time that happened?

Posted by Ken Stone at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Thanks to Jill Geer, a Boston-area resident, the USATF Masters Indoor Nationals are getting a fine splash from the get-go. Geer is the head media honcho for USA Track & Field, and a new mom. She'll be commuting to the Reggie Lewis Center to file reports on the three-day meet, apparently. Results of the meet are being posted on USATF's Web site, thank goodness. (This averts the disaster of 2005, when Boise experienced a computer crash and failed to post results for days.)

Posted by Ken Stone at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just discovered a cool video, supposedly 6 minutes long, showing the snowed-under cross country race and a half-marathon at the Linz worlds. Even though I have a cable-modem connection, the video was very jumpy. But it was professionally shot and edited, and has a jazzy sound track. Some is narrated (in German?). But it's the first WMA meet site that features video! Danke! Now if only the official WMA Web site would move on from promoting the upcoming Linz world meet. Can't we just hand the WMA site to the Linzfolk? (Now, please, may we have some video of indoor events?)

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:48 AM | Permalink

Texas sprinter Paul Johnson, who died with his wife and two others in the crash of his small plane Monday, will be remembered in his hometown of Lubbock on Saturday, according to this news about his memorial service. I also came across a story in the Kansas City Star saying his piloting helped avoid greater tragedy. For those who knew Paul, that would be no surprise.

In a Yahoo Groups posting, Texas hurdler Courtland Gray wrote:

Certainly we Texans knew and loved Paul Johnson. I believe he ran in the first real masters meet in which I competed in 1994. We were running a 400 (I was curious to know if I could break 60 sec) and he was in my heat. I was 50, he was late 50’s. Kinda pudgy, I thought to be talking such a big game to his buds. I asked him how fast he was going to go out….. I was clueless….. and he said about 27. I thought, no problem. When we passed the 200, his marker was calling….24…25….and I knew I was in trouble following Paul. I walked in at about 59.9 and he was well in front. That is how I first met Paul.

Two years ago in the hotel lobby in Boston, he gave me a great tip about staying lower in my drive phase in the sprint. I had been popping up more like in my hurdles. I took his advice and improved in the sprint final.

Paul recently hosted an indoor meet in Lubbock that has become the southwest regional meet. It is the first time this region had held a regional indoor championship. Paul was responsible for that, primarily because of his personal support of Texas Tech track and field. His alma mater was Abilene Christian College.

Paul was a great athlete, fierce competitor, and a Christian man. He loved his flying, and I always worried about that. As a military pilot, I learned that too many things can go wrong that are out of one’s own control. Bad fuel in small airports, bad flight planning, slack maintenance, etc. It’s hard enough to fly when all goes well. When things don’t go well, it takes more than experience and luck. Paul’s luck ran out Monday, and we lost a great friend and masters competitor.

I will miss Paul.

Me again:

Another story recounts the last minutes of Paul's life, as told by a pilot who had radio contact with Paul on Monday. Here's the story:

By Cliff Sain
BDN Staff Writer

POINT LOOKOUT — A man who had radio contact with the pilot of a plane that crashed in Branson on Monday said the pilot was in “big trouble.”

Jim Carney, a retired airline pilot from Germantown, Tenn., said he and his wife were sitting on the runway at the Taney County Airport in their Cessna 182 Skyline waiting for clearance and talking with the pilot of the doomed aircraft Monday.

That pilot, Paul Johnson, 71, of Lubbock, Texas, was experiencing a weak radio signal, so Carney said he was taking his information and relaying it to Springfield approach control. He said Johnson’s takeoff was uneventful.

“I was calling Springfield to tell them he was airborne,” Carney said. “Then Springfield tried to call him. Then very faintly, I heard him declare an emergency.”

A short time later, Johnson apparently turned around and headed back to the Taney County Airport.

“He said, ‘things are bad, real bad. I’m trying to get back to the airport,’” Carney said.

After Carney relayed that information to Springfield, he said Johnson reported that he could see the city of Branson.

“He said, ‘I’m over the city and I’m trying to get back to the airport.’” he said.

Carney said he asked Johnson the nature of his problem, but that was followed by what would become Johnson’s final transmission.

“I’m in trouble; I’m in big trouble.”

Carney then said he asked if there was anything he could do for him from the ground, but there was no response. He said Springfield was also trying to make contact with him the entire time.

The plane went down in Branson, just southwest of the intersection of 76 Country Boulevard and Missouri 165, striking a 32-unit storage building and bursting into flames. The crash killed Johnson, his wife Marcia Johnson, 71, and another couple, Billy and Betty Roach, both 78, also from Lubbock. There were no injuries on the ground.

According to the Carneys, it was seven minutes from the time of take-off until the crash.

Carney, who said he spent 39 years with a major airline, flying everything from prop planes to 747s, said it sounded like the pilot did everything he could to prevent the tragedy.

“My opinion is, something went wrong, really wrong,” he said. “He was doing the best he could in that very difficult situation.”

Carney said that Johnson probably realized he was not going to make the airport and was looking for a good spot to land.

“There was no good spot,” Carney said. “He did the best he could with what he had going for him.”

He said Johnson’s voice was elevated, like he was working very hard. He said Johnson was likely very busy trying to work out whatever the problem was in his plane.

Carney said he had a chance to talk very briefly with Johnson before their flights. According to Carney, Johnson’s flight briefing was very professional. He also said that when Johnson walked out the door to go to his airplane, he seemed relaxed.

“When he left, he smiled and gave me thumbs up and told me ‘good luck.’”

Carney disputes any assertion that the weather was too bad to fly that day. Although airport manager Mark Parent said the clouds were between 200 to 400 feet that day, Carney said it was more like 900 feet in his opinion. He said the weather was good enough that he and his wife, Janine, could see the smoke from the wreckage, between two-and-a-half and three miles away.

Carney said there was no report of ice that day and that Johnson’s only concern was that of a rather strong headwind he would be facing.

The Carneys, who said they visit Branson often and had arrived Friday to attend a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, were scheduled to fly out immediately after Johnson. They decided to wait until today, but the weather was no concern to them.

“Jim never sticks his neck out,” Janine said. “I have confidence that it was safe. It was completely clear at 4,800 feet.”

Carney said he could not see any way that the airport was responsible for the accident.

He also complimented the Branson police and fire departments for their professional and sympathetic handling of the situation.

Carney said he talked with Tim Sorensen, the National Transportation Safety Board investigator who arrived on site Tuesday to begin investigating the wreck. He said he was very impressed with Sorensen.

“He’s a very capable investigator and a qualified pilot as well,” he said. “(The NTSB) will do it’s absolute best to investigate this.”

Posted by Ken Stone at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Idaho to Hawaii to Austria, lap-counting has become the Achilles' heel of masters track. On a sweltering day at last summer's Hawaii masters nationals, the men's 10K runners and women's 5K racers were afflicted and aggrieved. At the just-completed WMA world indoor meet, older women were the victims. But they are not silent. W70 Amerian Mary Harada testified to the snafus in a comment post here, but it's worth its own blog entry. So lissen up, all organizing committees.

Mary writes:

I am a few days late commenting about the 3k follies in Linz. It was the same old same old, try out the system on the old ladies -- who cares if we screw up. So they did screw up. They shoved 19 of us onto the track ages 65 and up.

This is a guarantee of a mess, four lap counters, no introductions, no lap count sheets with times, no hip numbers, and the age group number so small as to need a magnifying glass to read them. They lined us up 3 deep -- no effort made to split the field and have half start further up the track.

Off we went, and sure as the sun rises, the mess began with the younger faster 65-year-olds lapping the older runners. When I had 2 laps to go an official held up one finger indicating 1 lap, I held up 2 fingers indicating 2 laps. The U.S. team managers are shouting at me from the stands that I have 2 laps to go. They can count, the lap counters cannot.

Meanwhile the first-place 70-year-old runner lapped the rest of us, and she was stopped one lap shy. Her husband called to her to run another one and she was back on the track like a jack rabbit. she ran another lap.

Mary Ansley, the British runner in second in W70 was stopped one lap shy. Her husband told her to run another one, she attempted to do so but was pulled off the track before crossing the finish line.

Meanwhile I am running around and finishing third.

The initial results showed the British lady in first, the German lady in second, a Canadian lady in third, and I am in fourth. The U.S. files an appeal complete with my splits showing that I ran 15 laps. Upon review of the finish line tapes, I can be seen holding up 2 fingers indicating that the lap counter is wrong. The Canadian runner is disqualified for failing to run 15 laps, the British runner is still in first, the German in second, I am now in third.

The Germans file an appeal, I speak with them and the appeals person, the German woman is given gold, the British woman gets silver, I get bronze.

This is not yet over as the offical results still show the British woman in first and that she set a world record!

I have sent an email to Sandy Pashkin recounting this sorry state of affairs and saying that no matter how nice the British woman may be, she did not set a world record unless world records for the 3k indoors is given for running 14 laps. The world record probably belongs to the German runner. Meanwhile, I look like a silly slug for finishing a minute and 1/2 behind the first two runners. Well folks, I ran 15 laps, their times are for 14 laps.

Did the officials learn from this? No -- they made the same mistakes in the older women's 3k race walk.

This same sorry mess happened in Boise last year with wrong lap counting, the clock malfunctioning, no splits being given after the clock was stopped for the first runner -- age 40 when there were runners from age 40 to over 80 on the ttrack. And the race director's attitude basically was -- who cares?

Me again:

Well, a lot of people care. And we're not going to stand for it.

If organizers can't get their act together, they need to be blacklisted. Yes, no more meets for venues that can't count straight. In a world championships, especially, these shenanigans are complete unacceptable. And officials need to be accountable.

Anyone else have a lap-counting horror story to share?

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Masters track is wacky. First you compete in the world championships and then, a week later, go for a national title? That's the way it be, but nobody's complaining. This weekend's Boston indoor nationals will play host to hundreds of American and some foreign guests. Close to a dozen world champions from Linz will be in Beantown, including W45 gold medalist (and American record holder) Lesley Chaplin-Swann, the 800-meter champ and former British citizen. She shares some thoughts on her Austrian experience.

Lesley writes:

I thought you might be interested in my thoughts about competing in my first World and National Championship as a US citizen:

I am looking forward to Boston as much as I did Worlds. Boise last year was my first major track meet and it was a nerve wracking experience. I was totally in awe of all the greats. I watched Kathryn Martin run for the first time having read about all her achievements; I saw people like Ms. Valien and Max Springer compete, they were all so inspiring.

My experience in Boise as I have noted previously to you, was bittersweet. my citizenship paperwork in process, I was unable to claim the record that I had broken. The naturalization process seemed like an eternity; I still did not have it by the time Hawaii came around; in reality the process took only 11 months but it seemed like an eternity.

A year later, I find myself in the midst of all the greats that I read about and admired only a year ago; I feel so honored and fortunate.

My success to date is as much my coach's achievement as it is mine. Mike Spino coached me for about a year 8 years ago when I was about to become a master and I was running on the roads. I approached him again about a year and a half ago and asked him if he would consider coaching me.

Although he had essentially retired from coaching (he had to brush the dust off his stopwatch) he agreed to work with me. He is totally committed to our efforts, we are a team.

To wear a US uniform and compete for the United States of America in Linz was truly an honor. To actually win the 800 in Linz was an incredible experience and I still can't believe I did it!

To meet and compete with all the greats in the world was truly humbling. What great camaraderie there was amongst the US athletes. We were all there supporting and cheering for each other as we saw a teammate compete.

And so on to Boston. I am so looking forward to competing on a track that so far I have only seen on television. And again, to compete with all the greats in the US as a US citizen will mean so much to me.

From what I read it appears that Boston will be a great meet; I am grateful to be a part of it.

Lesley

Me again:

I also got a note from M40 Linz triple jump champion Gregory Foster, who wrote: "I will more than likely forgo Boston because I'm nursing a groin strain. Perhaps my next meet will be after September the 3rd, my 45th birthday. Take care and keep doing what you're doing."

Greg also expressed his opinion on Willie Banks' goal of triple-jumping 50 feet at age 50:

"Regarding Willie - I think if anyone is capable of jumping 50' at age 50 it's Willie. He's health conscience (a vegetarian) and relies on technique/good mechanics rather than brute strength or power."

Best of luck to all at Boston.

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:08 PM | Permalink

M55 great Bill Collins is returning home from Linz to some stateside kudos. Today he became the second masters star this year to gain USATF Athlete of the Week recognition from the Mother Ship in Indianapolis. (The other masters runner so honored was W45 middle-distancer Marisa Hanson on Jan. 24.)

Collins will be in action this weekend in Boston -- one of at least 15 folks going for the trans-Atlantic (Linz-Beantown) double.

These are the ones I counted as going nearly straight from the Old World to New England (but I may have missed a few):

(The boldface ones are Linz world champions in at least one event)

W80 Johnnye Valien (60, HJ, LJ, PV, shot, etc,)
W70 Mary Harada (400, 800, mile)
M65 Emil Pawlik (60, 60H, pentath, HJ, LJ)
M60 Stephen Robbins (60, 200)
M60 Roger Pierce (60, 200, 400)
M60 George Mathews (throws)
M55 Bill Collins (sprints)
W55 Hillen von Maltzahn (sprints, hurdles, jumps)
W50 Rita Hanscom (sprints, hurdles, jumps)
M45 Dexter McCloud (hurdles)
M45 Bruce McBarnette (high jump)
W45 Lesley Chaplin-Swann (400, 800, mile)
M40 Gregory Foster (LJ, TJ)
W40 Caren Ware (hurdles, jumps, sprints, throws, penta)
M35 Dan Holton (PV)
M50 Jim Broun (hurdles)

Bob Weiner has prepared this press release for indoor nationals:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 21, 2006

Contact: Bob Weiner (National Masters Media Chair) or Rebecca Vander Linde
301-283-0821/ 202-329-1700

(Boston, MA) Many of the world’s best track and field athletes, will be competing at the U.S.A. Track & Field Masters Indoor Championships which will be held, after a one-year absence, in Boston Friday-Sunday, March 24-26. U.S. athletes will include five new World Indoor Champions from the just concluded World Masters Athletics Championships in Linz, Austria, March 15-20.

Six (me: actually 10) newly crowned WORLD CHAMPIONS are coming to Boston straight from their victories in Austria this week: Lesley Chaplin-Swann (McDonough, GA, W45 800 M), Bill Collins (Houston, TX, M55 60 Dash and 200M), Dexter McCloud, (Norcross, GA, M45 60M Hurdles), Sid Howard (Plainfield, NJ, M 65 800 M), and Bruce McBarnette (Sterling, VA, M45 High Jump). Local star Roger Pierce, age 61 of Essex, MA, won a silver medal in 400m and also won a gold medal on the U.S. M60 4 X 200 relay.

Alisa Harvey, who set a pending women’s World Masters Record in the mile and 800 Meters last month, could break world or American records for every race in which she competes.

Olympic Gold Medalist and brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Al Joyner, is scheduled to participate in the Men’s Triple Jump, the event for which he won his Gold medal in 1984.

Nolan Shaheed, who played lead trumpet with Count Basie Orchestra, was musical director for Marvin Gaye, and has worked with Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Phil Collins, and Anita Baker (he is best described as a jazz trumpeter), is member of Masters Hall of Fame and will run in M55 800m and mile (he is from Pasadena, Calif). He has world outdoor marks in the M50 mile of 4:27.9 and M50 800 of 1:58.65).

On Friday, March 24 at 4PM, the 3000 Meters is the opening final at the three-day meet at Reggie Lewis Track, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston/Roxbury. Finals continue 9AM Saturday and 10 AM Sunday, March 25 and 26 including sprints, middle distances, field events, and relays. Spectators are free and welcome.

"Athletes from across the USA will compete in the meet," said Steve Vaitones, Meet Director and managing director of the USA Track & Field-New England, hosting the meet. "The track is recognized as lightning-fast and top quality, conducive to world and national records. This meet and masters running sends a message of competitive fitness for an entire lifetime."
Promoting the message of lifelong fitness are the eldest competitors, whom spectators always enjoy watching. Betty Jarvis of Aberdeen, NC, the oldest woman athlete at 91, will compete in the shot put and weight throw. The two oldest men, 92, are Leland McPhie of San Diego, CA (60m, High Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Weight Throw, Superweight Throw) and Max Springer of Knoxville, TN (200m, 400m, 800m).

At last year’s indoor championship, in Boise, Idaho, over 40 World and American records were broken, and this year should yield similar results.

NOTE: Media are invited for coverage and athlete interviews. For more information or interviews, please call Bob Weiner at 301-283-0821 or cell 202-329-1700, or locate Bob trackside. Media credentials are required. More schedule information, participant list, and meet specifics are available on Web at: http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/

(Source: Robert Weiner Associates 301-283-0821 and USATF-NE)

ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2006 NATIONAL MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lesley Chaplin-Swann, McDonough, GA, won the W45 800 at the just completed (March 15-20) World Indoor Masters Championship in Linz, Austria in American record time (2:20.99). This 48-year-old ex-Brit has been on a rampage over the last 9 months, beginning with a triple at the 2005 US outdoors (in Honolulu), where she won the 400, 800, and 1500. This winter she has gone under the listed American indoor marks (45-49 group) in the 800, 1500, and mile. Lesley will be a heavy favorite at Boston in the 800 and mile.

Bill Collins, Houston, TX, was under the listed world indoor marks (m55) in 60 (7.34) and 200 (23.36) in winning both at Linz Worlds. With his "pure diamond" sprinting form, Collins has dazzled athletes and grateful spectators for decades. In 1977 he teamed with Steve Riddick, Steve Williams, and Cliff Wiley to scorch a 38.03 world record in the 4 x 100 relay for the U.S. team in Dusseldorf, and he hasn’t gotten a great deal slower over the years. The holder of the 50-54 world mark in the 100 at an unthinkable 10.95 seconds, Bill will be a heavy favorite in the 60 and 200 (men 55-59) at Boston but will be pushed to the limit by the brilliant Alston Brown (from the island of Jamaica, now living in the New York area) in the 400.

Alisa Harvey. An all-time great at the University of Tennessee, where she was 1986 NCAA champion in the 1500, Alisa (Manassas, Virginia) is essentially an open runner but will be competing in the 40-44 age group at Boston. Possessing a velvet stride, Alisa is scheduled to run the 400 and 800. On February 18 Ms. Harvey set a pending world masters mile record of 4:50.95 and has also this winter ran an otherworldly 2:07.23 in the 800 (the American indoor record for 40-44 by the great Rose Monday is 2:16.01). Alisa could conceivably better the listed American mark in every race in which she competes and has announced her intention to go after the 400M masters world record of 57.40.

Al Joyner, out of Lincoln HS in East St. Louis, MO, and Arkansas State University, Olympic triple jump Gold Medalist, will headline the jumpers at Boston this weekend. In 1984, Al became the first American in 80 years to win the Olympic triple jump, taking off for a brilliant 56' 7 1/2 inches. Joyner will be going for Milan Tiff's world indoor mark (men 45-49) of 14.82 meters/48 feet, 7.46 inches.

Dexter McCloud, Norcross, GA (M45) set a World indoor mark at the World Championships in Austria this weekend at 60 hurdles (8.35) in trials, then won the final in a brilliant new WR of 8.22 seconds (60 hurdles), far under the listed mark of 8.36 by Colin Williams.

Bruce McBarnette, Sterling, VA also won at Worlds (m45 high jump). Bruce, who lives in northern Virginia, is out of Princeton University and NYU School of Law.

Sid Howard, Plainfield, NJ, Linz World Championship winner in 800, M65.

Roger Pierce, age 61 of Essex, MA, at the World Masters Indoor Champs in Linz, Austria, won a silver medal in 400m finishing 0.15 behind long-time rival Peter Crombie of Australia, and also won a gold medal on the U.S. M60 4 X 200 relay. Earlier in the meet, Pierce finished 4th in the finals of both the 60m and 200m. Pierce is scheduled to compete in Boston in the 60, 200 & 400.

Marie Kay (New South Wales, Australia). This Australian hotshot was first in the heptathlon and second in the 400 dash at the 2005 world masters (her heptathlon score is a pending world mark for women 45-49). In the 2003 worlds (these championships are held in odd-numbered years), Marie stormed to victory in the 200 dash (26.09 seconds) and the 400 (56.18). Watch for her in the 200 and 400 at Boston.

Oneitha (Neni) Lewis. Competing for the Shore Athletic Club of New Jersey, Nini is regarded as a lock for future induction in the Masters Hall of Fame. Her performance in the weight pentathlon last year was considered the best individual performance of 2005 (in the United States) by a female masters track and field athlete. Nini is stylish, quick, and explosive and will be a prohibitive favorite at Boston in the shot, weight throw, and superweight (she is the world indoor record holder in the weight throw).

Kathy Martin. The effortless Martin (Northport, NY) was the first (and last) Bengay Masters T&F athlete of the year (2004). Holder of the American indoor marks in the 800, 1500, mile, and 3000 for women 50-54, Martin will be the pick at Boston in the 800 and mile but may be pushed by Marge Bellisle in the 3000.

Nadine O’Connor. Termed an "emerging superstar" before the Hawaii nationals last year, Nadine (Del Mar, California) can now be called an established superstar. Holder of the world indoor marks for women 60-64 in the pole vault (3 meters/9'10, but she has gone 10' 2" outdoors) and 200 dash (an astonishing 29.51 seconds), Nadine will thrill her many fans as she takes on all comers in the 60 dash, 60 hurdles, 200, and pole vault at Boston. Nadine was named the outstanding female masters track athlete in the United States in 2005.

Emil Pawlik. A walk-on at Texas A&M University many years ago, this oil company executive (Jackson, Mississippi) laid off for many years but then came back with a vengeance. Named the outstanding male masters track athlete in the United States in 2005, Emil also was the sole recipient (male or female) of the inaugural Gleukos Masters Athlete of the Year award. The reigning world champion (ages 65-69) in the decathlon, Emil is close to unbeatable in multi-events and will thus be a heavy favorite in the pentathlon at Boston. Mr. Pawlik is also very strong in the long jump, high jump, and 60 hurdles and will compete in all three during the meet.

Ted Poulos the most prolific runner to compete in history with 300 races 1500m + a year, with his record 337 races in 2003 alone.

David Ashford. He has the physique, speed, and style of an elite college hurdler (he ran a world age group record of 13.73 seconds in the 110 hurdles in 2003 [39-inch hurdles]), but Mr. Ashford (from California) is actually in the 40-44 age group. In 1981, David was California state high school champ (West Covina HS) in 13.67 seconds and thus has lost almost nothing to Father Time. Watch him run the 60 hurdles at Boston, but don’t turn your head, because the race will be over.

Aaron Thigpen. A member of 11 United States national teams, Aaron dominated the 100 dash (40-44 age group) in the outdoor nationals in Hawaii last summer (winning in 10.80 seconds, an American record for the division). The only real question about Aaron at Boston is whether he can break the 16-year-old American mark by the great Eddie Hart of 6.97 seconds in the 60. Aaron, who has lifetime marks of 10.02 (wind-aided) and 10.18 (unaided) in the 100, will also go for gold in the 200.

Bobby Whilden (Texas) Bobby, who will compete in the 70-74 group at Boston, was one of an elite group of sprinters who came out of Texas in the 1950s (Olympic champ Bobby Morrow was the most prominent). Mr. Whilden, an All-American at the University of Texas and later a prominent attorney in the state, shocked the masters world last summer when he crushed the world 100 mark (ages 70-74) of the legendary Payton Jordan. Bobby's time was 12.77 seconds.

Jim Stookey (Dickerson, Maryland). Dr. Jim Stookey can talk to you about mad cow disease (he's a veterinary pathologist out of Auburn University), or he can talk to you about masters track and field, as he has been the male masters track and field athlete of the year in the U.S. on three separate occasions. The Hall of Famer holds the world indoor mark in the 60 hurdles (9.89 seconds, 70-74 group) and will compete in that event as well as the 60 dash, 200 dash, high jump, long jump, and triple jump (Jim is now in 75-79 age group).

PERSONALITIES: Nolan Shaheed, who played lead trumpet with Count Basie Orchestra, was musical director for Marvin Gaye, and has worked with Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Phil Collins, and Anita Baker (he is best described as a jazz trumpeter), is member of Masters Hall of Fame and will run in M55 middle distances. He is from Pasadena, Calif. He holds world outdoor mark in M50 mile of 4:27.9 and M50 800 of 1:58.65.

OF NOTE: George Mathews, National Masters T&F Chair, 62, from Hayden Lake, Idaho (near Coeur d’Alene), won the outdoor Masters World Championship this summer in San Sebastian, Spain in the M60 weight throw and was second in the weight pentathlon, 4th in the hammer, and 5th in the shot put. He was third in the hammer throw at last week’s Indoor World Championships in Austria and fifth in the shot put. He is #1 ranked in the U.S. for the weight throw, super weight, hammer, and weight pentathlon. He will be competing in weight throw, superweight, and shot put in Boston.

OLDEST COMPETITORS:

Leland McPhie (San Diego, CA) Age 92, holds the Men's 90-94 World Records in the High Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Weight Throw, and Superweight Throw. (Competing: 60m, High Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put (4 kg), Weight Throw (12 lb.), Superweight Throw (35 lb.)).

Max Springer (Knoxville, TN): Age 92, holds the Men's 90-94 World Records in the 200m, 400m, 800m, Mile, and Long Jump. (Competing in 200m, 400m, 800m)

Frank Levine (Norristown, PA) Age 91, holds the Men's 90-94 World Record in the 3000m (Competing in: 800m, Mile, 3000m)

Betty Jarvis (Aberdeen, NC): Age 91, is the oldest woman set to compete in Boston. At 91, she will compete in the shotput and weight throw. At last year’s championships, she broke the American record in the hammer throw (women 90-94). Masters Hall of Fame member, holds Women's 80-84 World Records in Discus Throw and Hammer Throw (3kg), Women's 85-89 World Record for Hammer Throw and Weight Pentathalon, Women's 90-94 World Records in Hammer Throw and Weight Throw.

CREDITING NOTE: Thanks to Pete Taylor, and also Ken Stone, Harry Brooks, and John Oleski, for providing information for this release.

Posted by Ken Stone at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Monday's tragic crash of a small plane in Branson, Missouri, claimed one of our own sprint stars: Paul Johnson, a dentist in Lubbock, Texas. He was entered in the 200/400 at this week's masters nationals. Abilene Christian University detailed his storied track career, including his M65 world records in the 200 and 400 at the Boston indoor nationals in 2001. (Larry Colbert now holds the American records in these events.) His wife also perished in the crash. I hope Boston will honor his memory in some suitable fashion. Our prayers are with his family and friends.

Here's the ACU story:

ACU Trustee dies in plane crash
Former Wildcat track standout killed, along with wife

ABILENE – Dr. Paul Johnson, a member of the ACU Board of Trustees since 1988, and three others were killed Monday when the twin-engine airplane they were flying in crashed near the resort town of Branson, Mo.

Johnson, a 1993 inductee into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame, was killed in the crash, as was his wife, Marcia, and their friends, Bill and Betty Roach. All four were residents of Lubbock where Johnson had been a dentist since 1960.

“We are shocked and saddened at the news of the tragic loss of Dr. Paul and Marcia Johnson,” ACU president Dr. Royce Money said late Monday. “Paul was an outstanding athlete throughout his entire life, and he was a tremendous ambassador, recruiter and trustee for his alma mater. We will truly miss this outstanding Christian couple.

A 1957 graduate of ACU, Dr. Johnson graduated from the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas in 1960. He immediately went into general practice in Lubbock where he had lived and worked until his death.

While he was at Abilene Christian, Johnson was a part of the legendary Wildcat track and field program, running on the same teams with ACU legends Bobby Morrow, James Segrest and Bill Woodhouse. Johnson just missed joining Morrow on the 1956 U.S. Olympic track and field team. He finished eighth in the 1500 meters at the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials in Los Angeles.

Also in 1956 he was fourth in the NCAA Division I national championships at the University California-Berkeley in the 800 meters (1:50.5). He became the first Wildcat to run under 1:50 in the 800 meters when he set a then-school record of 1:49.6 as a junior in 1956.

His other outstanding performances included a then-school record of 3:51.7 in the 1500 meters. He was a member of Abilene Christian’s NAIA national championship teams in 1954 and 1955, and its Gulf Coast Conference championship team in 1956. Johnson also ran on Wildcat relay teams which claimed major titles at the Texas, Kansas and Drake Relays, and he ran on the fastest mile relay team (4:15.2) in Texas in 1955.

Dr. Johnson and his wife were married in 1958 and are survived by all three of their children: two sons, Greg and Sharon Johnson and Andy and Charlene Johnson and their daughter Mary Frances Leonard and her husband, John. They are also survived by their four grandchildren: Rachel Johnson, Cayte Lynn Johnson, John Paul Leonard and Sarah Leonard.

Dr. Johnson, a native of Crowell, was a member of several professional organizations, including the Texas Dental Association and the American Dental Association. A past chairman of the executive committee of the Lubbock Children’s Home, Dr. Johnson addressed professional organizations in both Australia and Italy in the 1980s.

Dr. Johnson continued to compete in track and field into his late 60s, and in 2001 he set a world record for athletes ages 65-69 when he ran the 400 meters in 60.41 to win the event at the National Masters Championship in Boston. At the same meet, he set a world record in the same age group in the 200 meters, clocking a 26.46.

Dr. Johnson was reportedly flying the six-seat Piper Seneca on Monday, and it was carrying a full load of fuel when it crashed into a building containing rental storage units near Branson, Mo.

According to the Associated Press report, the airplane took off from Point Lookout, Mo., at 12:30 p.m. Monday, and shortly after takeoff the pilot radioed that he was having difficulty with the plane and was going to try to return to the airport.

“He was trying to circle around and, in so doing, according to witnesses, the plane dropped rather quickly below the clouds and crashed into the storage units,” said Jerry Adams, communications manager for the city of Branson.

The airplane was destroyed on impact, as was the building housing the storage units, said Ted Martin, division chief with the Branson Fire Department. Extinguishing the fire, which was fueled by material inside the storage units, proved difficult, he said.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Association and the National Transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive in Branson, Mo., Tuesday.

Me again:

Be aware that masters track also has a record-holding racewalker by the same name. Paul R. Johnson of Arkansas, also in his late 60s, competed until 2004. He was nominated for the Masters Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2004.

Posted by Ken Stone at 6:26 PM | Permalink

Before turning our attention to the Boston masters indoor nationals this weekend, I have a beef to unload (again). It's the bogus and misleading medal chart posted on the Linz site. Besides contradicting the original ethos of masters track, it leads visitors to believe that Germans and Britons overwhelmingly supply the best masters tracksters in the world.

Their prowess is outstanding, yeah, but gimme a break!

When you send 900 athletes to a world meet (as Germany did), you'd better cream a team (like the United States) that sends fewer than 100.

But a rough calculation finds that if the American team had the same numbers as the Germans, the U.S. team could have won nine times as many medals. The Germans won a total of 471 to the USA's 52. But 9 times 52 equals 468. So ounce-for-ounce, we're just as good as the Germans.

In terms of gold medals won, with Germany tallying 182 to our 24, the "9x" formula gives the USA the equivalent of 216 titles. And in terms of world records set, Team USA is even more impressive --with 10 to our name. How many world age-group records did 900 Germans set? Ten as well.

My fear is that clueless sportswriters will take a look at the medal table (unaware that athletes pay their own way and nations don't send them to the WMA meet) and conclude that Germans, Brits, Austrians and Italians grow faster and stronger geezers than Uncle Sam does.

Until we have honest-to-goodness dual meets between nations (with USATF and the German track federation helping subsidize travel), we'll never know for sure how we stack up against each other. But with the likes of Bill Collins standing tall (at the starting line), the world knows that Americans are the ones to beat.

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Haven't had a chance to share my extreme admiration for the Linz 2006 Web site. Although the display of results could have been friendlier, I have to admit that its photo coverage and day-by-day summaries were world-class. There's almost too much to take in. After a few days when only the German-language page was populated with "Breaking News" highlights, the English page caught up. Some amazing stuff was posted.

The listing of 43 age-group world records set or tied at the masters indoor world championships was invaluable. Just in case the link goes dead, here's the compilation:

Here is the statistic of all world records set at the 2nd Masters Word Indoor Championships:

60 Meters:
M55 7,46 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 7,47 Collins Bill/USA)
M55 7,34 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 7,46 Collins Bill/USA)

200 Meters:
W40 25,29 Lapierre Violetta/FRA (old record: 25,46 Anke Moritz/GER)
M55 23,70 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 24,09 Robbins Stephen/USA)
M55 23,36 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 23,36 Collins Bill/USA)

400 Meters:
M40 48,96 Saraceni Enrico/ITA (old record: 49,14 Forde Elvis/BAR)
W45 59,16 Kay Marie/AUS (old record: 59,86 Marler Caroline/GBR)
W50 61,61 Del Grande Karla/CAN (old record: 62,28 Del Grande Karla/CAN)
W55 66,82 Marler Caroline/GBR (old record: 66,99 Nadine Lowenstein/BEL)
M90 1:44,93 Olbrechts Albert/GER (old record: 1:51,26 E Mahlo Friederich/GER)

800 Meters:
W70 3:16,59 Hodapp Elfriede/GER (old record: 3:20,14 McLoed Suzy/USA)
W75 3:31,94 Czerwenka-Nagel Melitta/GER (old record: 3:46,79 Adams Louise/USA)

1500 Meters:
W45 4:43,78 Perez Aurora/ESP (old record: 4:44,0 Gallagher Pat/GBR)
W55 5:07,30 Egger Waltraud/ITA (old record: 5:11,00 Hitschmough Nancy/GBR)
W70 6:26,65 Hodapp Elfriede/GER (old record: 6:43,91 Visser Helly/CAN)
W75 6:47,94 Czerwenka-Nagel Melitta/GER (old record: 7:43,3 Mehl Pearl/USA)
W80 10:11,33 Dahinden Marianne/SUI (old record: 12:37,13 Mehl Pearl/USA)

3000 Meters:
W60 11:42,68 Gallagher Patricia/GBR (old record: 11:48,35 Frederiks Rona/GER)
W65 12:20,09 Frederiks Rona/GER (old record: 12:30,03 Frederiks Rona/GER)
W70 13:22,96 Anstey Mary/GBR (old record: 14:07,09 D'Elia Toshiko)

60 Meter Hurdles:
M40 7,95 Clarico Vincent/FRA (old record: 7,96 Smith Karl/USA)
M40 7,85 Clarico Vincent/FRA (old record: 7,95 Clarico Vincent/FRA)
W40 8,71 Pellegrinelli Monica/SUI (old record: 8,73 Müller Christine/GER)
M45 8,35 McCloud Dexter/USA (old record: 8,36 Williams Colin/USA)
M45 8,22 McCloud Dexter/USA (old record: 8,35 McCloud Dexter/USA)
M65 9,57 Pawlik Emil/USA (old record: 9,60 Müller Guido/GER)
M85 13,16 Sobrero Bruno/ITA (old record: 14,21 Sansonetti Ugo/ITA)

4 x 200 Meters:
W50-59 1:52,95 GER (old record: 1:56,93 GER)
Schüßler Helga-Seifert Gisela-Fritsche Susanne-Fuhrmann Dagmar
M60-69 1:44,99 USA (alter Rekord: 1:45,24 GER)
Edens Paul-Pierce Roger-Hall Samuel-Robbins Stephen P.
W60-69 2:14,08 GER (old record: 2:17,18 GBR)
Kimmel Renate-Strasdas Edeltraud-Reichert-Wallon Gerti-Kümmerle-Valk
Friderun

High Jump:
M80 1,30 Hess Walter/GER (old record: 1,27 Hess Walter/GER)
W80 0,96 Strüven Margarete/GER (old record: 0,95 Strüven Margarete/GER)
M85 1,19 Zensch Emmerich/AUT (old record: 1,18 Zensch Emmerich/AUT)

Pole Vault:
W45 3,36 Van de Kamp Brigitte/NED (old record: 3,35 Hartigan Dawn/AUS)
W80 1,40 Valien Johnnye/USA (old record: 1,20 Margaret Hinton/USA)

Long Jump:
M80 4,05 Hoffmann Hans/GER (old record: 4,01 Lukens Edwin/USA)
W80 2,74 Lorenz Ingrid/GER (old record: 2,49 Bowermaster Mary/USA)

Triple Jump:
W45 11,08 Seillac Catherine/FRA (old record: 11,02 Desmier Danielle/USA)
W80 5,27 Valien Johnnye/USA (old record: 5,15 Hinton Margaret/USA)
W85 3,61 Wixey Mary/GBR (old record: -- )

Shot Put:
W50 14,06 Schenkels Tine/NED (old record: 13,79 Ranzan Sominique/FRA)
W65 12,00 Danilova Tamara/RUS (old record: 11,87 Kofnik Sigrun/GER)
W75 7,96 Hanssenes Rachel/BEL (old record: 7,75 Pleuger Ilse/GER)

OUTDOOR:

Weight Throw:
M35 19,95 Jossa Ralf/GER (old record: 16,64 Koppenhöfer Jochen/GER)

Based on the Record List of Jörg Reckemeier

Me again:

In the course of reporting highlights of the American team, I neglected to mention a bunch of medalists, including USATF Masters T&F Chair George Mathews (bronze in the M60 hammer and weight throw) and longtime USATF official Bob Fine (bronze in the 3K walk) for M70. I also forgot to note that Lesley Chaplin-Swann added an American W45 record in the 1500 to the one she set in the 800 earlier in the meet. And my L.A. friend Johnnye Valien raised the W80 world record in the vault to 4-7 and spanned 17-3 1/2 for the triple jump world record.

Also not to be overlooked was Professor Stephen Robbins of Seattle, who swept the M60 60 and 200 and helped set an M60 world indoor record in the 800-meter relay!

BTW, Pete Mulholland of Running Fitness magazine sent word that he'd be delayed in sending his Day 6 wrap-up, but no sweat. He's already done more than I could have hoped for. He deserves his own gold medal.

Take your time, champ. Take your sweet time.

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Pete Mulholland messaged at 4 a.m. Pacific time: "Enrico Saraceni has just left the track after winning the M40 400m in a WR of 48.99! He is of course now the owner of both in (and ) out WRs." The official Web site put his winning time at 48.96 -- 1 1/2 seconds ahead of second-placer Erwin Thibau of Belgium (50.57). Enrico holds the outdoor WR of 47.82, set in 2004. Pete, reporting from Linz worlds on the final day of the WMA meet, also gained some fame himself. The German-language "Breaking News" told of his blogging efforts here, and included a picture of him with his laptop.

Meanwhile, America's Dan Holton won the M35 pole vault a day or two after sending out a distress call that he needed poles. He won with a jump of 4.40 meters (14-5 1/4) -- the only non-European in the field. The same height won the M50 vault as Germany's Wolfgang Ritte showed how high you can go as an older gent.

In the W40 high jump, American Pat Porter won on fewer misses as she and Britain's Wendy Laing went 1.66 (5-5 1/4). That easily tops the listed Americvan indoor W40 record of 1.55 (5-1) by Kimberly Harrell.

M55 Bill Collins completed the 60-200-400 sweep by winning the longest race today in 54.22, ahead of Italy's Vincenzo Felicetti (55.79). But a 400 showdown between German legend Wolfgang Reuter and WMA Athlete of the Year (2005) Earl Fee of Canada didn't come off as Fee was DQ'd (don't know whether he beat Wolfgang, whose winning time in the M75 race was 70.61).

In the M65 1500, American Sid Howard won in 5:09.42 to edge out Germany's Werner Mey (5:10.02) Sid won the 800 earlier in the meet. But M50 Steve Gallegos of the USA was unable to pull off the 800-1500 double, as he took second in the 1500 to France's Pierre Faucheur, 4:17.40 to 4:21.96. And M45 800 champ Kevin Paulk also took silver in the 1500, trailing Britain's Steve Smith, who won 4:10.97 to 4:14.03.

In the W70 1500, American Mary Harada took silver in 6:58.09 behind Germany's Elfriede Hodapp (6:26.65). And in W45, American 800-meter record-holder Lesley Chaplin-Swann was fourth in 4:50.03. In the same race, Germany's Annette Koop of Web site fame was sixth in 4:58.16.

Only results left to be posted are the 4x200 relays in all age groups.

Posted by Ken Stone at 7:25 AM | Permalink

Bruce McBarnette, a Virginia lawyer, and 1976 Olympian Jim Barrineau collected gold medals in the M45 and M50 high jump, respectively, Sunday in Linz. Bruce set an M45 PR with his 1.96 (6-5) clearance, which turned back the challenge of Belgian Geert De Roose, who jumped 1.93 (6-4). Barrineau, who jumped 6-11 at age 40 at the 1995 WAVA world championships in Buffalo, cleared 1.78 (5-10) to beat Poland's Dariusz Bednarski, second at 1.75 (5-8 3/4).

Sadly, the M55 results show no evidence of German legend Thomas Zacharias, but American medical professor Milan Jamrich was second in that age group at 1.69 (5-6 1/2), just behind Russia's Alexsander Grishaev at 1.72 (5-7 3/4).

Meanwhile, in the excitement over Bill Collins and the hurdlers setting world indoor records, I overlooked equally amazing performances by a slew of other Linz performers, including USATF Masters Athlete of the Year (2005) Emil Pawlik, who set an M65 world record in the 60 hurdles.

After three days of the meet, the Linz organizers counted these world age-group bests:

200 meters:
W40 25,29 Lapierre Violetta/FRA (old record: 25,46 Anke Moritz/GER)
M55 23,70 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 24,09 Robbins Stephen/USA)
M55 23,36 Collins Bill/USA (old record: 23,36 Collins Bill/USA)

800 Meters:
W70 3:16,59 Hodapp Elfriede/GER (old record: 3:20,14 McLoed Suzy/USA)
W75 3:31,94 Czerwenka-Nagel Melitta/GER (old record: 3:46,79 Adams Louise/USA)

3000 Meters:
W60 11:42,68 Gallagher Patricia/GBR (old record: 11:48,35 Frederiks Rona/GER)
W65 12:20,09 Frederiks Rona/GER (old record: 12:30,03 Frederiks Rona/GER)
W70 13:22,96 Anstey Mary/GBR (old record: 14:07,09 D'Elia Toshiko)

High Jump:
M80 1,30 Hess Walter/GER (old record: 1,27 Hess Walter/GER)
W80 0,96 Strüven Margarete/GER (old record: 0,95 Strüven Margarete/GER)
M85 1,19 Zensch Emmerich/AUT (old record: 1,18 Zensch Emmerich/AUT)

Long Jump:
M80 4,05 Hoffmann Hans/GER (old record: 4,01 Lukens Edwin/USA)
W80 2,74 Lorenz Ingrid/GER (old record: 2,49 Bowermaster Mary/USA)

Shot Put:
W65 12,00 Danilova Tamara/RUS (old record: 11,87 Kofnik Sigrun/GER)
W75 7,96 Hanssenes Rachel/BEL (old record: 7,75 Pleuger Ilse/GER)

60 Meter Hurdles:
M65 9,57 Pawlik Emil/USA (old record: 9,60 Müller Guido/GER)

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"There was something of a minor sensation today," writes Pete Mulholland, our man in Linz. "Bill Collins ran a race and didn’t break a world record! This Sunday was almost a day of rest as far as Collins was concerned as he just cruised two laps of the track in his heat with a steady 57.35 to set himself up nicely for tomorrow’s M55 400m final."

Pete continues his report from the second World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships:

However, it appears that Collins has set a precedent as there were two other athletes who matched his ‘double bubble’ with 60m hurdlers Vincent Clarico, FRA, and Dexter McCloud, USA, both setting world records in their heats and then proving even quicker in their respective finals.

First up in the finals was M45 McCloud who in his heat clipped the previous mark of 8.36 held by fellow American Colin Williams by a mere 1/100th of a second but come the final he finished with arms aloft in a much improved 8.22.

“I have been training for this race today from September the first,” admitted McCloud, “which was my 45th birthday.

“At San Sebastian, on the evening of August 31st, I finished second in the M40 110m hurdles in 14.62 which bettered than the M45 world record of 14.70,” he said. “Just think about it, I missed a world record by a less than six hours.”

Meanwhile Clarico was setting a similar pattern to McCloud with his time of 7.96 shaving 1/100th from the previous record held by Karl Smith, USA, before putting the mark into orbit with a stunning 7.85 in the final.

There was a historical barrier breaking moment in the shot circle as W50 Tine Schenkels, NED, planted the 3kg iron ball out to 14.06 (46-1 1/2) to improve on the listed world record of 13.79 (45-3).

So as not to cause embarrassment by naming names, a certain M80 gentleman was a ‘shoo in’ to collect a medal in the 10k road walk as he was to be one of the only two entries listed -- (since) standards do not have to me met to qualify for a medal at these championships.

On seeing the walker still at the arena around the time that the race was due to start some miles away, a colleague asked, “Shouldn’t you be doing the walk?”

“It’s OK, the race doesn’t start until 2:15 and it’s only 12:30,” the gentleman replied, before looking at his watch -- which had stopped at 12:30!

You would be hard pushed to find a finer M55 distance runner than Britain’s Mike Hager and if there is such an animal please lead us to him.

Already an easy winner in the cross-country two days ago, Hager surpassed himself in the half-marathon where the sun came out for the first time this week resulting in a road runner friendly temperature.

Overall race winner was Paul Freary -- a mere ‘youngster’ at the age of 37 and one of Britain’s leading road runners -– who crossed the line in 68:20, while Hager placed fourth overall in 70:29.

As if to confirm Hager’s M55 superiority, his closest rival in that age group was San Sebastian cross-country winner Pat O’Shea who arrived home over 6 minutes behind Hager.

Half-marathon running and triple jumping do not spring to mind in these days of specialisation as events to double up with but these were the basis of a W70 win double effected by Britain’s Anne Martin who lives in the historic market town of Wymondham, Norfolk: not exactly a hotbed of athletics.

For good measure, Martin had earlier in the week earned silver in the cross-county and she no doubt has some interesting theories on what constitutes as a good run-up for the triple.

The oldest person at these championships is Germany’s Anton Polgar who at the age of 93 has the bearing and presence of many a person only half his age.

Almost skipping to the top of the podium, the Stuttgart-based athlete collected yet another gold medal, his fourth this week with the weight being held tomorrow being his final throw of the championships.

At San Sebastian, Polgar not only took part in all five throws but also during one day in the sun he contested the throws pentathlon. Most men of his age would encounter problems lifting the implements, let alone throwing them!

A competitor since his schooldays, Polgar admitted, “I use to run, but between the ages of 40 and 50 my knees began to give me trouble so I just stuck to throwing.”

He also confesses to “having no special diet and I just lead a normal life,” a life that includes “training twice a week at the most.”

Perhaps your correspondent should not admit to the fact than when dropping his pen, Polgar stooped down like a shot to pick it up!

For those who like to keep abreast of happenings in the WMA "corridors of power," Britain’s Winston Thomas, the technical manager of European Veterans Athletics Association (EVAA), has been appointed as the temporary secretary of the WMA to replace the late Torsten Carlius.

Thomas’ term of office with the EVAA comes to a halt at the end of their championships in Poland this summer and he will assume his role with the WMA at least until the General Council meets at the 2007 championships in Riccione, Italy, in September 2007 when the position will then be subject to election by the members.

Posted by Ken Stone at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In the third of three heats of the M40 short hurdles today at Linz worlds, French Olympian Vincent Clarico clocked 7.95 seconds, nipping American Karl Smith's world record for the 60-meter event of 7.96, set in 2000 and tied by Clarico a month ago. But America got a record back when Dexter McCloud (also in the third of three heats) ran the 39-inch hurdles in 8.35 -- and lowered the listed M45 world record of 8.36 set by Colin Williams of the USA in 2002. Thank goodness we don't have worry about wind readings indoors -- unless the collective gasp of amazement is counted. Tomorrow is the last day of the WMA world championships, with who-knows-what delights in store.

Posted by Ken Stone at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Annette Koop, a world champion masters middle-distance runner, has started a blog from Linz -- and I assume will eventually do for the Germans what Pete Mulholland does for his fellow Brits (shine a spotlight on their world meet performances). Pete's reports (sent as Word document files for me to post on this blog) have been wonderful slices of life. His commentary does a great job flushing out the stories behind the cold results. Those results, BTW, have boogers. The Linz webmaster sometimes links to the wrong event. Several events aren't represented yet on the results page. So fire up you favorite translation program and copy-paste Annette's accounts from Austria.

Posted by Ken Stone at 1:58 AM | Permalink

Pete Mulholland writes: "One of the most unusual sights seen at the Championships is the calm figure of Bill Collins standing – almost to attention – as his crouching opponents await starter’s orders. To the uneducated observer, Collins looks out of place: until the gun fires that is. Without the benefit of being propelled from the blocks he is away before he rest of the field get into an upright position and the opposition are left scrapping for the minor positions."

Pete continues:

“I come out easy and go for it,” Collins admitted after recording his second brace of world records in what has been an amazing week for the Houston star, who also confesses, “I still feel the effects of my groin strain when I lift off.”

The opening round of the M55 60m dash (that’s the only word for such a short distance) Collins ran 7.46s to shave his very recent world record of 7.47s set in Houston.

The final was something else: this time he didn’t just shave it but gave it more of a ‘short back and sides’ to put the record out of sight with an astonishing 7.34s.

It took a while to sink it but to carve 12/100ths of a second over such a short distance is unbelievable.

This feat, added to his first one day world record 200m double two days earlier – and there’s the 400m beckoning - will make the judges task an easy one when they meet at year end to decide the ‘Master of the Year’ awards.

On a day that saw the track devoted solely to 60m, four additional world records were set in the field events, the highlight being when W45 Brigitte Van de Kamp, NED soared over 3.36m in the pole vault to add just 1cm to the mark set by Dawn Hartigan, AUS, when winning this title in Sindelfingen in 2004.
Another W45 came good in the triple jump as Catherine Seilac, FRA bounded out to 11.08m to add 6cm to the record.

Also in the triple but at the other end of the age scale, W80 Johny Valien,USA, added 12cm to the record set by her compatriot Margaret Hinton almost two years ago while Mary Wixey, GBR, set an inaugural W85 mark of 3.61m.

A margin of 3/1000s of a second is probably quicker than a blink of the eye but that was all it took in the decision to award gold and silver in the M50 60m.

Both Kerry Smith, CAN, and David Elderfield, GBR, were give the same time of 7.35s which led to rumours that both athletes would be presented with a gold medal.

However, a study of the photo finish gave Smith the race.

“I dipped, where Dave didn’t,” admitted Smith, who added to his 200m victory scored earlier in the week. “I learnt my lesson from Steve Peters who dipped ahead of me to take the 100m in San Sebastian.

Although initially disappointed not to take gold, Elderfield, who admitted, “I’m really here for the 400m,” was cheered to discover that he had set a European record, the previous owner being a certain Dr. Peters with 7.42s. It could have been interesting if the absent Peters, unbeaten over his last 18 championship races, could have been in attendance.

Spare a thought for W40 Janice Pryce, GBR, a winner of Championships at European level. With an opening triple of 10.65m, an opportunity of a medal was on the cards. Come the second jump, Janice fell in such a manner, she was rushed to hospital with a snapped tendon.

Adding to the ‘war zone’ effect was another Briton in the shape of M45 Michael May, who after completing his 60m heat stumbled on the track incline as he headed for the ‘crash barrier.’

Taking the full