Charlie Kern goes where the competition is. Today in Boston, he was in a masters mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, an elite meet in which his event was first on the track. See results here. Several Twitter feeds tweeted results instantly, including Larry Eder’s RunBlogRun, which covered the mile thusly: “Kern has run 34-68-1:38-2:11 at 800, Charlie Kern, Ray Pugsley, 3:17-another 66!-3:51-one to go!-4:22.2!” In 2011, he ran the meet record 4:19.73. Here’s the interview FloTrack did a year ago at the same meet. Kern is 42. Nice race, Charlie!

USATF news release notes: “USA Track & Field will become a part of Super Bowl XLVI today when it takes part in Super Sports Day in the Super Bowl Village in downtown Indianapolis from 3-10 p.m. Approached by the Indiana Sports Corporation and the Super Bowl Committee to participate in the program, USATF’s presence will include an interactive booth featuring sprint drills, hurdle demonstrations, giveaways and information on membership programs.” This is a necessary evil, since crowds are crowds. It would be unforgivable for Indy to host a Super Bowl and USATF to ignore the event in its own home base. Now who are the oldest NFL players involved? Masters football!

Masters Mole 4337c(3) says: “I just found this on FoxNews. I believe it is the pre-workout supplement that a couple of our masters guys got snagged using. I have a nephew that works for USP Labs in California, he calls it lifters cocaine (because of the rush it gives the user…also known as “1,3”).” The story starts: “The deaths of two U.S. soldiers who collapsed during physical training in the last few months have prompted a military investigation of a popular body-building supplement that was found in their systems. The dietary supplement Dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, has been banned for sale … in military bases across the country pending the results of the probe.”

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Four years ago, we shared the story of WMA-bound Carter Holmes, an M55 pentathlete who suffered a heart attack but was saved thanks to the quick action of triple jumpers Shani Marks and Amanda Thieschafer. A year and a half later, we gave an update on his progress. He ran a 100-meter dash in 2:07.82 and the 400 in 9:10.24. Yesterday came another status report, courtesy of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and reporters Gail Rosenblum and Jim Gehrz. It’s a touching story of intergenerational friendship. Carter, now 62, has a walking buddy in Charlotte DeVaughn, 11. After their stroll, “Carter stands at his door while Charlotte does a twirl around his clothesline post,” the story says. “It’s their way of saying goodbye.”

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My apologies to throwers everywhere! I neglected to highlight a WR by Neni Lewis at Eastern Regionals on Sunday. Neni graciously writes: “I did up the (W50) world record in the weight throw to 17.29 meters (56-8 3/4) at the East Regional Championships January 29 in Providence. The paperwork was filled out for it and will be submitted. Unfortunately, I just realized yesterday that I upped the American record in the Super Weight several times, but for some reason I thought it was 12.49 when in fact it was 11.72 (38-5 1/2). My best throw for the day was 12.17 (39-11 1/4). Hopefully I’ll do it again. I just missed the American record in the shot put with a throw of 12.65 (41-6) and the record is 12.66.”

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Sandra Neil Wallace, a former ESPN sportscaster who now writes children’s and other books, composed a great essay on masters track after her M55 sprinter husband, Rich (also an author), competed in Sunday’s USATF Eastern Regional Masters Championships. See it here. Sandra says it as well as anyone: “I know if you asked masters competitors, they’d say they do this because it’s fun. But what I think they really mean is, they do this because it’s a part of who they are, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t feel quite the same. From all my years as an observer sitting in the bleachers looking out at the cluster of events and the competitors they attract, it’s become evident to me that it’s more about tapping into that feeling and challenging yourself to dig it up, than kicking butt.” Thanks for getting it right, Sandra! And thanks for supporting Rich (who ran 28.06 for 200 Sunday; 82.71 percent on the Age-Graded Tables)!

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Pat Peterson cannot be stopped — by cancer, injury or Mother Time. At Sunday’s USATF Eastern Regionals Masters Championships, she set W85 American records in the 60 and 200, clocking 14.32 and 54.70. See results here. The 60 mark doesn’t beat any Yank’s listed record, becuz there ain’t any. See W85 records here. At the same meet — held at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island — Marie-Louise Michelsohn utterly destroyed the W70 American record in the 3,000, smashing the 14-minute barrier with her 13:15.88, beating the listed AR of 14:07.09 by the legendary Toshiko d’Elia in 2001. (The listed world age-group record is 12:58.41 by Russia’s Rimma Vasina.)

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Carl Wallin, longtime Dartmouth coaching legend who retired a couple years ago, hasn’t quit the sport. He now competes for Thor’s Stone (no relation). About a week ago, he chucked the 35-pound weight 10.62 meters (34-10 1/4) at the Greater Boston Track Club meet. His January 22 mark, at age 70, nipped Bob Ward’s listed American age-group record of 10.61, set in 2006. The meet was held at Harvard, so I suspect they measured correctly. WMA doesn’t contest the event, so there is no world record. But Carl could very well be the best heaver of this hunk of iron. Nice throw, Carl. Those who teach, also do it well!

M40 Jeff Laynes, running in the open division, clocked 6.38 for the 55-meter dash at the Run for the Dream indoor meet in Fresno last week. Masters events were held (see results below), but Laynes was easily the top age-grouper at the Save Mart Center. USATF and WMA don’t contest the 55 (close to 60 yards), so no records are held. But the mark is remarkable. The listed M40 WR for 60 meters is 6.78 seconds by Troy Douglas of Holland. A quick calculation shows 6.78 over 60 meters is equivalent to 6.21 over 55 meters. Conversely, a 55 at 6.38 is equivalent to a 6.96 at 60. Either way, he’s near record pace — at age 41. When will you run masters, Jeff?

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Profiles of masters track founder David Pain and W75 star Jeanne Daprano are featured in running magazines this winter. In the December issue of Running Times, 5K superstar Pete Magill quotes David as saying: “When I started masters, I got a phone call from a guy who’s a captain in the Navy, and he said, ‘I’m going to introduce swimming to masters.’ And he did! Age-group competition changed athletics. And now there isn’t a sport that doesn’t have masters competition—in bowling, weightlifting, and God knows what!” See column here. And hubby Bill Daprano sends a note from Georgia: “Jeanne has a cameo in the March issue of Runner’s World. (page 20) about her winning her age group in the Fifth Avenue Mile.” That one isn’t online yet, but look for the magazine. Finally, as I catch my breath from a busy week at work, here’s a video shared by proud mom Rita Hanscom, who says her son Scott is “living in L.A., trying to make a career in Hollywood as a comedy writer, [and] has made a couple of short videos. This latest one has gone viral. Over 700,000 views in 5 days.”