Dr. Brant Tolsma, a coach and masters deca star, is a veteran of four double decathlons who twice set a world record in the M50 age group. Today he sent me a little invitation that he wants to share with other masters who love misery — or aren’t afraid of the stiffest test in sports. The world double-deca championships are this October in Virginia. Start training.

Brant writes:
Double Decathlon – Double the Fun
“The Ultimate Track and Field Experience”
Are you interested in a challenge so intimidating that it seems insurmountable? With the popularity of ultra-marathons, Ironmen, and extreme sports, it is obvious that many athletes are. After all, the degree of personal success is equal only to the size of the obstacle one has overcome. And while the challenge of a decathlon is significant, some desire more.
On September 26, 1981, nine Finnish athletes gathered in Helsinki to make track and field history. They held the ultimate contest: a two-day competition in which they planned to compete in ALL the track and field events. Mikael Forsman became the first known man to complete a “double decathlon,” since he won the final event, the 10,000m (42:37.5) but Kari Aro won the competition six minutes later, scoring 9557 points to Mikael’s 9010 in second place. Risto Karasmaa, the founder of the IAUM (International Association of Ultra Multi-events), placed third. Four of the competitors dropped out without finishing.
This challenging test of athletic ability, endurance, and physical and mental toughness gradually began to draw the attention of the extreme track and field enthusiast. Interest grew primarily in Europe, and Finland began to host an annual World Championship. This annual championship left Finland for the first time in 2000 when it was held in Hexham, England. The competition went relatively without notice in the United States until Olympian decathlete, Kip Janvrin, at age 37, established a new world record scoring 14185 at the 2002 world championship in Turku, Finland. That record still stands.
Another American, Shaun Meinecke, won the World Championship in Gateshead, England in 2004. Though the USA has had little involvement, her athletes have made a significant impact.
The double decathlon is structured like a decathlon with the ten “non-decathlon” events interspersed among the decathlon events. Day 1 opens with the 100m dash and long jump. The third event is the old 200m low hurdles, an event no longer contested in modern track and field meets.
Ten 30-inch hurdles are spaced 20 yards apart with the first hurdle 20 yards from the starting line. For a good hurdler, seven strides between the hurdles are quite natural. The fourth event is the shot put. The first distance event, the 5000m, comes next. Here the competitor faces a strategic choice regarding how much energy to expend, as too much effort will cost extra points in later events.
The usual half hour break between events is extended to an hour after the 5000m. Event 6 is the 800m run which presents another effort dilemma. The high jump follows, before the 400m and hammer throw. Day 1 concludes with the 3000m steeplechase – no easy task for weary legs. The 28 barriers and seven water jumps are the standard 36 inches high for all competitors, including the older master’s athlete. However, knowing this is the day’s final event is helpful.
Warming up for the 110m high hurdles, the first event of the second day, is a tough mental challenge. The mind says, “Let’s go,” while the body says, “I don’t think so.”
After winning that battle, the discus, 200m dash and pole vault follow smoothly. Event 15, the 3000m run, is followed by another one-hour recovery break before the 400m hurdles. The javelin precedes the 1500m and triple jump, which effectively remove anything that may be left in the legs other than fatigue. The competition concludes with the 10,000m run, an event that resembles the last 10,000m of a marathon.
The decathlon events are scored from the decathlon scoring tables that award set points for each performance. For example, a 100m time of 11.50 receives 753 points while 11.51 earns 750 points. The other 10 events are scored from similar scoring tables. More information on scoring and other details related to the double multi-events is available on line at www.dmultis.org .
Janvrin’s world record was achieved with the following marks respectively in those twenty events: 100m-11.42, Ljump-22’ 3 ¼”, 200h-25.31, shot-44’ 8 ½”, 5000m-18:23.97, 800m-2:02.46, Hjump-6’ 1 ½”, 400m-50.64, hammer-112’ 5”, 3000SC-11:22.96, 110H-15.23, discus-134’ 2”, 200m-22.56, Pvault-16’ 2”, 3000m-10:13.16, 400H-54.40, javelin-191’ 3”, 1500m-4:35.76, Tjump-43’ 3, 10000m–42:37.7. He actually scored 7524 in his decathlon events alone, a score that would rank him among the top 50 nationwide in the decathlon.
In 1990, women joined the ultra multi-events competition with the formation of the double heptathlon, a two-day event with seven events each day. The first day consists of the 100m hurdles, high jump, 1500m, 400m hurdles, shot put, 200m and 100m. The second day brings competition in the long jump, 400m, javelin, 800m, 200m hurdles, discus, and 3000m.
Until now, any American who wanted to compete in this extreme challenge would have had to travel to Finland, England, or even Austria – where the 2003 World Championship was held.
However, in 2005 the World Championship is coming to the United States for the first time. The meet will be contested on October 7 and 8 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The meet director is Liberty’s associate head track & field coach, Lance Bingham, a former All-American decathlete. At least half the field will likely come from around the world, with entrants expected from Australia, Japan, Russia and Europe.
However, organizers are looking for a large and quality representation from the host country. 48 men and 24 women will be accepted into the competition. There are links for registration at the website given above. This is not a challenge for everyone, but there are those special people who will accept it. Do you know one? Are you one?