masterstrack.com

Beware DMAA supplement, which has killed some U.S. troops

Ken Stone — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:26:13 +0000

Masters Mole 4337c(3) says: “I just found this on FoxNews. I believe it is the pre-workout supplement that a couple of our masters guys got snagged using. I have a nephew that works for USP Labs in California, he calls it lifters cocaine (because of the rush it gives the user…also known as “1,3”).” The story starts: “The deaths of two U.S. soldiers who collapsed during physical training in the last few months have prompted a military investigation of a popular body-building supplement that was found in their systems. The dietary supplement Dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, has been banned for sale … in military bases across the country pending the results of the probe.”

Sex sells, but DMAA can kill. This website markets the supplement.

The story continues:

DMAA is derived from geranium oil and is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive. The supplement acts as a stimulant, giving users that extra boost of energy during a workout or training. Many soldiers use it to meet the strong physical demands of their training and service.

“There’s an incredible amount of pressure to perform well, especially after a reduction of forces,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Rebecca “Becky” Halstead, who now runs a company that specializes in leadership training. “Our safety record is pretty good, but we need to do more with proper nutrition and opportunity for rest. Some might say that it could add to the military’s cost, but what is the cost of not doing it?”

In one incident last summer, a 22-year-old soldier collapsed and died during a training run at a Southwestern U.S. military base. In the other, a 32-year-old collapsed during a fitness test the following fall, and died after a month in the hospital. Autopsies on both revealed the presence of DMAA in their systems.

The Department of Defense has assembled a number of reports of other adverse effects among potential and known DMAA users, including kidney and liver failure, seizures, loss of consciousness, heat injury and muscle breakdown, and a rapid heartbeat, according to a spokesman.

While the FDA considers DMAA to be a safe food additive, its Canadian counterpart, Health Canada, has reclassified it as a drug that requires authorization to be sold legally.

A spokeswoman for the FDA declined to comment about DMAA directly but said, “With any complaint or concern we receive about FDA-regulated products, we will consider whether a violation of the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act has occurred and, if so, whether regulatory action is warranted.”

But many supplement companies in the U.S., anticipating that a ban is on its way, have voluntarily stopped including DMAA in their products.

“Our biggest issue is not one of safety, but of regulation. Our expectation is that DMAA will eventually be banned,” said James Klein, CEO of the supplement company Ergogenix, which stopped using DMAA in their ErgoPump and ErgoBurn products this past June. “We have found a better solution, so we tried to get ahead of the curve.”

He said Ergogenix has replaced DMAA with N-Methyltyramine, which he claims produces the same results with less potential for danger.

Klein added, however, that his company found DMAA to be perfectly safe in “sensible doses.”

While the Defense Department has placed a moratorium on sales of DMAA products on all bases pending the results of its investigation, products containing the supplement remain on sale at national retailers like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe.

“We feel that the outcome of the military’s safety review is that it [DMAA] is a safe product,” said Kerri Toloczko, a spokeswoman for USP Labs, the makers of JACK3D, the top-selling DMAA-based product. She said JACK3D is very popular among soldiers and is the No. 1 supplement sold at GNC stores on Army bases.

“USP stands firmly behind DMAA. It has an excellent safety record,” Toloczko said. “440 million servings of DMAA have been used by consumers since 2007 without any issue. If you have 440 million servings of anything, you would expect to see some issues, which we haven’t.”

M60 Carter Holmes and his W10 track friend share walks, hopes

Ken Stone — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:18:09 +0000

Four years ago, we shared the story of WMA-bound Carter Holmes, an M55 pentathlete who suffered a heart attack but was saved thanks to the quick action of triple jumpers Shani Marks and Amanda Thieschafer. A year and a half later, we gave an update on his progress. He ran a 100-meter dash in 2:07.82 and the 400 in 9:10.24. Yesterday came another status report, courtesy of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and reporters Gail Rosenblum and Jim Gehrz. It’s a touching story of intergenerational friendship. Carter, now 62, has a walking buddy in Charlotte DeVaughn, 11. After their stroll, “Carter stands at his door while Charlotte does a twirl around his clothesline post,” the story says. “It’s their way of saying goodbye.”

Carter and Charlotte take 45-minute walks. She does track, too.

Here’s the story, in case the link goes buh-bye:

GAIL ROSENBLUM and JIM GEHRZ
Star Tribune
February 1, 2012 – 10:41 AM

Carter Holmes loved to run. He ran track in high school and was on the University of Minnesota’s Big 10 cross-country championship team in 1969.

For 35 years, Carter ran across courts as a high school and college-level sports official.

Four years ago, while training for the World Masters Track & Field Championships, he had a massive heart attack, then a stroke.

He walks now, slowly and deliberately, largely thanks to a very special neighbor.

“I could set my watch by when she’d be over,” says Carter, 62, of 11-year-old Charlotte DeVaughn, who lives a block away in south Minneapolis.

For three years, Charlotte and Carter have walked around the block together after school. Their stroll takes up to 45 minutes, but they never feel rushed.

“At first when we would go around, it wouldn’t be quite fast,” says Charlotte, who gets a few dollars a week from Carter or his brother Tom.

“Then it got quicker and quicker.” Charlotte’s mom, Michelle, has a theory about why that’s true. “They’re both good talkers.”

After they walk, Carter stands at his door while Charlotte does a twirl around his clothesline post. It’s their way of saying goodbye.

In cold weather, they walk indoors or find other ways to be buddies. Carter attends Charlotte’s basketball games, where she plays on a team coached by her dad, Mike. “She does a bounce pass real good,” Carter says.

“She spots the open players. Most people that age don’t do that.”

He’s watched her compete in track, too (Charlotte placed second in long jump at the 2011 Minnesota State Junior Olympic meet), and enjoyed her school musical.

“She would dance, but she didn’t do the watusi,” Carter says. Charlotte, a sixth-grader at Anthony Middle School, doesn’t know what that means, but it makes her laugh.

They also attend the games of her brother Nathan, 18, a senior at Southwest High, and her sister Audrey, 16, an 11th-grader at Washburn High.

Carter uses Metro Mobility to get around. On Tuesdays, his brother visits him.

But without Charlotte, Carter says, he would have been far less eager to get back on his feet. “I might have fallen.”

Last year, when Charlotte was to be named Student of the Month at Kenny School, Carter secretly secured an additional community service award for her. “She had done a good job …” Carter says. “She did it. No questions asked.”

Neni Lewis crushes W50 weight-throw records while battling injuries

Ken Stone — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:07:10 +0000

My apologies to throwers everywhere! I neglected to highlight a WR by Neni Lewis at Eastern Regionals on Sunday. Neni graciously writes: “I did up the (W50) world record in the weight throw to 17.29 meters (56-8 3/4) at the East Regional Championships January 29 in Providence. The paperwork was filled out for it and will be submitted. Unfortunately, I just realized yesterday that I upped the American record in the Super Weight several times, but for some reason I thought it was 12.49 when in fact it was 11.72 (38-5 1/2). My best throw for the day was 12.17 (39-11 1/4). Hopefully I’ll do it again. I just missed the American record in the shot put with a throw of 12.65 (41-6) and the record is 12.66.”

Neni lets her fly at 2009 Oshkosh masters nationals, despite series of injuries.

Neni continues:

I was pleased overall since I am recovering from a fall off a ladder in which I injured my back and the hip that I had surgery on. I was afraid that I would have to undergo more surgery on the hip after the fall but it is just a matter of being patient & taking my time to heal.

Also I am dealing with a problem with spinal stenosis where the twisting movement at the end of the hammer and weight throw creates a numbing, electric and tingling sensation throughout my whole body. The paralyzing sensation makes it difficult to walk and move after a throw with the weight and hammer. My surgeon suggested that I should consider giving up the throwing events but for now I will throw for as long as I can and try to figure out a different technique that will have less impact.

Neni is amazing, and her Masters Hall of Fame career is a long series of comebacks from major injury and illness.

Please join me in wishing her success in pulling off another miracle. She’s one of our greats.

Former ESPN sportscaster nails the mystery of masters track

Ken Stone — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:52:26 +0000

Rich Wallace in Rhode Island

Sandra Neil Wallace, a former ESPN sportscaster who now writes children’s and other books, composed a great essay on masters track after her M55 sprinter husband, Rich (also an author), competed in Sunday’s USATF Eastern Regional Masters Championships. See it here. Sandra says it as well as anyone: “I know if you asked masters competitors, they’d say they do this because it’s fun. But what I think they really mean is, they do this because it’s a part of who they are, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t feel quite the same. From all my years as an observer sitting in the bleachers looking out at the cluster of events and the competitors they attract, it’s become evident to me that it’s more about tapping into that feeling and challenging yourself to dig it up, than kicking butt.” Thanks for getting it right, Sandra! And thanks for supporting Rich (who ran 28.06 for 200 Sunday; 82.71 percent on the Age-Graded Tables)!

Here’s the essay, in case the blog vanishes someday.

My husband Rich doesn’t just write about sports, he’s still a competitor. I know that’s a good chunk of the reason why so many sports readers relate to the characters in his novels. He’s been competing in track since middle school,through to state and national meets in university, and he hasn’t stopped. (Now he competes in masters track.) So it was no surprise when I’d asked him what he wanted to do on his 55th birthday yesterday, and he’d said “to compete.” But what was surprising for Rich, as it always seems to be, is why I’d be interested in coming along.

I’ve learned over the years from him that running is more than just going fast: it’s about the process, the daily commitment and struggle, until finally, you triumph.(Which no longer means winning, I’m told, but accomplishing your personal best by surpassing your previous personal bests, and if that means winning the race, then okay.)

Masters racers compete against themselves, against the misconceptions about what they can accomplish–those thoughts of self doubt that needle the brain–often brought on by society, or even youth. I’ve seen them watch in horror sometimes, waiting for their high school meets to start up later in the day, mumbling, “How can anyone go that slow?” instead of being filled with admiration or amazement at what an 80-year-old athlete is trying to accomplish. And no, that old man isn’t having a heart attack, he’s 70 years older than you.

It’s true that the clock is against masters track athletes from the start.

Maybe that’s why the personal victories are so sweet. And, don’t get me wrong, there are masters track and field record holders close to 70 who race faster than peers 20 years younger and keep shattering the world records.

They defy what old men are thought to look like by being ripped and fast and younger-looking than many middle-aged men. But the majority of masters track athletes are not former Olympians,nor have they ever competed for their country in national events when they were young.A good chunk of them have torsos that resemble a turtle’s more than an athlete’s, but just as many train hard–like Rich–who gets up at 6 every morning to run.

There are also nights when Rich will say to me that he’s going for a run, and I know it’s also to work out a story-line, a character, or a conflict he’s seeking an answer for. I suspect that other masters runners do the same, knowing those logged miles can be like an old friend or a new one(some masters athletes have taken up their sport at 60 or so), and something they can depend on, or hope to, for as long as possible.

So, after knowing all this, why wouldn’t I want to see Rich race?

I know if you asked masters competitors, they’d say they do this because it’s fun. But what I think they really mean is, they do this because it’s a part of who they are, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t feel quite the same. From all my years as an observer sitting in the bleachers looking out at the cluster of events and the competitors they attract, it’s become evident to me that it’s more about tapping into that feeling and challenging yourself to dig it up, than kicking butt.

Sometimes they do this in dusty track shoes instead of spikes, wearing their favorite t-shirt, circa 1965. And those heavily-crested track jackets from the 50′s are surely a badge of honor and now, courage. Then there’s the runners who’ve finished their heat but linger by the finish line to cheer the others on, signaling a mutual understanding of why they’re all still doing this in the first place.

And when Rich raced across the finish line of his 200 meter heat in victory,(he’s now the USA Masters Track & Field East Region Champion), it must have resurrected that old feeling from his university days. And yet, when he came up to the stands to give me a hug, he whispered, “This is why I do this. To feel what it’s like to run fast. And to feel like I could keep going.”

American Records to Michelsohn, Peterson at East Regionals

Ken Stone — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:59:21 +0000

Pat Peterson cannot be stopped — by cancer, injury or Mother Time. At Sunday’s USATF Eastern Regionals Masters Championships, she set W85 American records in the 60 and 200, clocking 14.32 and 54.70. See results here. The 60 mark doesn’t beat any Yank’s listed record, becuz there ain’t any. See W85 records here. At the same meet — held at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island — Marie-Louise Michelsohn utterly destroyed the W70 American record in the 3,000, smashing the 14-minute barrier with her 13:15.88, beating the listed AR of 14:07.09 by the legendary Toshiko d’Elia in 2001. (The listed world age-group record is 12:58.41 by Russia’s Rimma Vasina.)

Pat rarely runs without a smile on her face, as in this 2006 outdoor shot.

Record-setting results from Providence:

Event 11 W30-79 3000 Meter Run
=============================================
Name Age Team Finals Points
=============================================
1 871 Lacher-Katz, Molly W32 Ronald McDon 11:18.79 10
2 814 Burley, Kathleen W51 Greater Lowe 12:18.41 10
3 880 Lundin, Katherine W53 Hartford Tra 12:34.02 8
4 848 Golemme, Leslie W46 Liberty Athl 12:36.72 10
5 893 Michelsohn, Marie- W70 Central Park 13:15.88 10
6 875 Lein, Karen W53 Liberty Athl 15:02.90 6
7 852 Harada, Mary W76 Liberty Athl 17:06.68 10

Event 1 W30-84 60 Meter Dash
===============================================
Name Age Team Finals Points
===============================================
Section 1
1 803 Battle, Tracey W44 Potomac Vall 8.68 10
2 888 McCarthy, Sue W48 Mass Velocit 9.47 10
3 916 Richburg, Ginny W52 Mass Velocit 9.76 10
4 804 Becker, Tanya W54 Ronald McDon 10.12 8
5 953 Williams, Kimberly W57 Mass Velocit 10.37 10
6 461 Simpson, Jane W70 Golden West Athl 13.09 10
7 908 Peterson, Patricia W85 unattached 14.32 10

Event 3 W30-89 200 Meter Dash
=============================================
Name Age Team Finals Points
=============================================
Section 1
1 888 McCarthy, Sue W48 Mass Velocit 29.41 10
2 823 Clark, Beth W45 Mass Velocit 30.78 8
3 908 Peterson, Patricia W85 unattached 54.70 10

Carl Wallin pips M70 superweight record at Harvard indoor meet

Ken Stone — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:58:58 +0000

Carl Wallin

Carl Wallin, longtime Dartmouth coaching legend who retired a couple years ago, hasn’t quit the sport. He now competes for Thor’s Stone (no relation). About a week ago, he chucked the 35-pound weight 10.62 meters (34-10 1/4) at the Greater Boston Track Club meet. His January 22 mark, at age 70, nipped Bob Ward’s listed American age-group record of 10.61, set in 2006. The meet was held at Harvard, so I suspect they measured correctly. WMA doesn’t contest the event, so there is no world record. But Carl could very well be the best heaver of this hunk of iron. Nice throw, Carl. Those who teach, also do it well!

Carl pauses before starting a throw at Harvard meet.

Jeff Laynes scorches 55 meters at Run for the Dream meet

Ken Stone — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:57:23 +0000

Jeff Laynes

M40 Jeff Laynes, running in the open division, clocked 6.38 for the 55-meter dash at the Run for the Dream indoor meet in Fresno last week. Masters events were held (see results below), but Laynes was easily the top age-grouper at the Save Mart Center. USATF and WMA don’t contest the 55 (close to 60 yards), so no records are held. But the mark is remarkable. The listed M40 WR for 60 meters is 6.78 seconds by Troy Douglas of Holland. A quick calculation shows 6.78 over 60 meters is equivalent to 6.21 over 55 meters. Conversely, a 55 at 6.38 is equivalent to a 6.96 at 60. Either way, he’s near record pace — at age 41. When will you run masters, Jeff?

Results from Run for the Dream are here.

Event 53 Men 55 Meter Dash Open
=============================================
Meet: * 6.17 2009 Josh Norman, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Section 1
1 Josh Norman Unattached 6.24
2 Jeff Laynes Unattached x6.38
3 Julian Keys Unattached x6.89
4 Chris Moore Unattached x7.03
Section 2
1 Cameron Parker Unattached 6.36
2 Jalen Saunders Unattached x6.47
3 Johnny Carter U Knight TC 6.65
4 Chinaza Oti UC Santa Cruz 6.92
5 Alejandro Limon Mexico 6.96
Section 3
1 Antwaine Miller Unattached x6.74
2 Malcolm Anderson Unattached x6.77
3 Renato Monroy Mexico x7.28
4 Jean Sabile UC Santa Cruz 7.29
Section 4
1 Brent Gray Unattached x6.51
2 Gerardo Cardenas Mexico 6.56
3 Rodrigo Lopez Mexico x7.02
4 Kanta Ito UC Santa Cruz x7.86
=============================================
Meet: * 6.17 2009 Josh Norman, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Finals
1 Josh Norman Unattached 6.24
2 Cameron Parker Unattached 6.36
3 Jeff Laynes Unattached x6.38
4 Jalen Saunders Unattached x6.47
5 Brent Gray Unattached x6.51
6 Gerardo Cardenas Mexico 6.56
7 Johnny Carter U Knight TC 6.65
8 Antwaine Miller Unattached x6.74
9 Malcolm Anderson Unattached x6.77
10 Julian Keys Unattached x6.89
11 Chinaza Oti UC Santa Cruz 6.92
12 Alejandro Limon Mexico 6.96
13 Rodrigo Lopez Mexico x7.02
14 Chris Moore Unattached x7.03
15 Renato Monroy Mexico x7.28
16 Jean Sabile UC Santa Cruz 7.29
17 Kanta Ito UC Santa Cruz x7.86

Event 64 Men 55 Meter Hurdles Masters
=============================================
Meet: * 8.05 2011 Richard Holmes, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Finals
1 Ron Bolling Unattached 8.96
2 Robert Hahn Texas TC 10.57

Event 65 Men 55 Meter Dash Masters
=============================================
Meet: * 7.20 2011 Eric Lietz, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Section 1
1 Michael Roberts Unattached 7.35
2 Steve Metz Unattached x7.44
3 Donn Imrie Unattached x8.12
4 Robert Hahn Texas TC 8.28
Section 2
1 Johnny Speed Unattached 7.01*
2 Scott Salerno Unattached x7.35
3 Makiini Enakaya Unattached x7.47
4 Ted Jeung Unattached x8.07
5 Dennis Duffy Unattached x11.83
=============================================
Meet: * 7.20 2011 Eric Lietz, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Finals
1 Johnny Speed Unattached 7.01*
2 Michael Roberts Unattached 7.35
3 Scott Salerno Unattached x7.35
4 Steve Metz Unattached x7.44
5 Makiini Enakaya Unattached x7.47
6 Ted Jeung Unattached x8.07
7 Donn Imrie Unattached x8.12
8 Robert Hahn Texas TC 8.28
9 Dennis Duffy Unattached x11.83

Event 66 Men 600 Yard Run Masters
=============================================
Meet: * 1:28.09 2011 Jeff Lawrence, Golden West
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Finals
1 Johnny Speed Unattached 1:30.41
2 Mel Brooks Unattached 2:02.06

Event 68 Men Shot Put Masters
=============================================
Meet: * 12.49m 2011 Bill Harvey, Unattached
Name Year School Finals
=============================================
Finals
1 Dan Lloyd Unattached 12.93m* 42-05.25
12.41m 12.70m FOUL FOUL FOUL 12.93m
2 Ron McKee Unattached 12.36m 40-06.75
12.36m FOUL FOUL FOUL FOUL FOUL
3 Gary Kelmenson UC Santa Cruz 9.49m 31-01.75
8.84m 8.92m 9.06m 9.02m 9.49m 9.06m
4 Dennis Duffy Unattached x7.94m 26-00.75
7.05m 7.82m 7.94m 7.41m 7.40m 6.96m

David Pain made sport go viral, like video by Rita Hanscom’s son

Ken Stone — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:44:08 +0000

Profiles of masters track founder David Pain and W75 star Jeanne Daprano are featured in running magazines this winter. In the December issue of Running Times, 5K superstar Pete Magill quotes David as saying: “When I started masters, I got a phone call from a guy who’s a captain in the Navy, and he said, ‘I’m going to introduce swimming to masters.’ And he did! Age-group competition changed athletics. And now there isn’t a sport that doesn’t have masters competition—in bowling, weightlifting, and God knows what!” See column here. And hubby Bill Daprano sends a note from Georgia: “Jeanne has a cameo in the March issue of Runner’s World. (page 20) about her winning her age group in the Fifth Avenue Mile.” That one isn’t online yet, but look for the magazine. Finally, as I catch my breath from a busy week at work, here’s a video shared by proud mom Rita Hanscom, who says her son Scott is “living in L.A., trying to make a career in Hollywood as a comedy writer, [and] has made a couple of short videos. This latest one has gone viral. Over 700,000 views in 5 days.”

My apologies for making fun of Finnish green skies! They’re for real!

Ken Stone — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:06:12 +0000

My snarky remarks on the 2012 Jyväskylä worlds website haven’t gone unnoticed in Finland. Professor Jouko Ylä-Liedenpohja writes: “Your web-page recently wondered whether the logo of the indoor Worlds describes the sunset or the Northern Lights. Aurora Borealis was excellent last night in Lapland.” Jouko also sends a link to a gorgeous sky video of green magic. See this video.

Click on image to see a video of the sun-fueled Aurora Borealis in Finland.

Houston Elite pioneer John Hartfield dies at 67; jumps record-holder

Ken Stone — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:47:13 +0000

Bill Collins writes: “It it with a sad heart that I have to inform you of the death of John Hartfield, one of the original members of Houston Elite, and a former world recorded holder in the high jump as a master. He had been battling cancer for the past few years. John’s service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2012, 10:00 a.m. at Brentwood Baptist Church Lifelong Learning Center, 13033 LandMark St. Houston, Texas 77045.” John was 67, and he was a long jump record-setter, too. In 1992, the Houston Chronicle reported: “John Hartfield … a 1967 graduate of Texas Southern University, was a high-jump champion in college and set a Southwestern Athletic Conference record of 7-1 in 1966. That mark stood until Carlos Garcia of Prairie View broke it in 1986 with a leap of 7-2 1/2.” He was a member of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. John’s last appearance in the masters rankings was in 2005, in the shot put, according to the site. In 1992, he teamed with Russell Austin, Robert Mitchell and Bill Collins for an over-35 world record in the 4×200 relay, clocking 1:29.85. Our condolences to his friend and family.

Photo courtesy of Annelies Steekelenburg (the blond beauty) next to high school Olympian Reynaldo Brown (center), shows John at left and also Nick Newton (with blocks) and 1968 Olympic silver medalist Ed Caruthers (right).

John also is the listed world indoor record holder in the M50 pentathlon.