Masters News and Muse

Flying Phil ran his 30.86 four years ago. I suspect that someone at The Daily Times saw this British newspaper feature on Phil and thought: "Wow, a 104-year-old just broke a world record."

At first I hailed this as news that Phil was still alive. But alas, his death led to the erroneous report of his latest record.

SABC News reported today:

Cape Town's famous centenarian Philip Rabinowitz has died at the age of 104. Rabinowitz was known for his feats on the athletics front and held a number of records at the time of his death.

Family, friends and fellow athletes gathered at the Jewish cemetery in Pinelands to pay homage to the man who was also known as Flying Phil. He passed away after suffering a mild stroke on Saturday - only a day after a photo session with the international media at his daughter's factory where he still worked as a bookkeeper.

In 2004 Rabinowitz sprinted into the Guinness Book of World Records, when he broke the 100m record for centenarian sprinting in a time of 30.86 seconds at the Greenpoint stadium.

"He really hit the news when he broke the 100m and 200m, and he loved it. He loved the adoration of everyone," said his daughter Joyce Kruger. She said her father was proud of himself and that they were also proud of him.

Flying Phil, who also held the 200m world record, was a regular participant in big walks on the Cape Peninsula.

Rest in peace, Phil. You had a great run.

Posted by Ken Stone at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Allan Williams of Blackheath and Bromley AC is an outstanding M50 pole vaulter. His teammate Tom Phillips says Allan recently returned from knee surgery and is jumping well. But when I spotted his picture in Tom's latest masters shots of UK indoor nationals, I was curious about his USATF top. (That's our cross-dresser du jour.)

Not to worry. Allan isn't defecting.

"Always seems to wear the USA strip," Tom writes, "though strictly speaking, (it's) against the rules of the competition, which demands club gear."

Nice to see rebels with a cause across the Pond. (But I wish it were a sign that USA athletes could compete as guests at BMAF nationals. We let them compete here, ya know.)

Also, I've received these links to results of last weekend's USATF Eastern Regional Masters Indoor Championships in Maryland (site of the 2009 masters indoor nationals) and the SoCal Indoor Masters Championships Outdoors in Santa Ana. Some rain fell, but a good indoor time was had by all outdoors.

Here's a Saturday set of BMAF photos and a Sunday set, all by Mr. Tom. Bloody good show!

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Allen Johnson turns 37 Saturday, and admits he's not going to win the 60-meter hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. But he's shooting for sub-7.50, an amazing time for a masters athlete. Gene Cherry of Reuters wrote a nice story about AJ's quest. A bittersweet ending: "He said the most difficult part, aside from the aches and pains of age which affect his workouts, was the boredom. 'Nothing is really new to me,' Johnson said. 'At first I was running against my idols. Now my idols are retired, long retired.' " Hey, Allen! You just need new idols. Here's one for you. See U in 50 years!

Here's the story, in case the link dies:

Age does not deter high hurdler Johnson
By Gene Cherry

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Sometimes American high hurdler Allen Johnson wonders if he is in denial.

And why not?

Johnson, who turns 37 on Saturday, is competing at the highest level against athletes still in their 20s.

"Then I have a good workout or a good race and I feel like I am not going crazy," Johnson told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Columbia, South Carolina, home. "I know what I can do."

Next week Johnson will pack his bags and take a business trip, just like many of his former college classmates.

Except for him business will be in Valencia, Spain, and his assignment will be the world indoor championships, not a sales call.

Speed, technique and determination won Johnson a place on the American team for Valencia with a season's best of 7.53 seconds in Boston.

"Other people are making a bigger deal than I am," said the 1996 Olympic gold medallist and four times world outdoor champion.

"Physically, I pretty much feel the same as I always have. So I expect to continue to make teams."

MEDAL HOPES

Johnson has set his sights on a medal in Valencia.
"I am going to try and win, but I think (Cuba's Dayron) Robles will win," Johnson said. "If I can get second and run 7.45 or better, I will be more than happy with that."

Johnson's ambitions are higher for the Beijing Olympics.

"I have come up with a plan, and if I execute it, I think I can win," said Johnson, who faced hamstring and calf problems in the past two years after falling in the 2004 Olympic quarter-finals.

"I am not one of these track athletes who says since I have achieved all of my goals, I'm going to stop now."

Johnson's inspiration stems from his love of the sport, the travel and the example of other veteran runners.

"Greg Foster ran until he was 37. Roger Kingdom ran to he was 37,"Johnson said. "Gail Devers and Merlene Ottey also ran extremely well in their upper 30s.

"So I figured if they could do it, I could at least give it a shot."

Originally Johnson wanted to be a long jumper, high jumper and hurdler, but knee injuries in college led him to compete almost exclusively in the hurdles.

His career spans three Olympic, six world outdoor championships and four indoors, including Valencia.

He said the most difficult part, aside from the aches and pains of age which affect his workouts, was the boredom.

"Nothing is really new to me," Johnson said. "At first I was running against my idols. Now my idols are retired, long retired." (Editing by John Mehaffey)

Posted by Ken Stone at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carter Holmes, 58, dearly wanted to compete in the pentathlon at the WMA world indoor championships in France. But life happened, and he probably won't go. He's just content to speak French, which he studied in advance of the planned trip. Carter has come out of a four-day coma following a heart attack. And Jim Ferstle's amazing blog account tells his story. Equally wonderful is Jim's report on how fellow University of Minnesota track alum Shani Marks helped save his life.

Here's the first account:

University of Minnesota grad Shani Marks earned a spot on the US team for the World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain March 7-9. The triple jumper was second in her event. More impressive, however, was her role in helping save the life of another former U of M athlete, Carter Holmes.

Nearly two weeks ago, Holmes was training at the Gopher's indoor facility when he told others that he felt ill. He left the track and, apparently, collapsed in the lobby. That's where Marks found him: "Amanda Thieschafer, my training partner, and I were working out in the field house that day. We had parked at the meters in the back, and Amanda was rushing out the back door in front of me to try to get to her car before her meter expired. All of a sudden she turned back to me and frantically starts saying 'Shani, there's a man here! A man is lying here!' I had no idea what she was talking about but I came out into the lobby to see Carter laying on his back, not moving, eyes staring wide open, and his face was purple.

"Amanda and I were really scared and panicky, but Amanda dialed 911, and I ran back into the field house to find Mark (the facilities guy). Mark recognized Carter because had been working out in the field house about ten minutes before, but he obviously had no identification on him so no one knew what his name was. Mark ran and got the AED(defibrillator) machine from the opposite end of the field house and, thank God, the ambulance was there within minutes. They started working on him immediately. By the time they took him off in the ambulance he had a faint pulse, so we were so thankful for that."

Holmes is recovering in University Hospital, where he was taken after the incident, and his brother, Tom Holmes, says that Carter is responding to treatment and will probably be transfered to another hospital soon to begin rehab. Holmes had been training, and learning French, to prepare for the World Masters meet in Paris in March. The quick work by Amanda and Shani could very well have saved his life as , Tom says, one of the blood vessels to Carter's heart was discovered to have a 100 per cent blockage. There is a family history of heart disease, Tom said, and Carter's lifelong friend and training partner, Mike Moser, added that Carter had had a physical about a year and a half ago that revealed a high cholesterol level.

DtB will have more on Holmes later.

Regarding the USATF Indoor Championships, Marks noted that she had some problems getting to Boston because of the weather. "My travel started at about 9:30 AM on Friday. I was delayed four hours in Minneapolis and then four hours in Philadelphia. We spent an hour waiting to take off in Philadelphia, and then had to fly circles outside of Boston for about 30 minutes because there was so much traffic coming into Boston. I eventually got into Boston right around midnight. Very long and exhausting days."

As for the meet, Marks said: "Shakeema (Welsch, who won the event) did pop off her big jump in the first round. I inched towards her every jump, but was not able to quite catch her. It was a good competition though. She made me work, so that was good for me. Although I wasn't able to catch her, I did have an indoor PR and the most important thing I needed to get out of this meet was to make the World Championship team, so I was really excited about that. I will be leaving for World Champs this Sunday, and the first round of triple jump is Friday March 7. Going into the meet, I want to just have fun and keep things fairly simple and hopefully increase my Indoor PR."

Carter Holmes, a Universitry of Minnesota and Washburn High grad, is facing a new challenge. On February 13 while working out at the University of Minnesota field house, Holmes (shown in this photo taken at the US Masters Championships in Eugene, Oregon by fellow Masters runner, Thom Weddle) had a heart attack.

Holmes was discovered collapsed on the floor of the lobby of the University of Minnesota Field House by triple jumpers Shani Marks and Amanda Thieschafer, who immediately called 911. "Carter was lucky that it happened where it did," said his brother, Tom Holmes. "If he'd been doing a run to or around the Lakes, like he's probably done thousands of times before, who knows how long it would have taken for somebody to find him."

According to Tom Holmes, Carter had told others at the track that he wasn't feeling good. Some recall Carter sitting down next to the track. The next anyone knew, he had collapsed in the lobby. As Marks recalled, Carter was on his back, eyes wide open, and face turned purple. The ambulance arrived within minutes of the 911 call, Tom Holmes was told, and Marks recalls that the medical personnel that loaded Carter into the ambulance had been able to detect a "faint pulse." Carter was transported to the University of Minnesota Hospital and treated with drugs and ice to lower his body temperature, Tom Holmes said.

In a coma for four and a half days, Carter can now talk and has some movement, but is facing a potentially lengthy rehab. When he's ready, Carter will be transfered to nearby Fairview Hospital or another rehab facility, said Tom Holmes. Tom said that doctors told him that one of the blood vessels to Carter's heart was 100 percent blocked. Another had undergone angiogenesis, which is the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. Apparently Carter's body was attempting to compensate for the blockage, but couldn't do it.

Mike Moser, a lifelong friend and training partner of Carter's, said that about a year and a half ago Carter had a medical check up that revealed high cholesterol. He was advised to make lifestyle changes, but since he was already exercising more than average with his training and job as a sports referee, that left modifications in diet and/or medication. The high price of the medication and the fact that the doctors told him once he started taking it, he would be taking it for the rest of his life, seemed to sour Carter on the idea, said Moser.

Heart disease also was a family trait, as his father had had two heart attacks, one when he was about Carter's age(58) and the second that ended his life after he had turned 80, said Tom Holmes. Other family members had also died from heart disease, Tom Holmes said. What works in Carter's favor is the fact that he has been very active, is otherwise healthy, and has the discipline and determination of a successful athlete. Though the slurred speech, short term memory loss, and lack of full use of his limbs do indicate that the recovery process will be challenging.

Carter is used to challenges, Moser says. For several years Carter has wanted to run in France. He developed a love affair of sorts with the country, has a model of the Eiffel Tower in his home, and taught himself French. "He would drive other people crazy by talking to them in French," said Moser. "He was practicing, but we couldn't understand a word he said. When I visited him in the hospital, his speech was slurred, so I had some trouble understanding, but I swear he was talking to me in French."

After trying for several years to arrange a trip to France, Carter had booked his flight for March to compete in the indoor pentathlon at the Masters World Indoor Championships in Paris. "He felt he'd done what he could in the hurdles, long jump, shot put, and high jump," said Moser. "The event he thought he could improve on was the 1,000 meter run. That's what he was training for, to improve his chances in the 1,000."

As he booked his tickets with frequent flyer miles, Moser said, Carter couldn't choose his travel dates, he had to work with what was available. So a short trip became a planned several week visit to France. Carter, Moser said, was at his best finding historical spots, scouting the country, finding things others would miss. "He probably knew the city of Paris as well as he knew Minneapolis, if not better," said Moser.

Carter, as Moser's comments illustrate, is a man of many passions, a unique character. Another illustration of this being what can be found in the front yard of his house in South Minneapolis, the steeplechase water jump barrier from the Bierman Field track at the University of Minnesota. "He just happened to be there when they were ripping apart the old track," said Moser. "He asked if he could take it(the steeple barrier), and they let him have it."

Wood work is another passion of Carter's, as described by Jay Morgan in a 2003 article in Minnesota Running & Track. Though he lost part of his middle finger in his right hand in a lumbar yard accident, he turned his back yard into something of a display case for his own unique art. Carvings of baseball teams, cartoon characters, and a homage to his parents are all there to be enjoyed by neighborhood kids, family, and visitors.

All this despite the damaged finger and having a 75 per cent hearing loss since childhood. Carter, it is evident, has handled many challenges. Now he has another one.

Hang tough, Carter! You'll be back!

Posted by Ken Stone at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

After Sunday's 800 final at the AT&T USA Indoor Championships, third-placer Morgan Uceny, 22, approached the woman she had beaten by less than 2 seconds. Morgan asked Alisa Harvey: "Excuse me, I don't want to be rude -- but how old are you?" Alisa says she just laughed and told her, "42." (Twenty years older!) That's just one of several entertaining anecdotes Alisa shares of her Boston nationals experience, where she lowered her W40 American indoor record and provisionally qualified for June's Olympic Trials. Alisa, who has been called the Tiger Woods of masters track, is just as compelling an athlete as the golf icon.

Here's my Q&A with Amazing Alisa:

Masterstrack.com: Were you surprised to make the finals?

Alisa: I was surprised to make the finals. Going into the nationals I knew I had about a 50% chance of making it to the six-person final race. My plan for the semis was to go out hard and force the pace. I wanted an Olympic Trials qualifying time -- 2:06.5 or better. My race strategy worked perfectly! Top seeded runner Tiffany McWilliams attempted to challenge me for the pole position after the break, but I sped up to keep her behind me. I was familiar with the semi strategy of the top-seeded runners setting a slow pace and making a strong kick for the finish. I did not want to waste a great opportunity to run fast.

Once in the finals, did you consider the possibility you might finish in the top two -- and make the team for worlds in Spain?

Once I made it to the finals I had no thoughts of being able to finish in the top two. I was satisfied with the awareness that I had just beaten the odds by even being in the finals. I knew it would have to take a sub 2:04 time to finish in the top two. I ran all-out the day before to finish in 2:06.08.

Even though you didn't medal, do you think the IAAF world indoor qualifying standard of 2:04 is within your reach?

I don't believe I would be able to run a 2:04 on the indoor track right now. I need a few weeks of quality track sessions. My last few weeks have been touch and go due to the winter weather. I have spent a good deal of time on my treadmill and braving 20-degree temperatures and ice on the outdoor tracks that I train on; I don't train indoor.

How did the race go? Were you among the leaders at any point?

The final race was very satisfying for me. I got out strong off the line. I saw myself move up on Nicole Teter just after the gun; she was in lane three just ahead of me. Once Nicole felt my presence she switched into another gear and left me. I did not want to make as strong a move as I did in the semis since I did not have to. I knew the runners were going for a fast race. I was content to hang tightly in the back of the pack. After the bell lap I maintained my last position and began to move up a bit on the next runner. In the final straight I just gave it all I had into the finish.

Did any of your race rivals congratulate you? Make any comments to you?

Fifth-place finisher Miesha Marzell has become a friend of mine. I saw her last year at a couple of outdoor track meets. I encouraged her after some fabulous 1500 performances last spring. She was a top-runner graduate from Georgetown. She is now in grad school at Penn State while training for the Olympic Trials in the 1500 and the 800. Miesha was in my semi race at the nationals. She came around me in the last 100 of the race to finish just ahead of me. She and I were both ecstatic that we both made it to the finals.

In addition, third-place finisher Morgan Uceny said to me in the call room after the race, "Excuse me, I don't want to be rude -- but how old are you?" I just laughed and told her, "42." She said that she was stunned when she was listening to the race announcer introduce me at the starting line.

Have any trouble getting to Saturday's race on time?

I did not have any problem getting to Saturday's race on time -- though I did have a problem getting to Boston after my flight was canceled from Washington, D.C. A snowstorm on the East Coast canceled many flights on Friday. Fortunately, my husband suggested that I purchase train tickets on Thursday night just in case. We had to make a mad dash to D.C.'s Union Station to catch a 12-hour train to Boston. When I arrived, the storm was in full force and there was already seven inches on the ground. I had to stand in line for a taxi outside the station for a few minutes, but I arrived to my hotel at 9 p.m. just fine.

When did you decide to scratch from the masters 400? Any reactions from Mark Cleary (the masters events coordinator)?

I scratched from the masters 400 on Saturday right after I scratched out of the 1500. I happened to run into Mark Cleary beside the track after my race. He understood my situation and wished me well. The masters 400 was scheduled just 20 minutes before the 800 final.

Now that you're made the Olympic Trials qualifying standard, will your goals change for the outdoor season? Do you think 2:05.75 is fast enough to guarantee a spot in the Trials?

My goals have changed now that I have qualified for the Olympic Trials and my performance at the nationals. I am eagerly seeking elite competitions unlike before. I learned at the nationals that I need the boost of adrenaline that is provided from high-caliber competition and exposure. Most of the races that I have competed in over the last two years are collegiate races that often leave me leading the pack from start-to-finish. I need head-to-head competition if I want to improve my time outdoors. I think it will take a 2:04.5 performance for me to be guaranteed a spot at the Trials.

If you run at Eugene, what will your mind-set be? Make it to the next round? Go all-out every race?

If I make it to Eugene, I will try to race as well as possible. It will depend on what my time going into the Trials is as to what my mind-set will be. For now I am simply thrilled to be part of the athlete qualifiers.

Any injuries or issues at the moment?

I seemed to have developed an I.T. band issue on my left leg. It started three weeks ago and has gotten better each week. I believe I may have a muscle imbalance. I am just a bit stiff when I get up from being seated or sleeping. Otherwise I am fine.

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Charmaine Roberts drew Lane 6 for the masters women's 400 exhibition at the Boston open nationals last Sunday. Lane 5 was empty. That's understandable, since Alisa Harvey had scratched to focus on the open 800 finals. Charmaine made the most of it, however, winning the race in just over a minute. Charmaine turns 41 in mid-April, and graciously consented to a quick interview. I began by asking if she had been hammered by the miserable weather, which forced a 2-hour delay in some events.

Here's the Q&A:

Masterstrack.com: How did you get to Boston amid all the travel/storm hassles?

Charmaine: I flew in on Saturday morning and had absolutely no problems getting there from MD.

How were you and the other masters treated at nationals?

I didn't expect or receive any special treatment. The officials seemed accommodating and helpful as they are at most other meets.

Any members of your family cheering you on?

Yes, but they did it from Mt. Vernon, New York. My husband and two daughters went to visit the extended family there. Unfortunately, they did not broadcast that race on TV! Members of Athena Track Club were also supporting me.

What do you do for a living, and what do your co-workers think of your track stardom?

I am a Special Education Teacher at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland. Some of my co-workers do know of my exploits. I do get some admiration for being dedicated to the sport and to fitness in general.

Where do you live?

Beltsville, Maryland -- just outside of College Park.

What's your all-time track bests, and where did you compete as a kid?

I am originally from Jamaica and competed at St. Andrew High School For Girls. Participated in all-comers meets in Florida (no Penn Relays). I believe my best HS 400M may have been 56 seconds; I may have even done 55 once, but I'm not quite sure.. Track scholarship to Alabama A&M. 54 sec Open 400, 52 relay are all-time bests -- I believe for college and a short Open career in NY. Can't recall the exact times offand. 24 secs. for 200m college and Open. 2:16 800 open.

How did the Boston race develop? Did you lead from the start? Have any problem on the banks? (What lane did you start from?)

I drew lane six; lane five was empty. I just got out and ran the race the way I planned. I got out fast, relaxed, then tried to increase the pace and finish strong. I must have been leading from the start, because I did not see any other competitors. No problems with the banks.

Dealing with any injuries or other life "issues"?

No injuries, hoping to stay healthy and be able to cope with the demands of being a full-time special educator, wife, mother, friend while juggling the need for training to perform the way I's like to!

What are your plans for the rest of the season?

I would like to compete at the indoor nationals at the end of March. Penn Relays outdoors. No other concrete plans just yet.

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Olympic champ Maria Mutola is still near the top of her game, the 800, but she told the IAAF she's bound and determined to hang up her spikes, even though she's only 35. So be it. But it's cool that the M-word is popping up with regularity. The IAAF reports: "On a statistical note, Mutola joined the Master category last 27 October when she turned 35, but she laughingly comments: 'Frankly, I don’t think of that. The only important thing for me is to reach the goals I have set in Valencia and Beijing. I believe 35 is a perfect age to say at the end of the season, 'OK, time to get off.' Possibly I will compete a few times at the permits scheduled after the Olympics but my decision to retire from athletics is adamant."

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Britain's Fran Scott, a 49-year-old sprinter, was fighting liver cancer when I noted his struggle last September. Last Sunday, he died, according to an email message sent by UK Masters Team Manager Maurice Doogan. "I cannot say more, than to pass on the words and sentiments of Kermitt Bentham and Steve Peters, which I outline below," began Maurice's note, sent to UK masters. "It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to tell you that Francis Scott (Fran) passed away on Sunday 24th February."

Maurice continued:

Francis had been doing well up until Saturday. We had been training on the track on Wednesday. He took ill Saturday night and was admitted to hospital. He had extensive bleeding from the numerous tumour sites on his liver.

He was operated on through the night. By morning he was chatting but the bleeding continued. Throughout Sunday the medical staff tried to stop the bleeding and replace fluids. By mid-afternoon Fran had lost consciousness. He did not regain consciousness and died late on Sunday afternoon.

Maria, his wife, and their eldest daughter were with him. I joined them. He did not suffer and it was a relatively quick death. He looked very peaceful and younger than ever.

Our condolences to Fran's family. At indoor worlds in March, the Brits will be fueled by the memory of their friend.

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

My masters moles remind me that it's not the America Wide Web. Records are falling across The Pond as well. Word arrived yesterday of a wonderful W50 world indoor record for 3,000 meters. Spanish masters champion Aurora Perez ran the nearly 2-mile distance in 10:06.36 Saturday in her country's open nationals in Valencia. Aurora took more than 11 seconds off the listed age-group WR of 10:17.53 by Britain's Pat Gallagher in 1997. (But Aurora also has a pending mark of 10:11.70.) A running forum celebrates her feat (and includes a great photo). The results are here (but seem to be be missing the 3K). Aurora is entered in the 3K at worlds in mid-March.

Across the Channel, meanwhile, the Brits went bonkers at their national indoor masters championships, reports Tom Phillips:

A quick word from the British Masters Championships, held at Pickett's Lock, London, over the weekend of February 23/24. Great atmosphere, faultless organisation; the whole thing even ran to time! Two world records, plus 15 other British records.

In the W45 high jump, Wendy Laing cleared 1.61 (5-3 1/4) for a new W45 world indoor mark (beating Debbie Brill's listed 1.60 from 2002). Remarkable in itself, but also remember that Wendy was sidelined for several years until last summer after major back surgery.

The other world record (we believe) came in the M85 3,000m track walk. Len Creo's 21-16.29 seems to have no equal.

Amongst the British Records, M55 Wally Franklyn's 55.93 for 400m and W40 Sally Read-Clayton's 58.8, plus Egryn Jones' 4.55 (14-11) Pole Vault stand out. M45 Darrell Maynard raced to a record 51.11 over 400m, and coupled this with a win over Pat Logan in the 200m, and second place to Pat over 60m.

There were some impressive multi-event wins. Of note, Joan Howe's W50 wins at 800, 1500 and 3,000m, W35 victories for Sharon Trusch over 60m/200m and 400m, and a busy weekend for Geraldene Finnegan, who won the W40 HJ/LJ/TJ/SP and Javelin while also finding time to take part in the 60m and 400m.

A rare home defeat for Tony Bowman in the M70 400m. He was beaten into third place in a tight finish by Alan Carter and Bruce Lyons.

The full results are on the British Masters web site (www.bmaf.org.uk) already. Impressively fast service.

Photos from the weekend will be on my web site (www.tomphillipsphotos.co.uk) soon, and on Lesley Richardson's site.

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Congrats to Kamloops! Canadian and WMA brass have confirmed what we telegraphed earlier: Kamloops, British Columbia, will host the 4th World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships. The dates are March 1-6, 2010, according to Brian Keaveney, head of the Canadian Masters Athletics Association and president of the North, Central America and Caribbean WMA region. Meanwhile, another high WMA official informs me that Kamloops was awarded the 2010 WMA Indoor Championships "by overwhelming vote of the WMA Council" (with Britain's Winston Thomas the only dissenter). My source says: "The council was given that power because there were no bids for the General Assembly to vote on in Italy. To my knowledge, there were no other bids received. A couple of sites expressed interest, but no bids."

My WMA source also says:

There are always reported inadequacies. In Kamloops' case, they seem to be most willing to do everything possible to host a most successful championships. The bidding parties are the City of Kamloops, (which) owns all of the facilities, and the Kamloops Track and Field Club, a large and active club in that area. Kamloops is known as the "Tournament City" and have vast resources and experience in conducting large events like this.

It is a flat track, which is not recommended by IAAF, but is acceptable by the IAAF rules. Winston does not like a flat track, and that is his privilege, but Harold Morioka's club, John Hawkins, and others running in the first meet on the track last week reported no dissatisfaction with the track at all. In fact, they reported that they liked it.

Kamloops, a town of 90,000 several hundred miles northeast of Vancouver, has big snowshoes to fill.

Next month, Clermont-Ferrand, France will host the 3rd WMA indoor worlds, and the numbers are big: 3,625 athletes from 59 countries entered in 6,781 events. According to WMA, Europeans are the biggest contingent of the six WMA regions, with 3,338 entrants (more than the total number at Linz two years ago) from 35.) They are followed by North America and Carribbean (173), Africa (56), South America (26), Oceania (18) and Asia (14).

WMA says: "The host country, France, will send 1,267 masters (a new record for a hosting country), followed by Germany 383, Spain 334, Italy 319 and Great Britain 285. The biggest delegation outside from Europe is the USA team with 132 masters."

In 2010, expect a few more Americans in the mix.

Posted by Ken Stone at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Paul Babits, 47, vaulted 5.14 meters (16-10 1/4) indoors at the Brenda Lee pole vault meet yesterday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to a posting (probably by Paul) on mastersrankings.com. This would shatter his own M45 world indoor record of 5.01 (16-5 1/4) set six weeks ago (and reflected on the WMA records page). It also exceeds the listed M45 outdoor record of 5.10 (16-8 3/4) by that rascal Larry Jessee in 1997. I also notice that Pat Manson's 5.36 (17-7) jump at Reno is now listed as the M40 world indoor record -- even though Jeff Hartwig's M40 season best of 5.70 (18-8 1/4) is listed by the IAAF. I guess the record application is still on a boat from Stuttgart.

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Running in the rain, Joe King, 81, clocked a mile Saturday in 7:13.25. That beats the listed M80 world record of 7:16.16 by Canada's Hans Weickhardt in 1994 and the listed AR of 7:36.55 by John Hosner in 2006. However, 80-year-old John Keston ran 6:48.3 in May 2005 -- a mark that created a buzz for change in USATF rules. (Rules were eventually changed, but his mark was not grandfathered.) Results from Joe's Los Gatos all-comers race are posted here. Joe is no stranger to records, since he holds the listed M65 American outdoor records in the 1500 (4:56.31) and 5000 (18:07.04), marks dating back to 1991! Joe won the M75 national 5000 title at Eugene in 2003 and was second in the 1500 and high jump. Thanks to Jim Bordoni for sharing the news!

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to German runner Annette Koop's blog, Kamloops, British Columbia, will bid to host the fourth World Masters Indoor Championships in 2010. It would be the first WMA indoor worlds outside Europe (following 2004 Sindelfingen, Germany; 2006 Linz, Austria; and this year's meet in Clermont-Ferrand, France). Don't know who else is in the running, but Annette writes: "No question: North America is far off, when it comes to international athletics championships for Masters."

Here's what Annette also had to say (and my apologies for the rough Google translation):

They would also have long been tuned, would not have an effect sometimes hysterical mix of prevention, fear and Kontrollwut of the USA after 11.09.2001 led to . . . athletes from a number of countries have no entry visa had been and would be excluded. For such a framework was awarding international championships in the United States of course not possible, although the hospitality of the North Americans is legendary.

Completed in the spring of 2007, the indoor facility is complete with a 6-lane 200-meter track, weight throw area, shot put circles, and long jump, triple jump and pole vault areas. Access to physiotherapy, swimming pools, weights and other ammenties are also available.

Included in the design is North America's first ever indoor throwing room where athletes will be capable of throwing hammers, discs and shots all year round. Coached by Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk, high performance athletes will also have access to the latest athletic equipment.

For track and field officials, there is a great place to rest and eat during off times at track meets, as well as a place to host clinics right on site.

WMA will decide on the 2010 indoor host in less than a month. Stay tuned.

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

With her sixth-place finish in the 800 final today at open nationals, Alisa Harvey broke her day-old W40 American indoor record by a few tenths, clocking 2:05.75 and improving her chances of competing in her fifth Olympic Trials. The Boston race was won by Nicole Teter, who turns 35 this coming November. Coincidentally, the listed USATF W35 indoor record for 800 is 2:06.62 -- by Alisa Harvey. Now Alisa holds back-to-back age-group records, with W40 faster than W35. Incredible. Also amazing was Atlanta Olympic champion Allen Johnson, a week shy of 37, taking second in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.53 seconds, taking .01 off his M35 American record.

The Boston Globe had some nice quotes from AJ:

How long has hurdler Allen Johnson been at this game? Long enough that his rivals ask for his autograph, telling him that they watched him in high school. "If I think back to things when I was a teenager, they don't know what I'm talking about because they were too young to remember or they were barely born," said Johnson, who turns 37 Saturday. "Then I realize that some of the younger athletes are closer to my daughter's age than to me. She's 15." Johnson, who won the 1996 Olympics and four world outdoor titles, will be looking to claim his fifth US indoor title today. This summer, he'll be bidding for his fourth Olympic team in the 110-meter hurdles. "If I could, I would run another 20 years," Johnson declared.

Cincinatti chiropractor Timothy McCrossen, 41, won the masters men's 60 in 7.19. Tim is entered in the M40 200 and 400 at the upcoming world masters indoor championships in France.

And W35 high jumper Gwen Wentland took fourth with a clearance of 1.83 meters ((6 feet even) -- as 33-year-old winner Amy Acuff qualified for the IAAF world indoor championships in Valencia, Spain.

Here are masters results from Boston:

Men 60 Meter Hurdles
================================================================
Advance 8; top 3 each heat + next 2 fastest to final
World: W 7.30 3/6/1994 Colin Jackson, GBR
American: A 7.36 1/16/1987 Greg Foster/Allen Johnson, WCAC/Nike
Meet: M 7.38 2/27/1999 Reggie Torian, Asics
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 David Oliver Nike 7.47
2 Allen Johnson Nike 7.53
3 Joel Brown Nike 7.54
4 Antwon Hicks adidas 7.56
5 Dexter Faulk Nike 7.58
6 Anwar Moore Nike 7.71
7 Aubrey Herring unattached 7.77
-- Jerome Miller unattached DNF

Women 800 Meter Run
================================================================
Advance 6 to final; heat winner + next 3 fastest
1 turn stagger
World: W 1:55.82 3/3/2002 Jolanda Ceplak, SLO
American: A 1:58.71 3/2/2002 Nicole Teter, Nike Farm Team
Meet: M 1:58.41 3/4/1995 Maria Mutola, Mozambique
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Nicole Teter Nike 2:02.65
2 Nicole Cook Reebok 2:02.86
3 Morgan Uceny Reebok 2:04.12
4 Tiffany McWilliams adidas 2:05.09
5 Miesha Marzell unattached 2:05.22
6 Alisa Harvey Pacers/Brooks 2:05.75

Women 400 Meter Dash Masters
================================================================
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Charmaine Roberts Athena Track 1:00.29
2 Rebecca Connolly unattached 1:05.33
3 Christine Reaser unattached 1:05.49
4 Jennifer Hegarty New Balance 1:07.74
5 Terri Rath Athena Track 1:09.28
-- Alisa Harvey Pacers/Brooks DNS

Men 60 Meter Dash Masters
================================================================
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
1 Timothy McCrossen unattached 7.19
2 Jeff Gold unattached 7.34
3 Randy Frey Nike Central 7.38
4 Eric Merriweather Sprint Athl. 7.40
5 Lovell Butler unattached 7.46
6 Neil Steinberg unattached 7.88

Women High Jump
==========================================================================
Bar Progression: 1.74/1.77/1.80/1.83/1.86/1.89/1.92/1.95
World: W 2.08m 2/4/2006 Kajsa Bergqvist, SWE
American: A 2.01m 2/28/1998 Tisha Waller, Unattached
Meet: M 2.01m 2/28/1998 Tisha Waller, Unattached
Name Year Team Finals
==========================================================================
1 Amy Acuff Tri-Valley Asics 1.92m 6-03.50
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83 1.86 1.89 1.92 1.98
PPP PPP O PPP O O XO XXX
2 Chaunte Howard Nike 1.89m 6-02.25
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83 1.86 1.89 1.92
PPP O PPP O O XXO XXX
3 Deirdre Mullen Shore A C 1.86m 6-01.25
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83 1.86 1.89
PPP O O O XXO XXX
4 Gwen Wentland Nike 1.83m 6-00.00
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83 1.86 1.89
PPP O PPP XO PPP XXX
5 Sharon Day C P / S L O 1.80m 5-10.75
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83 1.86
PPP PPP XO PPP XXX
6 Beth Ann Costagno Shore A C 1.77m 5-09.75
1.74 1.77 1.80 1.83
PPP O PPP XXX
6 Renee Hein unattached 1.77m 5-09.75
1.74 1.77 1.80
O O XXX

Posted by Ken Stone at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Alisa Harvey qualified by time this afternoon for tomorrow's 800 finals at the AT&T USA Indoor Track Championships in Boston. She ran 2:06.08 to again lower her own W40 indoor American record. More important, she ducked under the "B" qualifying standards for the Olympic Trials! If she's in the top 30 in June, she'll be competing in Eugene. Incredible. Now let us pause for a moment of silence -- in memory of the shattered egos of 11 women in their 19s or 20s who lost to a 42-year-old. We hope they'll recover in time for outdoor season. For example: Laura Hermanson, who finished just behind Alisa, turns 22 in five days.

Jill Geer, the USATF press honcho who happens to live in Boston, added a nice detail about Alisa's race:

Harvey breaks another record during qualifying

In qualifying action, Nicole Cook posted the fastest time in the women's 800m rounds, winning the second of three heats in 2:04.03. Also advancing to the final was 42-year-old Alisa Harvey, who broke her own U.S. masters record in placing third in heat 1. As The Killers' song "When You Were Young" played ironically over the PA system, Harvey finished in 2:06.08 to break her previous record of 2:07.08, run January 26 at Penn State. American indoor record holder and two-time USA champion Nicole Teter was first in heat 3 to advance as well (2:06.68).

Advance 6 to final; heat winner + next 3 fastest
1 turn stagger
World: W 1:55.82 3/3/2002 Jolanda Ceplak, SLO
American: A 1:58.71 3/2/2002 Nicole Teter, Nike Farm Tea
Meet: M 1:58.41 3/4/1995 Maria Mutola, Mozambique
Name Year Team Prelims
================================================================
Heat 1 Preliminaries
1 Tiffany McWilliams adidas 2:04.91Q
2 Miesha Marzell unattached 2:05.14q
3 Alisa Harvey Pacers/Brooks 2:06.08q
4 Laura Hermanson N. Dakota St. 2:06.99
5 Julian Clay Nike 2:08.73
6 Jennifer Metz unattached 2:14.45
Heat 2 Preliminaries
1 Nicole Cook Reebok 2:04.03Q
2 Morgan Uceny Reebok 2:04.19q
3 Lindsey Schnell Arizona Elite 2:06.57
4 Jennie Castle unattached 2:07.68
5 Georganne Way Team Indiana Elite 2:08.47
Heat 3 Preliminaries
1 Nicole Teter Oregon TC Elite 2:06.68Q
2 Sasha Spencer Nike 2:07.35
3 Joan Bohlke New Balance Boston 2:07.65
4 Chanelle Price unattached 2:08.39
5 Caryn Waterson Gehrke Nike Central 2:10.86
6 Tasha Stanley unattached 2:11.34
================================================================
Advance 6 to final; heat winner + next 3 fastest
1 turn stagger
World: W 1:55.82 3/3/2002 Jolanda Ceplak, SLO
American: A 1:58.71 3/2/2002 Nicole Teter, Nike Farm Tea
Meet: M 1:58.41 3/4/1995 Maria Mutola, Mozambique
Name Year Team Prelims
================================================================
Preliminaries
1 Nicole Cook Reebok 2:04.03Q
2 Tiffany McWilliams adidas 2:04.91Q
3 Nicole Teter Oregon TC Elite 2:06.68Q
4 Morgan Uceny Reebok 2:04.19q
5 Miesha Marzell unattached 2:05.14q
6 Alisa Harvey Pacers/Brooks 2:06.08q
7 Lindsey Schnell Arizona Elite 2:06.57
8 Laura Hermanson N. Dakota St. 2:06.99
9 Sasha Spencer Nike 2:07.35
10 Joan Bohlke New Balance Boston 2:07.65
11 Jennie Castle unattached 2:07.68
12 Chanelle Price unattached 2:08.39
13 Georganne Way Team Indiana Elite 2:08.47
14 Julian Clay Nike 2:08.73
15 Caryn Waterson Gehrke Nike Central 2:10.86
16 Tasha Stanley unattached 2:11.34
17 Jennifer Metz unattached 2:14.45

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Barbados is an island nation in the western Atlantic with a population of about 280,000 and a national budget of $1 billion. The United States is a 50-state republic in the Northern Hemisphere with a population of 300 million and a national budget of $3 trillion. Guess which country helps its masters track athletes travel to international meets? You got it. Yesterday our M50 friend Dave Ortman in Seattle shared an article (with his comments) that he got from his W65 aunt, who was vacationing in Barbados.

Here's what Dave sent us:

I am not a fan of track & field being a country medal count or pitting one nation's athletes against another's. I suppose it works in team sports, but in the Olympics I would rather have the top athletes in the world at the starting line or in a field event flight regardless of where they come from.

This is particularly true for the silly rule that masters athletes from the United States must wear national "uniforms" when the United States provides no support for masters track & field. The thought that the United States would have any spare money to send masters track & field athletes to world masters championships is somewhere beyond the realm of science fiction. So it is startling to see that at least one country supports masters track & field and is even willing to help finance their attendance at the "World" Huntsman Senior Games in Utah. Hats (or whatever they wear) off to Barbardos!

See the following:

"Government Support for Senior Games to Continue."
by Petra Harvey (The Barbados Advocate, January 31, 2008).

Barbadian senior athletes are breathing a little easier today after it was disclosed that the financial support given to them from the previous administration will continue with the present one.

This message came from Dr. Hon. Denis Lowe, Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Urban Development yesterday at a presentation ceremony at the Barbados Olympic Association's headquarters in Wildey.

Lowe was addressing the members of the senior games team that attended the Huntsman Games in Utah. Some of the members of the team were presented with tracksuits for copping the first ever Huntsman Games Team Challenge Trophy.

"Rest assured that our ministry will continue to provide support, not only for the national activities, but the international activities as well. It is our moral responsibility to make sure you get the full support of the Government, not only for the benefit of yourselves or your age group, but for our great country," said Dr. Lowe.

Dr. Lowe also acknowledged Hamilton Lashley, who is one of the founders of the Senior Citizens Games, for all the work that he had put into making that event a success. He also stated that, he is actually looking forward to getting older.

On hand to present the athletes with their suits was Chief Executive Officer of the Huntsman Games, Kyle Case and his wife Minty Case from Utah. Case noted that Team Barbados is one of the more popular teams at the games and that many of the athletes looked forward to competing against them.

"Barbados sends its best athletes to the games and it must be noted that at the end of the games some of them end up being the best in the world," said Case.

"In 2007 Team Barbados emerged victorious with a total of 155 points. They copped 46 medals - 17 gold, 21 silver and 8 bronze," added Chase. He also noted that the closet competitor received 96 points.

"We hope to see you again in October where the competition will be waiting," said Case.

Also attending the ceremony was Hon. Patrick Todd, Minister of State, Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Urban Development, Hamilton Lashley and Ruth Blackman, Permanent Secretary of Social Care.

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What a birthday present! On the day she turned 61, Phil Raschker yesterday learned that for the second time in five years, she's a finalist for the highest honor America bestows on amateur athletes: the AAU Sullivan Award. And this year, fans can take part in the selection. Becky Wesley of the National Senior Games Association writes that you can go to this site "and vote for Philippa Raschker, Track & Field. Also, text additional votes by mobile phone - Text AAUVOTE8 to 44636 (standard carrier text message rates apply)." At age 61, Phil is the oldest contender in history.

Becky continued:

We are excited to announce that NSGA nominated Philippa "Phil" Raschker for the 2007 AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award and once again she has been selected as a finalist. Phil competes in the National Senior Games in Track and Field W60-64 and is the oldest athlete to ever be nominated for this prestigious award. A national voting body consisting of AAU officials, U.S. Olympic Committee members and college sports information directors are among those who vote for the top amateur athlete. Fans can cast their ballot on USA Today's web site and on their mobile phones. Text AAUVOTE8 to 44636

The fan votes count one-third toward the final tally. Voting ends March 10. The announcement of the recipient and award presentation will be held on April 1, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. at the New York Athletic Club.

Attached is a press release and pictures of Phil. Join us in making history and VOTE today! If you know someone on the national voting body, please contact them and ask them to VOTE for Phil! Forward this email to all family and friends and ask them to VOTE too!

"NSGA is honored to nominate Phil. It is seldom that the nation recognizes a senior athlete in the world of sports," said Phil Godfrey, NSGA President and CEO. "The AAU has made this possible by selecting Phil as one of their finalists for the prestigious Sullivan Award. Phil was nominated in 2003 and made the top five. This year we want to see her Number One. Many athletes start mellowing with age; not Phil, she continues grinding out performances thought only possible in dreams! She is certainly the most accomplished senior athlete to ever compete in track and field. I believe an
argument can be made that she is the best female athlete of all time at any age."

Phil's accomplishments during the past year would be a lifetime achievement for most other athletes: 12 World Records, 31 American Records, 7 National Senior Games Championship gold medals, 10 World Championship gold medals, and 27 gold medals at five U.S. National Championship meets. In accomplishing the aforementioned, she also received the following recognition: Athlete of the Year by Masters Athlete magazine; Atlanta Sports Amateur Athlete of the Year; Female World Masters Athlete of the Year by the World Masters Athletic (WMA) Association / International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF); and Outstanding Athlete at the World Championship Track and Field Meet in Italy where over 9,000 athletes competed by WMA.

NSGA is a multi-sport organizations council member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and serves as the USOC's official arm to the 50 and over population. The NSGA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. Through its programs, the NSGA assists adults in achieving greater value and quality in their lives by staying healthy, active and fit.

NSGA thanks its corporate sponsors Humana, AstraZeneca, Catholic Healthcare West, Stanford Hospital and Euflexxa. Go to www.nsga.com for more information about NSGA and all its programs.

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's a trick question: Who's the world's best masters vaulter at the moment? You thunk Jeff Hartwig? Well, thunk again. M40 Jeff isn't even No. 2! According to the IAAF Top List, Tim Lobinger of Germany, who turned 35 last September, is the top masters vaulter in the world this indoor season. Tim jumped 5.81 meters (19-0 3/4) yesterday in Stockholm to overtake M35 Derek Miles of the United States, who went 5.80 at Reno. WMA lists the M35 world indoor record as Jeff Hartwig's 5.88 (19-3 1/2) in 2004. Ohmygawd! Geezervaulters are taking over!

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last November, I wrote about the grievance battle inside the Colorado USATF association. I have no clue how this was resolved, but folks have noticed a change on the association Web site: The grievance posting has been deleted. Vanished without an explanation. Oh well. Maybe it was all a dream. Anyway, Colorado masters aren't twiddling their thumbs. Christel Donley shares some positive news: "The Colorado Masters Track and Field athletes have formed . . . (the) Colorado Masters Track and Field Club. President is George Soule. Athletes interested in joining should contact Jim Weed (at) 2203 E. 149th Ave, Thornton, CO 80602 (or) e-mail rockymtnmastersgames@msn.com or gfsoule@comcast.net."

Posted by Ken Stone at 1:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today Chris and I celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. We got hitched the same year as Chuck & Di (across the Pond in a slightly bigger ceremony). But we're still going strong. Chuck & Di? Don't ask. But since this is a masters track blog, I found another masters track love story to highlight: Stacy & Ian. Check out this romantic (and creative) tale about how world-class discus thrower Ian Waltz recently proposed to W35 vault star Stacy Dragila. This video is cute -- shot only 20 minutes from my house, in fact. I wish Stacy and Ian as much happiness as my lovely and talented Chris and I have had this past quarter-century.

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

M50 sprinter Tom Phillips is an exceptional sports photographer in England who writes well, too. Recently he shared a link on our Forum to an article he wrote for the UK masters magazine. It's posted below. The article recounts the evolution of his appreciation for masters track -- starting at age 14 when he knew some vets in his club. But after becoming one himself, he became acutely aware of the lack of respect and admiration for masters athletes. Therefore he calls for a "parity of esteem." We agree.

Tom writes:

When I was “nowt but a lad” (about 14, actually), and joined my Club, I can vaguely remember a genial bunch of what we certainly regarded as “old blokes”, who were always there, ran far too slow for our juvenile tastes, and who seemed to have an endless store of anecdotes, advice and athletics mythology. As I approached my own big 4-0, I began to realise that these fellas were doubtless the club’s Vets at that time. They were probably only in their 40s and early 50s. Ancient to we boys, of course.

More recently – well, OK, it was just this March, I was at a club’s AGM, and heard the Head of Active Athletics (is there another sort?) give his report on the budget for running the previous year’s track teams. An elder statesman of the Club stood and commented – not completely tongue in cheek – that he was personally glad to see that none of the money in the budget had gone to the Club’s, albeit highly successful, Masters Teams.

Disconnected events, and I’ve sort of portrayed them out of context here, but they’ve had me thinking about what we are as Masters athletes, and why many people think of us like they do.

The Editor of Athletics Weekly thought I was being unfair a year or so back when I told him I felt his coverage was lamentable, given the growth and success of Masters Athletics. He disagreed with me, but I note a steady trail of letters and comments from others persist, even though there is just a glimmer that he is trying to do something about it. Oh that UK Athletics (is that what they are called this week?) would do likewise. We do get a link to the British Masters Athletics Federation site from somewhere buried deep in the UKA web site, these days. Well, thanks for that, guys.

I was out of our sport for a number of years during my thirties and early forties, due to long term injury. I was also a long time deciding whether to come back at all. I became quite aware of a good range of views about why one should, or shouldn’t, think about becoming a Vet. These tended to portray us in the following ways, either singly or in combination:

-- Self-centred has-beens, who’d be far more use devoting all their time to coaching youngsters and running the Club, than searching for their lost youth;

-- Genetic freaks who were perhaps to be pitied;

-- Gallant, driven, heroes (and heroines), plugging away at their sport in the face of adversity (that is to say, age)

-- Obsessed objects of amusement who ought to “grow up” (in the pejorative sense);

You’ve been there too. You can add your own.

This was at a time that Masters Athletics, as it had by then become, was rolling out the M35 age group. Remember the opposition to that? Actually, it’s not really gone away, has it? For every athlete I meet in his mid to late thirties who is revelling in remaining competitive in Masters competition, I meet three or four who have variously decided not to bother, are still needed in Senior teams and so can’t spare the time/effort etc, or who have fallen for the mocking, and finally decided to “grow out of it."

I guess what has really bugged me as a Master, is the absence of a sense of what many aspects of life currently call “parity of esteem”. Against many odds, disability sport seems to be getting there, aided by progressive changes in wider attitudes to ability and access. But does it feel to me, eight years into my Masters career, that what I am, what I do, and what I achieve gets the recognition it would were I thirty years younger? I don’t mean to sound like an attention seeker. I mean “recognition” in the sense of being able to enthuse and inspire, or just plain interest others.

It was an eye-opener to me that the Masters world contains such things as “age-weighted tables”. The science of producing these, and the statistical or actuarial skills involved are both beyond me, and beyond this article. But as a motivational tool, a marker of achievement, and as a potential instrument to move us towards that elusive parity of esteem, I firmly believe that the age-weighted tables have big, and thus-far untapped, potential. Furthermore, it surprises me how many of my compatriots are unaware of these things even now! (If that includes you, just sample http://jick.net/~jess/track/mtf/AGT.php as a taster!)

I made my faltering return as a 46-year-old sprinter. I did, of course ponder whether, in purely relative terms, I was anywhere near as competitive as I was as a Senior in my short-lived prime. In that respect, the age-weighted tables were a revelation. No, be honest Tom, actually they were a disappointment to begin with! They said to me “No, you’re not.” However, they have become something of a motivational aid and training tool, by helping chart what improvement I’d have been making in the “real world”, as I improve in this world. When I reached the point that the tables told me I was running better than ever I had, I even thought I should stop wearing my favourite T-shirt, with the logo “The older I get, the faster I was!”

Of course, it’s all make-believe, isn’t it? You run what you actually run, not what a complicated spreadsheet tells you it would be worth in a mythical, in-your-dreams world. I’m enough of a realist to recognise the truth in that. Yet I’m enough of an optimist to feel that we’re missing something here that could do a little to help the status of Masters athletics. Might Joe Public just be a bit more interested, if we could market the fact that, say, Steve Peters’ M50 European record for the 200m (23.22) was worth 19.87 in age-adjusted terms? Follow up the web link above and come up with your own motivational/marketing examples.

Heroes? Freaks? That’s tabloid talk, of course. We’re neither, but lets continue to hold out for that parity of esteem. As the girl on the ads says “Because you’re worth it!”

Posted by Ken Stone at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Dave MacEachern of Canada's Prince Edward Island won bobsled gold at the Nagano Winter Olympics 10 years ago, and this article in his local paper says he's keen to enter age-group meets: "MacEachern . . . plans to whip himself into even better shape to take a run at some future Masters Track and Field competitions." Nice article. But one flaw: It doesn't specify WHICH events in masters track he'll enter. A clue comes in the reader comments that follow: "He's done well after being the 2nd-fastest man at Colonel Gray High School. If the track and field records are checked, you'll find Bob Dioron was faster." A bobsled pusher might prove to be a great sprinter. (Several American Olympic hurdlers and sprinters tried bobsledding.)

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Masters men's winner Sean Wade, women's champ Jody Hawkins and a cast of hundreds are featured in my photo gallery of last Saturday's USA national cross country championships in San Diego, just 20 minutes from my home. I also got lotsa shots of women's open winner Shalane Flanagan and men's victor Dathan Ritzenhein, who qualified for the American team going to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in late March in Edinburgh, Scotland. And I shot masters legends Kathy Martin and Gerry Davidson, who at 86 was the oldest runner at nationals. The opening shots of Nolan Shaheed are bittersweet, however. He drove down from Pasadena only to drop out after 50 yards. He had tweaked his hamstring the previous week running a 400 at an all-comers meet. I tell other stories about XC nationals on my Masters Athlete blog, which will be posted sometime today.

Posted by Ken Stone at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Doug Thompson's SISU 800-meter Challenge event in Arizona has returned to a $500 first prize after briefly promoting a $650 prize for the top age-graded runner. Why? It appears that offering a prize over $500 might force his meet to do drug-testing. At least that's the explanation Doug gave in an email to participants and observers. Doug writes: "It is three weeks 'til the SISU Foundation 800 Meter Challenge race, and I'd like to give one last update on some recent developments, as well as a final reminder to participants to register."

Doug continues:

To participate in the race March 8th you must register for the Grand Canyon State Games (GCSG) -- they are providing the "infrastructure" for this meet. James Smith is the meet Director, so we know they'll do a good job. You can either register on line (see our web site sisu800.com for the GCSG registration URL) or the morning of the race by 8:30 a.m.. We'd prefer you register on-line, both so we have a sense of who's coming, and to keep you from getting there late and missing registration.

A few recent updates:

-- We have received word that Saucony and Performance Footwear will sponsor us in the form of six pair of shoes for the three male and three female runners up (those that don't win the cash 1st prize). They will have some shoes there, but if you don't like what they have you can exchange them for a pair of Saucony's that you like at a local Performance Footwear store. Coincidentally, I have been training in Saucony shoes for the first time this year and like them very much.

-- Our first prize remains at $500. We got an anonymous donation of $150 and were going to add that the the first prize pot, but we just discovered that would require a different type of USATF "sanction" for the meet, and possibly drug testing. We are not prepared to do that this year, so we are instead going to offer a $150 second prize and keep the first prize at $500. Just a reminder: prizes are for those that run the most seconds under their All-American standard (the 800 standards are on our race web site).

That includes the shoe prizes, BUT any winners must beat their respective standard. So, for example, if only two women beat their All-American standard time then one of their designated pairs of shoes would go to the men, assuming more at least four men meet the standard. Email me if this doesn't make sense and I'll try again to explain it.

-- This year's race will be much faster than last year's. We have registered several world-class runners thus far, and are excited for the competition. Since our race is all about fast times, we are planning to arrange heat participation solely on the basis of seed times. We have some folks registered who can run under 2:00, but because of our age adjustment the winner of the grand prize could easily come from a/the slower heat.

Please let your friends and neighbors know about the race. We'd like to have a good audience for the 800, and given the quality of the competition it's worth their while to come watch. There's no admission fee, so you can't beat the value.

As we've said before, our goal is to make this annual race an event that will attract top US Masters runners, and even international participants. We're going to do this by continuing to increase our prize money (and we'll deal with drug testing next year, if necessary), and by putting on a well-run event. We're open to suggestions about how to do that. Please let me know if you have questions or comments, or need directions, etc.

Best regards,
Doug Thompson

Posted by Ken Stone at 2:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several weeks ago, I was informed of a masters exhibition hurdle race planned for the Modesto Relays in California. The genesis of the event was former Olympic decathlon champ Dan O'Brien's interest in setting an M40 world record in the 110 hurdles. He wanted to shoot for it at Modesto, I was told. But when the meet's date was changed from May 3 to May 10, O'Brien's involvement because doubtful. That's because Dan (now 41) coaches at Arizona State University, and the Pac-10 Conference multi-event championships is being hosted at ASU on May 10. (I wrote to ASU but never got a reply.) Anyway, Dan may not run, but other track legends might.

Here's what the Modesto Bee reported about the masters events:

Also scheduled is a masters (40-older) 110-high hurdle race, but it's not your basic all-comers workout. Already in training is a field of gold-medal golden oldies: Tony Dees, Willie Gault, Eugene Swift, Dan O'Brien, Roger Kingdom and others. The masters world record is 13.42, a time in jeopardy with such a cast.

"So many guys are interested in running. We might have to run two heats. They were just waiting the last few years for someone to do this. I'm glad we were the ones who stepped up," (meet director Gregg) Miller said. "The guys are talking a lot of trash about this race, too. It should be fun."

Stay tuned.

Posted by Ken Stone at 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Kay Glynn turned 55 just four days before setting her age-group's indoor WR in the vault this month. But that's just the latest chapter in a remarkable story. She's a dance teacher and grandmother of two who dreams of doing the circus trapeze! To learn more about Kay, I first contacted one of her track pals, M60 vaulter Bob Banhagel, who replied: "(Kay) and I are friends and talk and swap ideas about the vault on a regular basis. I've watched her at national events for the past few years."

Bob continued:

Being coached and being a coach, my instincts tell me that she will set the bar much higher in the next few years. Just prior to her 55th birthday she jumped 10 feet in a meet, but it wasn't measured.

She's smart and very coachable. I only wish I was half as flexible as she is.

Living in the rural Midwest puts a bind on her access to pit to jump in, so when she hits a meet it's about the only time in the winter she gets to jump, but then that's true for most of us who live in the colder climate.

She has her own facility and she told me her son gave her a conveyer belt for Christmas so she can set up her runway this spring, and (I) recall her saying she had a long walkway that she was going to use as a runway -- which indicates to me that she is improvising on ways to improve herself. My prediction is that at Boston she'll put another WR notch on her pole :)

Masterstrack.com: What was the vault sequence (in your WR at Buena Vista University) -- opening height, makes and misses, last height tried?

Kay Glynn: I opened at the metric equivalents of 8-6, (then cleared) 9-0 and 9-3, making all those on the first attempt, then failed on 9-7.

Are you focusing on the vault more now, or is this just one of your several regular events?

From December 2007 through Feb. 22, I will have had the opportunity to vault in five indoor college meets, so that’s my focus and the only real practice I get since my pit outside is covered with snow! I would enjoy doing some work on high jump and long jump at the meets, but they usually conflict with the vaulting.

Have a coach? If yes, who is it and how is this helping?

I am fortunate enough to have Will Freeman from Grinnell College helping me at most of these college meets. It’s so much easier to just concentrate on the technique of vaulting when he’s there to tell me what I’m doing right or wrong, and checking my standards, and watching my step, and getting me filmed so I can learn, and advising me about which pole to use. I have the fun part! And when Will's not there, I'm open to suggestions!

Is 10 feet coming this year? Where will you compete this summer?

I’m excited to say that I actually vaulted 10 feet at the Graceland University meet on January 11. Since it was the first meet of 2008, I didn’t even think about vaulting a record. I didn’t have all the documentation necessary. I was not there to get a record. I just went there by myself and was concentrating on my technique and having fun at the opening season meet!

Since my daughter went to college at Graceland, I've always felt "at home" there, and I've always vaulted well when I was there.

I plan to vault at about five outdoor college meets this spring. I’ll be competing in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in March at the USATF Masters National Indoor Heptathlon (Championships) and at Boston later in March at the USATF Masters National Indoor Championships.

This summer, besides competing in Iowa USATF meets, I’ll be vaulting at street vaults that are in a four-state area, and I’ll compete in various events in the senior meets that are in the Midwest. I plan to compete in Neosho, Missouri, at the USATF National Masters Decathlon in June and in Spokane, Washington, at the USATF Masters National Outdoor Championships in August. And, of course, all these plans are pending a “healthy” season!

The WR in your age group might be considered "soft." What do you think of Nadine O'Connor's marks at 60 and 65?

A “soft” record? I think us menopausal women are allowed a little slip once in a while! But that’s just a little dip in the road because I see some awesome women on the track who are over 50 and just getting better and faster and stronger. So inspiring! And Nadine’s one of those!

She’s such a great lady. So talented, lots of fun, loves what she does -- and is always willing to help others! And, yes, I’ll be going after her record -- not just to get the record, but all of us pole vaulters know that the higher you go, the more fun it is!

Also, I don't plan to have much in the way of world records because when you follow Phil (age-division-wise), who has spent a lifetime to achieve her great accomplishments, getting a record is HUGE! But I'll be doing my best to fix this "soft" record!

What's your height and weight these days? How do you stay trim?

Yes, in the world of pole vaulting and competing, we have no secrets about weight, age, etc. I’m 5-5½ and weigh 116-120. I think that working out every day, combined with the fact that I eat (healthy) every 2-3 hours has helped me stay in shape.

I would say that in the last 10 years, the biggest change I have made in my diet is to cut back on the fried foods, breads, pastas, and potatoes and eat more vegetables and fruits. That sounds boring and I do love to eat, but eating isn’t my hobby. I treat it as fuel for my body. But I just finished off my birthday cake, and I don’t miss a day without an M&M or two, so it’s not that bad!

What were your high school track PRs? What HS did you compete for?

I competed for Nishna Valley High School which is a country school located about two miles away from where I live now, so I usually do my summertime track workouts on the cinder track where I worked out many years ago.

My high school long jump record still stands (as a district record) of 19’2½. Although it’s not published any longer, several of us girls had the 60-yard dash record at 7.0. My 100 time was 11.3, and I'm guess my 200 time was about 29. I’m guessing because I never liked that race. It was my distance race.

You've been vaulting for only five years or so? How did you learn the event?

I've had TONS of help in learning to vault. The three coaches that I’ve worked with have been people that I’ve met through my daughter’s track career while she was at Graceland. I had my first lesson from Kent Allshouse at Graceland and then started working with Guy Mosher, Central College’s multi, jumps and sprints coach. Since I’d only done long jumping and sprints, he taught me almost everything I know about all the events in which I compete.

After working with him for about two years, I acquired my own pole vault pit (I already had a high jump pit and long jump pit in my yard). I enjoy being able to practice without driving 2-3 hours (one-way) to find a pit.

And, as I already said, Will Freeman from Grinnell College has most recently been helping me. But I can’t forget to mention that I’ve learned valuable pole vaulting information from www.polevaultpower.com and from the book and DVD, "From Beginner to Bubka," and now, recently published, "From Beginner to Bubka and Isinbayeva, too!" (A secret? I am SO HONORED to have three photos of me in this new book! It’s really the “bible” for pole vaulters!)

Also, besides the email coaching I get from many pole vaulting friends, I feel that I owe a lot in my development as a pole vaulter to the colleges and coaches who have given me the opportunity to practice at their facilities and compete in their meets since "you can’t practice competition." It has helped tremendously!

And even the Gill Company has been a great help! I haven’t had to worry about poles because their company has supplied me with my carbon poles — at a really good deal — since my start of pole vaulting! Getting a new one this week! Now if I could just get the airlines to work a little better with our "special luggage!"

Tell me about your family, including that track star daughter of yours.

My family’s getting bigger with grandchildren. My husband of 35 years and I have three children and one grand-daughter and one grandson. All three kids were involved in track in high school and all three competed at state.

The boys, John and Travis, now 31 and 24, did sprints and long jumping. Sarah, now 26, did likewise in high school, but began doing heptathlons during the summer months of high school and during her college years. I competed in my first pentathlon with her at Graceland College and we did a heptathlon together in Illinois. She beat me.

What can I say? Awesome fun! She lives in Texas with her husband and 4-month-old son. The last race she did was a 3.5-mile race in Chicago when she was 5 months' pregnant! Now after getting back into her "skinny jeans" a month after her baby was born, she’s ready to hit the roads again!

Last year my son Travis, who just graduated from Iowa State last spring, ran some sprints (unattached) in several of the meets that I pole vaulted in, so that was fun. He plans to go to some outdoor college meets with me this spring.

When you were jumping at Buena Vista, were the college kids aware of your record attempts? Their reactions to the record (and your beating them)?

Everyone was aware of my record attempt when they announced “everyone please turn your attention to the pole vault area. . . .” And please be kind to the kids! They were all supportive of me and congratulated me! We never have any generation or competitive problems. We all have the same agenda for the day — just plant tall and fly high! And after all, since Iowa doesn't have vaulting in high school, a lot of college athletes have had very little experience with pole vaulting.

What ever became of your interest in that track reality show?

The reality track show? Haven’t gotten a phone call yet! I applied! That’s all I can do! Of course, I was a little over the “age limit.” It's advertised for people 32-52. I turned 55 on Feb. 5, but I told them I was willing to compete against 32-year-olds! It would just be fun to get the opportunity.

What do you do for a living? And where do you live?

What I do for a living is probably the biggest asset to my abilities in track and field. I've been teaching tap, jazz, ballet and acrobatics to kids 3-18 for the past 22 years. I even have an adult tap dancing class which includes women over 60! Now that's fun! I started lessons when I was 4, and (while I didn't run track for 30 years), I've never NOT worked out when it came to dancing or acrobatics. I just didn't call it a workout. It was fun!

I love the technical part of the events that I do in track because I can relate them to the dance and acrobatics that I do. If you do them technically correct, the results will be there. I've changed my workouts over the years and have now included working on a horizontal bar, a trapeze bar, rings -- partly to help with my pole vault training and partly just to keep things interesting, challenging and fun!

Someday, I'm going to fly on a real trapeze -- at least I want to try it once! But since I live in southwestern Iowa (near Hastings), I will have to be at the right place at the right time to get access to a big trapeze set-up. Someday. . . .

Kay calls these shots, taken in Kansas last summer, "more
technically correct" than the form she used in recent record jump.


Kay writes of this shot, taken at Orono nationals last August:
"(It) keeps reminding me that even though I don't always
'do it right,' it's always fun!"

Posted by Ken Stone at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

mastershistory.org contains thousands of pages of material in PDF format, dating to the earliest days of the masters track movement.

With a $1,200 budget from the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee and support by chairman Gary Snyder and others, a Web site to preserve our rich history has been launched.

It's a work in progress. Grand ambitions include a photo gallery of old-time masters photos and videos. We also hope to post biographies of all members of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. And we're working toward cataloging the complete contents of the site.

When all this is done, you would be able to use this search tool, plug in a name or meet, and immediately display links to all relevant documents archived on the site.

To view the PDF contents of mastershistory.org, however, you have to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Most computers come with this program already installed, thank goodness. But if you've deleted yours or it's gone bad -- no problem! Just go to this site and download the latest version. It's free!

Another caution: Some of the PDF files archived on mastershistory.org are humongous. A so-called dial-up connection to the Net won't cut it. Onl