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Sun Sep 07, 2008 8:56 pm

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Master Masters Athlete
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Location: oregon

So I'm new to this as I've stated several times. I hear the sport is "dying" and although most meets I attended weren't bursting at the seams with participants, I'm curious where the sport is really at for those of you who have been around it for awhile.

Is it in fact "dying"?

Does it ebb and flow and were just at a slow time (or are we really not at a slow time)?

How much can and should be attributed to USATF not seeing Masters Track and Field as a priority?

Where are we headed from here? Will it dry up for us youngsters right along with Social Security or will we figure out a way to make Masters Track & Field thrive?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.



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Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:09 am

 
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Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 8:24 am
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Location: Utrecht (Netherlands)

Maybe it is a US-issue, but in my country it is not dying at al. The contrary!

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Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:53 am

 
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Journeyman Masters Athlete
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:20 am
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Location: rochester, n.y. area

How much can and should be attributed to USATF not seeing Masters Track and Field as a priority?

That's the $64,000 question because it's one we, at least theoretically, have control over.



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Tue Sep 09, 2008 10:11 am

 
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:29 pm
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Location: SoCal

I can't speak for the US as a whole....but......the California Firefighter Olympics used to have a Track and Field meet to rival any I've ever seen. It deteriorated to the point of being taken off the event list...nobody wanted to run anymore...or at least very few did.
I find this incredibly sad.

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"God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast and I feel His pleasure when I run"
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Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:46 pm

 
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Journeyman Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:29 am
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This is an excellent point. I think the thought has to be to convince older runners to give it a try, We all see how many masters road racers they are, yet so few "cross over" to do track. See the following example

In the 2007 NYC marathon, there were over 20,000 (which is over 50%) masters runners (over 40 years of age) who finished the race. Over these, how many would have done at least one track meet in the course of the same year, 1 or 2% ?? If that many??

Look at the USA masters rankings (take the M 400 m ) overall this year. how mnay total masters finishers were there? maybe 500 for all races, and ONE marathon (albiet NYC one the biggest) had over 14,000 male masters finishers, ( Not to mention the thousands of road races that masters compete in)

Would I expect those to train in the marathon to be masters nationally ranked in the 100m, of course not, but why not a 3K on the track?

That is one stat, I find bafflng, where as road running can draw hundreds of masters at a large local race, yet a track meet will stuggle to draw 50 masters in all events in a similiar location

Perhaps some of the running clubs should promote their members to run track. I know that there is a "Grand Prix" road racing series, what would be the harm in adding a track meet to that ?

Another interesting point would be that serious road racers would go on the track and do 800 repeats, why not race one once in a while?

I know that sprint training and 5-10k road racing training are different, but I would have to believe that if track was promoted properly, you would get some sort of cross over, and getting more people to show up would be a start.

I think these suggestions could boost numbers, perhaps more in the distance events, but still the more participants, the more it can grow.

Further thoughts?



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Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:39 am

 

The good example we set will attract newcomers to the masters athletics movement.



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Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:46 am

 
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Journeyman Masters Athlete
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:55 pm
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Location: North Attleboro, MA

Sadly Masters T&F does lack in appeal in all age groups. Track and field at the high school level remains strong, but few continue on into college or open track. Fewer yet pick it up again after the age of 30.

Track & field requires a certain amount of dedication to training which most people don't want to do. As stated in previous posts, there are many road racers, but few ever make it over to the track to race.

If I look in my area, we generally get about 250 participants to our regional T&F meet. At the same time, there are over 3000 males participating in age group (30+) soccer, 20+ weeks of the year.

Unfortunately we are a niche sport, only for the hale and hardy.



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Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:39 am

 
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Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:06 pm
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Location: San Diego

Ken Effler wrote:
As stated in previous posts, there are many road racers, but few ever make it over to the track to race.


Reason for this: You can hide among the masses of wildebeest on the roads, but the track leaves you naked and vulnerable.

The irony is that masters track has one of the most SUPPORTIVE environments you'll ever find! Last Sunday, I ran a 71.4 for the 400 in my last meet of the year, and folks cheered me on (while giving a stream of technique tips). I pushed W45 champion Jai Black to a 59.91 in the same race.

Besides the fear of being ridiculed, roadies also realize that track and field is a MUCH tougher sport. In road racing, you can pace yourself. Track takes a lot more speed, strength, agility, flexibility and skill. It's just a more strenuous sport.

Having said all that, there's still no excuse that masters track gets a pittance from the Mother Ship for marketing and meet development.

In the end, those who compete on the masters circuit realize something else: We're special. :P

The few. The proud. The masters tracksters! 8)

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Ken Stone
http://www.masterstrack.com



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Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:20 pm

 
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Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:12 pm
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Location: Scottsdale

Could not agree more! Walking into the discus ring with all eyes on you- a 46 yr old (insert your own occupation here) who hasn't competed this way for years, is much more daunting than any road race where you are one among hundreds. The first time I entered the ring as a Masters thrower was more nerve wracking for me than anything I do in my own day job! Training and injuries, success and disappointments make it hard to do sometimes but the thrill of competition and the joy of sport make it all worthwhile.

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Sun Sep 28, 2008 12:32 pm

 
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Journeyman Masters Athlete
Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:15 am
Posts: 30
Location: Harvard University

I think it's something like this - people decide they're going to "get healthy" and start to jog. It's easy to do, and doesn't require a track. They see other people out there, running, and are attracted to road races that feature various charitable causes (MS, breast cancer, etc etc) and they feel good because they can basically jog the 5k and get a tee shirt.

Some of the higher end road runners see the marathon as a kind of Mount Everest of what they're doing, and largely do it for bragging rights, even if they more or less jog the whole distance.

I do know exceptions to this - I know one guy who was a serious steeple chaser, and 3k guy who would run marathons, as did his wife - but he really knew track, and happened to be a distance guy. And, I'll run a road 5k in the off season, to push my aerobic distance conditioning.

Running track, as someone said, requires more dedication and thought - and it's more time consuming to find a track and grab a stopwatch, warm up properly etc etc. It's a very different mindset.

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