Masters Track News and Muse

Germany is sending nearly 900 athletes to the second World Masters Indoor Championships, starting the Ides of March in Linz, Austria. That's nearly a third of all athletes entered at Linz. German-American Phil Raschker shared a roster PDF detailing the German entrants and their events -- from W35 Urte Alisch to M90s Anton Polgar and Albert Olbrechts. Five W80 Germans are entered as well. Notable on the list: 31 athetes who claim doctorates (I count 31 with "Dr." in front of their name.) They might not all be physicians, but it seems advisable to learn how to say, "Is there a doctor in the house?" in German. Danke, Phil!

Robert and Annette Koop are reporting that a British athlete tested positive for illegal performance-enhancing drugs at the San Sebastian world meet last summer -- and not a German as previously speculated. The athlete is male, I was told a few weeks ago. Still no name attached to the athlete.

Mary Rosado is an all-purpose event organizer. She helped assemble the masters women's 4x4 relays at tomorrow night's Millrose Games and is listed as a member of the Central Park Track Club quartet running in the prestigious meet. But don't spike her. She's a lawyer. (Her specialties include guardianship, labor and employment and sports law.)

The best online roster of athletes ever seen in World Masters Athletics is now posted -- a searchable database of entrants at the Linz world indoor meet in mid-March. You can search by an athlete's name, nation, age group or event -- allowing one, for example, to specify all M50 pole vaulters from Germany. Incredible. This is how every major meet should operate.

And that's the order of importance. Gail Devers' absence for the entire 2005 season after her Athens disappointment made a lot of people wonder if she were hanging up her spikes. Actually, she had plenty good reason to sit out the year. She gave birth in the summer! Was news to me (and everyone else in the track community.) At tonight's Millrose Games, she was fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, an event where she holds the American record (but not the W35 American record).

Nearly a month ago, fresh off dual W40 American indoor records, Alisa Harvey tried to enter a George Mason University meet. Event organizers said, "You're not good enough." Alisa got mad. She also got even, lowering her own W40 indoor record in the 800 tonight at an Armory meet in New York City, far from her Virginia home. Frank Morton reports: "Alisa Harvey ran in the open women's 800 in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory in New York and finished fourth in 2:07.23, another big indoor AR. Harvey also doubled back in the mile and was close to the AR, but just missed."

Gail Devers should be appointed director of central intelligence. She knows how to keep a secret. Not even Garry Hill, editor of Track & Field News, knew that Gail at 39 had taken off the 2005 track season to have a baby girl with her husband, Mike Phillips. Heck, Garry didn't even know she was married! Anyhoo, The Associated Press did some further writing on Gail's lost season and newfound motherhood. (And I found a 3-year-old photo of Gail and Mike.)

Dr. Peter Snell, the Olympic legend and former world record holder, ran a mile today to open the New Zealand Masters Games in his native land. He lives in Texas now, but as they say, "You can take the boy out of New Zealand but not New Zealand out of the boy." The local Otago Daily Times reported on his return to his homeland. " His time for the mile? About 20 minutes, spent schmoozing mostly.

Everyone in masters track knows Emil Pawlik, the down-to-earth and friendly multi-event star and world record holder (and recently minted Masters Hall of Famer). Now his hometown paper has discovered him as well. The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss., did a wonderful montage to acompany the story, and gave it a great headline too: "Track and field master/He's the Bruce Jenner of the 65-69 age division in the decathlon and pentathlon." Michael Wallace wrote the story.

Yesterday, Pawlik. Today Babits -- as in Paul Babits, the new M45 indoor pole vault record holder. His hometown paper ran a nice feature on him today. Great quote in the article: “Once you get to 35 or 40 years old and you’re no longer jumping in the 18-foot range, and you’re starting to jump 16, 17 feet, the coaches start to look at you and wonder when you’re going to grow up.”

Five issues into its young life, GeezerJock has matured into a serious publication. The SI-style masters sports and fitness magazine, whose first issue featured coverage of the Decatur masters nationals (and a fish on the "Pool Days" cover), is ready to take the next big leap -- into the deep end of paid subscriptions. Editor Sean Callahan informs me: "I wanted to give you the heads up that we're converting to paid circulation effective March 31. This won't affect people who've already signed up (or sign up by March 31) -- they'll still get their magazine free."

Masters invitational program coordinator Mark Cleary reports that entries are set for the exhibition men's and women's 200-meter dashes at the USATF open nationals Feb. 26 in Boston. And as I predicted, the age groups featured are both 40-49. Mark writes: "The fields are posted online on status of entries page for the meet at the USATF website. The lanes are computer generated random draw--that's how USATF does it--please don't blame it on me."

Sharrieffa Barksdale, a 1984 Olympian in the 400 hurdles, is training for a masters comeback with the avowed intent of making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Wow! The revelation comes in a long story published today in the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky, where Barksdale lives and trains. She is serious, saying: "I'm going to succeed because I'm bound and determined... My daughter, my son ... they say, 'Mommy, did you go work out today? You know you have to do it. You've got to make history.' "

In 1999, Thomas-Michael Zacharias shocked the masters world by announcing his retirement from the high jump wars -- only two years after clearing 2 meters (6-6 3/4) at age 50. He cited "mental stress" and wrote in an open letter to his German friends: "I am glowing only for a short period and then the fire is out." Well, something got him burning again. The master is back!

For several years, noises have been made about 1984 Olympic TJ champ Al Joyner (Mr. Flo-Jo and brother of Jackie) making a masters comeback. Now we have some hard evidence. The "status of entries" page for the Boston masters indoor nationals lists an Alfrederick Joyner in the M45 triple jump, with a qualifying mark of 16.00 meters (that's 52 feet, 6 inches)! Dunno where that mark was made, but it exceeds the listed indoor M45 world record by almost 4 feet.

Bill Collins apparently has set his first M55 world record -- clocking 7.47 seconds for 60 meters today at an indoor meet in Houston. That beats the listed WR of 7.51 by Germany's Manfred Koch in 2003. In the same meet, fellow Texan Bobby Whilden was timed in 8.22 -- equaling the listed M70 world indoor record by Germany's Bruno Kimmel set two years ago at the first world masters indoor championships in Sindelfingen, Germany.

Becca Gillespy of polevaultpower.com reports: "Paul Babits jumped 4.85 (15-11) at Eastern Michigan yesterday, according to the results posted on their website. That should be a new WR." In late January, Paul set his first M45 record at the Reno summit. (Babco, by the way, is Paul's polevaultpower handle, or nickname.)

Paul Babits wasn't the only vertically gifted geezer over the weekend. At the same meet at Eastern Michigan, M45 Dennis Lewis made one of his rare appearances and high jumped an incredible 2.04 (6-8 1/4) at age 46 -- crushing the recent world indoor record by Bruce McBarnette.

Three-time Olympic champ Jan Zelezny has announced his retirement from the javelin game after this season, which features the European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in August. On June 16, he turns 40, giving him a good shot at the M40 age-group record of 84.08 (275-10) by Germany's Peter Blank in June 2003. Jan, of course, holds the world record at 98.48 (323-1), set 10 years ago.

Huh? Banning spiked shoes at a track meet? What are you smoking, brother! But that's what officials of the Sierra Nevada Senior Games have in mind in May -- outlawing spikes for sprinters and jumpers and requiring athletes to run in flats. So reports a Reno athlete who said he contacted meet officials to challenge the ban. But lest we go ballistic and picket the meet, cooler heads may prevail.

Karl Smith of the United States, via Jamaica, is a legend of masters hurdling -- the first under 14 seconds for the M40 highs. But he lost that record to David Ashford. Now he's apparently sharing another -- to a Frenchman. The Koops' Web site reports that Vincent Clarico ran the 60-meter indoor hurdles in 7.96 at the Meeting du Val d'oisea on Feb. 10. Vincent turned 40 on January 8, according to his IAAF bio. Karl's M40 world indoor record of 7.96 was set in March 2000.

A message board on letsrun.com carries the sad news of the death of M45 distance runner Andrew Crook. The home-page headline said: "Boulder Masters Runner Andrew Cook Commits Suicide," but I haven't confirmed that. An Australian living in Boulder, Colorado, Andrew competed at the 1999 Gateshead WAVA world championships, taking seventh in the M40 5000 in 15:00.90. The next year, he ran a mile in 4:34.3 -- for 19th on this site's world rankings.

Doesn't quite have the ring of "The Giants win the pennant!" But it'll do. The powers-that-be in Reno have backed off their plan to ban spikes at the Sierra Nevada Senior Games, writes M55 sprinter Bill Oberding, who first reported the issue. He writes: "I heard from the officials at the City of Reno today and it has been decided NOT to ban track spikes at this year's Sierra Nevada Senior Games. I was actually asked to call off the dogs."

Andrew Crook died Saturday. That we knew. His cause of death? We aren't told by a long obituary in the Rocky Mountain News. That lends credence to hints at letsrun.com that he committed suicide. At least when national-class racewalker Al Heppner threw himself off a bridge near San Diego, the local paper told the full truth. Andrew's hometown paper in Boulder merely ran a brief death notice. His memorial service was today.

Four indoor records in one season. Not bad. After setting W40 American indoor bests in the 800 (twice) and 1500, Alisa Harvey today added the mile mark by topping a field of collegians half her age at Lynchburg University's Last Chance Meet (for NCAA qualifiers). Alisa ran the mile in 4:50.95 to crush the listed W40 indoor record of 4:53.91 by North Carolina's Joan Nesbit, 40, in 2003. Alisa also was faster than the listed W40 outdoor record of 4:54.0 by Californian Laurie Binder, 43, in 1991.

"Thank you," began Alisa Harvey's note. The new W40 indoor mile American record holder was replying to my latest congratulatory email. "I am quite happy," she said. She resolved the mystery of her DNF in the 800 at the Lynchburg meet where she ran a 4:50.95 mile: "I was pace-setting the 800m race for a young lady that I coached at Geroge Mason two-years ago - I'm fine."

Masters hurdler Andy Hecker, the SoCal meet director and senior USATF official, sends details of his second annual Southern California Masters Indoor Championships (held outdoors). The meet is Sunday, Feb. 26, at Santa Ana College. It's no joke. Just a serious effort to give sun-splashed masters a chance at running indoor distances before the masters indoor nationals.

Today is my 25th wedding anniversary, and Chris and I have a full day planned. I'd love to describe our wonderful marriage here, but it would take a book to do it justice -- how my lovely sprintin'/shot-puttin'/discus-throwin' wife and I have seen our love grow with masters track as a backdrop. Instead, I'd like to share a story of another track couple (slightly more accomplished). It's the love story of the Stiners of New York state. Nine months after "meeting" on a letsrun.com message board, the running pair were wed.

One of the cool things about masters track is nobody tells you what to do. No coach saying, "That's not your event." I'm reminded of this by an article from Down Under about M85 runner/sprinter Eric de Lautour. "He burned it up at the recent Oceania masters athletes championships in Christchurch, setting Oceania age-group records in the 5000m, 100m, 800m, 400m, 1500m and 200m," writes Kelly Exelby of the Bay of Plenty Times in New Zealand.

I swear, USATF is trying to drive me wacko. Today I learned of an update in USATF's masters national records dated 2/21/06. That's great! New is good! What loosens my screws are the relay records. Instead of a cut-and-dried listing of records by sex and age group, we have to wade through competing pairs of national age-group records. In the men's 40-49 group, for example, two sets of male runners hold national 4x4 and 4x8 relay records. Same thing in the W40 group.

Phil "The Legend" Raschker may be overexposed, but it's always fun to read about her, especially when she has to deal with issues everyone else does: injury adversity. At San Sebastian, she couldn't finish the W55 hep -- but still won silver. A Chicago Sun-Times writer talked to Phil about how she dealt with not winning a gazillion world medals, and also picked up insights into her training and comeback plans for W60. (She can barely jog now, she says.)

Too bad. Would have been nice to see how many kids ate Gail's dust in the 60 hurdles. But IAAF reports: "The women’s 60m Hurdles should be dominated by 2004 Olympic gold medallist Joanna Hayes, and will be opposed by Danielle Carruthers, Nichole Denby and Jenny Adams.... Gail Devers, who is making her comeback after maternity leave and who Hayes beat in Millrose, has withdrawn from the championships in the last two days." Gail, 39, has time to show her stuff later this season.

While sprinters in his age group were burning up a Boston indoor track thousands of miles away, new M45 dashman/hurdler Willie Gault was scorching the outdoor track today at Santa Ana College, south of Los Angeles. Official results aren't in yet, but meet director Andy Hecker says Willie ran a wind-legal 21.9 hand-timed 200 at the Southern California Masters Indoor Championships (held outdoors) at Santa Ana College. The final "automatic" time, based on a novel video-timing system, may be around 22.3 -- just off Kevin Morning's listed M45 world record of 22.13 set in 2002. It was Willie's third event of the day.

USATF Masters T&F Committee Chairman George Mathews has a meaty column in the latest edition of National Masters News. I couldn't read the whole column in my copy, since my 10-month-old golden retreiver got to it before I did. For lunch. But USATF's Web site came through, and I have copied it below. One dismaying report: The Masters T&F Hall of Fame, promised by New York's organizing committee for the 2007 indoors nationals, may not come to fruition.

Willie did it! Meet director Andy Hecker reports: Willie Gault beat the listed M45 world record in the 200 Sunday in Santa Ana. Willie's half-lap, with a legal 1.0 mps (2.24 mph) wind, was timed in 22.08. That pips the 22.13 by Kevin Morning four years ago. In earlier races the same day, Willie ran 60 meters in a wind-aided 6.98 and the 60 hurdles in 8.22 with a just-legal aiding wind of 1.9 meters per second (4.25 mph). (Indoors, the listed M45 world record for the 60 hurdles is 8.36 by American Colin Williams in 2002.) Andy promises to submit paperwork for the 200 to USATF records czar Sandy Pashkin.

Let the bad times roll. The Armory track in New York City has decided that, oops, it can't host the 2007 USATF Masters National Indoor Championships. On Monday, Norbert Sander Jr., president of The Armory Foundation, notified USATF Masters T&F Chair George Mathews of its decision to scratch. George's reaction? "I’m not happy about my kinfolks in New York," he wrote me. That's putting it mildly. Lots of folks will be disappointed and angry over the Armory's antics a year ahead of the meet.