Nearly 10 years after launch, our online museum has moved to a WordPress platform. Underwritten by the USATF Masters T&F Committee, mastershistory.org boasts results, publications, photos and other material from our half-century-old sport. The new design is appreciably the same as the old one, but its ease of management is exponentially better. That means more additions faster. Pages can be updated via smartphone, for example. I’ve been the primary webmaster since the Masters Historical Archive Committee (chaired by hurdlemeister Jeff Davison and including fellow Californian Andy Hecker) started work in early 2008. Now I have the tools to quickly fix bad links and add content. The new, improved site now includes the Twitter feed of @USAMastersTrack. We’ll announce other big additions soon. Thanks for revisiting this incredible resource. (And a big shout-out to Scott Stewart, who installed a custom WordPress “theme” for us.)
The old logo now appears over new WordPress design, tweaked by Scott.
September 15, 2017
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Milers start race at Tuesday’s race in San Rafael.
The latest all-comers meet at Terra Linda High School in the Northern California town of San Rafael Track was special. On Tuesday, it was the scene of a great M50 mile. The listed WR is the fabled 4:25.04 by
Nolan Shaheed in 2001.
Franklin “Frank” Ruona picks up the story: “A few days prior to
Tamalpa’s September Track Meet, I received an email from
Carl Rose, coach of the Strawberry Canyon TC, asking if the track meet was going to take place on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, as he had a 51-year-old male runner who wanted to try to run a 4:30 mile in the meet. I told Carl that, yes, … and the mile would be the first race of the meet at 6:30 p.m. When Carl told me that
Tom LeGan was going to try to run a 4:30 mile, I told him ‘Great,’ but I frankly had my doubts that any local 51-year-old male was going run a 4:30 mile. I was WRONG! Carl brought two fast young Strawberry Canyon TC open runners to pace Tom and, to my surprise, Tom was on pace to break 4:30 when he hit the three-quarter-mile mark in 3:20.46.”
Tom (in third) got pacing help in his 4:30 mile shot from a couple of youngsters.
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September 14, 2017
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The Rev. Thomas “Tom” Thorne
Masters decathletes and others are mourning the passing of the
Rev. Thomas “Tom” Thorne, 74, who died Sept. 9 in Joplin, Missouri, the city of his birth. According to mastersrankings.com, he last
competed in 2011. Obituaries say he died at Freeman West Hospital following a short illness. “He spent his life serving others through the church, public education, sports and community service,”
said one obit. “He has taught in Chanute, Lawrence and Eureka, Kansas, before returning to Neosho in 1981. He then taught in the East Newton School system, owned and operated the Coaches Locker Sporting Goods Store in Neosho; worked for the Newton County Juvenile Department and coached in area schools, including Carthage and most recently, Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School. He was ordained as pastor of the First Congregational Church in 1985, where he currently served. He was a recipient of the Neosho Exchange Club Golden Deeds award and he was an accomplished Master decathalete, competing both nationally and internationally.”
Memorial services are 10 a.m. Saturday at the Calvary Baptist Church in Neosho.
Tom (left) was M50 silver medalist at the 1995 masters national decathlon meet behind Al Phillips (center) and ahead of Joe Johnson (right).
September 13, 2017
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Laura Breuss, shown at earlier race, motored through more than 62 laps of McKenzie track.
folks report some nifty marks at rarely run track distances. We learn: “Nine age-group American records were set at the USATF Oregon Track
3,000m and 25,000m championships. This event was held in smokey conditions Sunday morning at the McKenzie Community Track and Field facility in Blue River. The Oregon Track Club Masters was a major sponsor of the event.
Laura Bruess of Boulder, Colorado, circled the track 62.5 times to set the women’s age 55-59 American record in the 25,000m race with a time of 1:54:05.7. She set four other American records along the way, breaking the 1 hour, 15,000m, 10 mile and 20,000m records. Laura also holds the 10,000m record which she set last year.
Craig Godwin of Eugene set three American records in the men’s 50-54 age group. Returning to form after a major heart attack in 2011, he broke the 15,000m, 20,000m and 25,000m records. His 25,000m record of 1:30:28.9 was more than 8 minutes faster than the previous mark.
Bill Aronson of Portland broke the men’s age 45-49 American record in the 25,000m with a time of 1:35:28.7. Eugene runners
Mike Blackmore (M55 3,000m),
Jason Roberts (M30 3,000) and
Kevin Cave (M35 25,000m) all won Oregon championships.”
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September 12, 2017
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Two weekends ago, three Americans took part in the
British Masters Athletics Federation decathlon championships where their scores were put up against three Brits. The result was amazing, according to M60
Noel Ruebel, meet director of 2014 Winston-Salem nationals. On Facebook, Noel wrote: “Returned from Northern England this past Monday where I competed in the biannual USA vs. GB Masters Decathlon in Sheffield. Placed second behind
Brian Slaughter with my second-highest ever total of 6929 points. Brian threw down a 62-second 400 and a 5:36 for 1500 that I couldn’t overcome! Though short on numbers, Team USA, consisting of
Harry McDonald, Lee Faulkner and myself, gave the Brits all they could handle. Final score was GB 13,729 points to USA 13,728! Yes, it was THAT close!” When I wrote Noel for conformation of that 1-point margin, he replied: “Lee Faulkner was awesome as our anchor man, knowing he had to beat his guy by around 8-9 seconds to erase the 44-point deficit. He passed his rival with 300 to go and gapped him by what looked like enough, but alas, it came up hundredths of a second short!” The
results are here, but leave out Harry’s marks. Not sure why.
September 11, 2017
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India’s Man Kaur isn’t the only 101-year-old lady sprinter (see Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins). But Man got the attention of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Her star turn at the Auckland World Masters Games made her a finalist for the Laureus World Best Sporting Moment of the Year. An Indian paper got her reaction: “I feel thrilled. I am feeling the same way as any youngster would. Now, I need support of my countrymen and sports enthusiasts around the world. Vote for me.” An online poll will pick the winner from six contenders. The story also quoted Man’s 79-year-old son Gurdev Singh: “We appeal to people to vote for her by clicking on mylaureus.com and follow necessary instructions for voting. We need full support of our countrymen as their votes are crucial.” What the heck. Let’s show support for our fellow geezer.
Here’s the competition for Man Kaur, in lane 3 of Laureus award lineup.
September 9, 2017
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Hurricane Irma will leave tracks waterlogged throughout Florida, if forecasts are accurate. But that’s the least of our concerns as the monster storm bears down on the Sunshine State. Masters nationals were held in Jacksonville two years ago, and many of our stars reside in the state. I hope everyone has moved to safety and the damage is light to your homes and businesses. Please post a note on how you’re faring, Florida masters. Let us know if you need any specific help.
A single association of USA Track & Field covers the whole state of Florida.
September 8, 2017
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Jim Weed was meet director in Pueblo.
of the Colorado Masters Track & Field Club again graciously
shares results here of Sunday’s Rocky Mountain Masters Games in Pueblo, Colorado, which also served as the USATF Mid-America Region Masters Championships and Colorado Association Masters & Open Championships. Sue writes:
“Jim Weed, our meet director, really scrambled to overcome the challenges of putting the meet on this 37th year. We had a last-minute change of venue since CSU in Fort Collins is revamping their track. Pueblo has a nice, vintage track built in the ’50s. It had all the amenities we needed, and the people from Pueblo’s track crowd helped us make it happen. The meet was condensed to one day this year. It was a hot 97 degrees, so this shortened version was ideal.” She reports that W75
Joanne Marriott improved her own American record in the weight throw with her 11.80 (38-8 3/4). Her listed AR is 11.47 (37-7) at 2016 Lisle nationals. Joanne also won the shot, discus, javelin and hammer.
September 7, 2017
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Estonian masters athletes at Baltic meet.
In April, I
mocked Bridget Cushen for getting huffy about Russians being allowed to compete in the Auckland World Masters Games. Now another Brit (or former Brit, since he got banned for sketchy reasons)
Anthony Treacher is noting the presence of a baker’s dozen Russian age-groupers at an
Estonian masters meet in mid-August. Anthony writes on Facebook: “Some 13 Russian nationals entered and competed at the Open Baltic Masters Championships, Pärnu, Estonia, 12-13 August 2017. This was deliberate and massive defiance of IAAF and its ban on Russian masters nationals.The Pärnu meeting was held under the auspices of EMA and WMA who otherwise have undertaken to apply the IAAF ban on Russian masters athletes. I personally oppose the unfair ban.”
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September 6, 2017
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M100 Don Pellmann set 5 WRs at San Diego in 2015.
A confession. I’m not as fast as I used to be. But that’s no rarity. What’s really changed for me this year (along with my 100 speed) is my appetite for financial punishment. So when I looked at the cost of the Sept. 17 San Diego Senior Games
track meet — $45 to enter, plus $3 for additional events — I decided, “Nah, I’ll pass.” This is partly a reflection of my underemployment. (I’m not hurting — I just watch my spending more carefully). But this will be the first time since turning 50 in 2004 that I haven’t entered my hometown Senior Olympics. I used to love the coastal bluff overlook track at Point Loma Nazarene, and I’m always thrilled to run the Mondo at the recent San Diego Mesa College venue. The meet is well-run, with great amenities. But I can’t see myself paying $45 to run 16 seconds. Next year, I’ll budget for Spokane nationals, and I’ll even train for a change. This year, I may haul my cameras to Mesa to shoot my friends and maybe see some records set. Is anyone else judging meets by cost? At what point, do YOU say: “No mas”?
September 4, 2017
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