Athletics Weekly reports that 1996 Olympian Anthony Whiteman provided the highlight of the McCain City Challenge in Lee Valley [London] by setting a world indoor M40 record in the 1500 meters, clocking 3:44.12 to better the listed age-group mark of 3:44.39 by Russia’s Vyacheslav Shabunin in 2010. The all-time M40 mile best is Eamonn Coghlan’s legendary indoor 3:58.13 mark of 1994. The outdoor M40 mile record is 4:01.62 by Vyacheslav in 2010. According to the Track & Field News “Big Gold Book” conversion tables, Anthony’s 3:44.12 is equivalent to a 4:00.8 mile. Not bad for indoors. Anthony turned 40 in November and has an all-time best mile of 3:51.90 in 1998. An Olympic year — with a Games in London — could provide just the right motivation to get a 40-year-old under 4 for the first time outdoors.

Multi-eventer Kay Glynn of Iowa—the vault record holder and most photogenic masters athlete of all time—is signaling a break from the sport at best. At worst, her track career is over at age 59. She needs a total hip replacement as a result of dysplasia. Kay writes: “In the last 10 years, I’ve missed my first meet that I had planned on competing in — Jeff Watry’s national indoor hept. (This would have been my travel day.) I don’t have an injury or illness—it’s arthritis and I need a total hip replacement! Who’d a thunk?! Me? Miss Flexible! I thought arthritis crept up on you. Guess that’s not the way it always works!” It’s another part of my life “off the track.” When I did this performance at Christmas, although I was bone-on-bone with cysts, with a little adrenaline and Aleve morning and night, I was pain free—not even any cortisone yet!” Here’s Kay performing in December 2011 at an Omaha mall:

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Reluctantly and poetically, Don Neidig is hanging up his spikes. The M65 superstar and indoor world record holder (200 in 25.47) has battled a series of ailments in recent years, but the latest have sealed his fate. In a letter to friends that he allows us to share, Don writes: “One beautiful day in October as I was training on the track at NMSU in Las Cruces, I got halfway through my routine with a hurting left ankle, lack of fluidity, and without enough energy to continue, and I realized it was over. Although I am disappointed in not being able to continue with this grand experiment, I shall not complain. I’ve had a good run at it for sure. I certainly had more goals in sight, and I will miss the excitement of competing, but I think this is the end of it.”

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You have a better chance of being molested by a Marilyn Monroe impersonator than being drug-tested on the USATF masters circuit, but for what it’s worth: “Did you know that you could be drug tested at any USATF sanctioned event? Are you clear about what to expect during the drug testing process? Do you have questions about substances and methods on the Prohibited List?  Are you unsure about what a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is or how to apply for one? The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) invites you to participate in a Webinar this Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 6:30 pm Mountain Time to learn about its anti-doping program so that you are fully informed of the program and how it may affect your participation in USATF sanctioned events. We look forward to your participation.  Should you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Dodd at 719.785.2035 or jdodd@usada.org.  Please note:  This Webinar will be recorded and available on the USATF website for future reference. To register for the webinar click here.”

Masters Mole 3321 writes: “The world masters records have finally been updated. Last March 6, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, our own Joy Upshaw absolutely blasted the 200 meters, showing her classic form and power to hit the line in 26.24 FAT, demolishing the world indoor W50 record of 26.52 (Phil Raschker). A few minutes earlier, in W75, Barbara Jordan had lowered the world indoor mark of 37.19 by scampering home in 36.80. Within the next hour, Bill Collins broke the world indoor mark for M60 by running 24.32. Less than a month after the conclusion of the Albuquerque meet, Bill’s name was in place as the M60 record holder.” But not Joy or Barbara’s.

My source continues:

Neither Joy nor Barbara ever had the pleasure of seeing their name in the record listing for 200. With the latest update of the world records and with Bloomington fast approaching, we can conclude, once and for all, that the world records of Joy and Barbara have been denied, as the marks of 26.52 (Raschker) and 37.19 (Mazzenga) remain in place. Is the explanation that the FAT did not work for Jordan and Upshaw but was miraculously restored for Collins?”

Would be interesting to know what the rationale was, especially in light of the fact that after considerable delay in posting the marks of Joy and Barbara as “pending American” they were indeed so posted and, at the annual meeting, became official American records. But still they are not shown as world records, almost one year after the fact.

To quote a famous Aussie philosopher: Stop the insanity! Since Sandy Pashkin is both WMA and USATF masters record chairs, she should be able to fix this. Her email address is spashkin@q.com. Suggest she resolve this immediately, if not sooner.

On the previous post about Nolan Shaheed’s night-before-meet ordeal in Baton Rouge, Gary wrote: “How about this novel idea: Why don’t we set up a masters network around the country to support his kind of thing? If I lived in Baton Rouge, I would have easily put you up and driven you to the meet. I might have even maybe given you pancakes. Darn right I would have. Ken, what do you think?” Great idea! And for totally self-indulgent back-patting reasons, I draw your attention to a place where we can get this done: My message boards called Forums. A lodging exchange is available, under the category Share lodging, transit. I launched this area in 2008 on the eve of the Eugene Olympic Trials. I needed a roomie or two, and I found them! But yeah: This can be used for any meet. So post a note, and see what happens. We’re all brothers and sisters here, so give your siblings a place to crash. Ask, and ye might receive.

Coach and meet director Byron Turner of US Express Track Club shares the official news: Nolan Shaheed set his latest world record Saturday. But wait for the rest … of the story from Nolan himself (meeting my usual shameless demands that he spare no detail). Byron writes: “Just wanted to share that a World and American Record was set during the meet.  Congratulation to Nolan Shaheed (age 62) who broke the M60 World Record and American Record by running the 1500m in 4.35.07.  The previous world record was 4:36.52 set by Raymond Zembri of France Feb. 28, 2009, and his own American Record of 4:36.92. … Thanks all of you for attending and congratulations to Mr. Shaheed.” Note the hardships Nolan put up with. Incredible story.

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Make some room at the top, Olga Kotelko. We have another Canadian superstar in western Canada. Meet jump specialist and Sacramento world champion Christa Bortignon, a newby W75. She set five indoor world records earlier this month at Kamloops, site of masters worlds two years ago. She set WRs in the 60, 60 hurdles, 200, triple jump and 4×200 relay. Harold Morioka writes: “Having already competed in eight events, Christa was thinking of scratching out of [the 60-meter hurdles] event. However she lined up on the starting line with the younger girls and 13.63 seconds later, Christa had hurdled to another world record, breaking American Flo Meiler’s listed world record of 13.70 seconds.” Even more amazing about Christa: She resumed track after a 55-year break! And a second Canadian claimed another WR: “Lenore Montgomery broke the W80 1500m world record with a time of 8:21.28. The listed world record is 9:12.97 but Lenore has a pending world record time of 8:27.79.”

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Thursday Night at the Races at the Armory in New York yielded a stunning time this week: a 5:12.2 world record for W60 Kathy Martin in the indoor 1500, chopping 10 seconds off the listed WR of 5:22.50 by Britain’s Pat Gallagher in 2006. When I heard about this, I wrote Kathy. She replied from New York: “Felt great. Listened to coach and Ian Brooks not to take it out too fast. Last month I did 3000 WR but paid dearly after taking it out in 37-38. I will run it more intelligently at worlds and indoors. Felt very comfortable last night. Feel there is a lot more in there and will hopefully improve it at worlds as well. … Ian is a tremendous announcer, knows his athletes and keeps a running dialogue. No clock present last night. Coach says probably helped as I might have run according to the clock instead of effort based.” Results are not yet on the Armory site. But Kathy says she’s started paperwork for record.

World-class M50 hurdler Eugene Anton is used to obstacles, but a tall one looms in March: making a success of his USATF Ozark Association Masters/Open Indoor Championships at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois — less than an hour north of St. Louis. Eugene writes: “This next weekend, March 4, we have our open/masters association championship meet – a tune-up for nationals. … As of right now, with about a week to go, we’ve got less than a dozen (masters) signed up.” So what’s up, Ozarkians? Check out this info flier. And enter the meet.