M70 Paul Perry, W45 Kara Haas claim ARs in middle distances
Masters records chair Jeff Brower has approved (for USATF annual meeting review) a W45 American record in the 1500 by Kara Haas and is reviewing a W70 indoor AR in the 800 by Paul Perry. I heard of Paul’s great 2:32.37 mark from Barry Lee, but Kara’s indoor 1500 of 4:49.71 made my radar via Jeff’s Google doc. Paul beat the listed AR of 2:33.36 by the great Sid Howard in 2009. (The WR is 2:20.45 by Canada’s Earl Fee.) The listed W45 indoor AR is 4:50.03 by Lesley Chaplin in 2006. Barry wrote about Paul’s run Feb. 4 at the Armory in New York City and added: “On March 4, also at the Armory, he is going to go for Scotty Carter’s American record in the mile, 5:32.4, set 29 years ago, which to my understanding is also the world indoor record, and superior to the American outdoor record of 5:37.8, set by Charles Rose in 2003. In the process, Paul will also be going after the 1500 American indoor record of 5:27.4, set by Austin Newman in 1986, which is decidedly inferior to the mile record.” Here’s Paul taking bronze in the Lyon 1500 behind an Aussie and Briton:
Barry also wrote:
The underlying goal is for Paul to become the first man in history over the age of 70 to run a mile under 5:30. This is the last realistic “barrier” in my opinion, for men in his age group, at least for the next 3 lifetimes.
If you think about it, sub-4 for 40 year olds, 4:30 for 50-year-olds, 5:00 for 60-year-olds, and 5:30 for 70-year-olds. The current world indoor records for the mile follow that guideline through the 60s; so hopefully Paul can extend it though the 70s. Based on his recent 800, his workouts and background in the mile, I think he has a good shot.
I’m not familiar with Paul or Kara, but I hope to learn more soon. Please share what you know, as well as contact information. Can’t wait to see how their seasons progress!
6 Responses
Actually, that pic is of my teammate, Tom Jennings.
M70 1 Mile Run
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Name Age Team Finals Points
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1 Jennings, Thomas M71 Greater Phil 6:29.29 8
2 Bautista Sr, Ernie M72 So Cal Track Club 7:28.93 6
3 Smith, James Frank M73 Piedmont Pac 8:00.62 4
Ken, I must be getting old, as I’ve announced Paul Perry many times in our meets and he always does beautifully. He’s a member of the Georgetown Univ. track hall of fame, and he doesn’t look anything like Tom Jennings (shown in the photo).
I’ve heard what happens to old people like me; you think something happened a year or two ago and it was actually 10 years in the past. Anyway, Paul has contributed a great deal to our meets and has excellent form on the track.
Original photo removed, thanks to sharp eyes. Bad results from original video posting misled me.
Runnerspace.com reported:
1 Mile Run 70-79 – Start List
1 Paul Perry Unattached 5:51.00
2 Thomas Jennings Greater Philadelphia TC 6:21.90
3 Bill Spencer New England 65 Plus Runners Cl 7:10.00
4 Ernie Bautista Sr So Cal Track Club 7:15.00
5 Joe Cordero Bohemia Track Club 7:17.00
But Paul scratched, and Tom was the actual winner.
Thanks so much Ken for including my 1500 record! It was exciting for me to see that in print 😉 Many thanks again!
5:19 is age 70WR.
Barrier-wise I think it is 3:55 Age 40, and then apply the 30 seconds per decade- pretty close.
Current:
3:54.91
4:25.04
4:51.85
5:19.75
I’d say sub 6:00 for Men 80 is the next big barrier!
Paul is a fantastic competitor and great sport. I hope to share the track with him some time this year.
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