Nolan Shaheed, Alisa Harvey calling their world-record-mile shots?

Nolan at 67 can still beat elites in their 50s.

If weather and air travel cooperate, this weekend’s 50th running of the Hartshorne Memorial Mile at Cornell University will be a humdinger. The local paper suggests M65 Nolan Shaheed and W50 Alisa Harvey will try to set world indoor records. Both have plenty of record experience, so it’s not a stretch. But Nolan lost a chunk of last season to injury. Hope he’s recovered and good to go. The Ithaca Journal says: Alisa “will attempt to set the American indoor mile record for the 50-54 age group (5:08.65). The world indoor record (5:07.32) may also be in reach.” Also: Nolan is “going after the world record (5:11.43) for men ages 65-69. Nolan set the indoor world record in the 60-64 age bracket (4:50.95) at the Hartshorne Mile in 2012.”

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January 17, 2017  5 Comments

New Year’s resolution for WMA, USATF: Update your records ASAP!

USATF indoor vault records as of 1/16/2017.

The mess known as USATF and WMA masters records began decades ago. It’s about time to end it. The latest example involves the M70 indoor vault record. By all rights, Art Parry is the world recordman. His 3.35 (10-11 3/4) was ratified at the Orlando meeting last year. But Don Isett’s 3.25 (10-8) from 2013 is still listed on USATF and WMA record pages. The issue arose over the weekend when social media reported Hall of Famer John Altendorf clearing 10-8 at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno. It was called a world record. Actually, he made 3.27 (10-8 3/4). He described his sequence below. In a quickie Q&A, I asked him the all-important question: Have you changed your helmet in recent years or used the same one? He replied: “No. Still the red one. But I have been thinking it is time for a new one for safety reasons.” In any case, WMA and USATF need to post ratified records immediately — and pending records as soon as applications come in.

World Masters Athletics indoor vault records as of Jan. 16, 2017.

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January 16, 2017  10 Comments

GĂ©rard Dumas defies doctor again, vaults for the 70th year in row

In March 2007, I interviewed GĂ©rard Dumas, the pole vault historian who claims the world record for most consecutive years jumping with a stick. I asked him: “How many more years of vaulting do you have left in you?” He replied: “I would like to jump another five years, but the legs are crying mercy and the performances are getting ridiculous. I also had a shoulder operation a year ago which slowed me down, and I had to vault under an assumed names seven months after the operation so that the surgeon would not shoot me.” Well, don’t tell Gerard’s doctor, but he’s still playing with poles. At the National Pole Vault Summit on Saturday, he cleared 1.82 (5-11 1/2) at age 81. He’s now got his butt over a bar 70 years in a row. Dozens of other masters also jumped, with Hall of Famer John Altendorf reportedly tying the M70 indoor WR of 3.25 (10-8). I’m seeking details. He still wears a fire-engine red crash helmet. Thanks to Becca Gillespy Peter for her geezer coverage in Reno.

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January 15, 2017  4 Comments

Harold Morioka, born in WWII internment camp, enters hall of fame

Harold won his first world masters title in 1989.

M70 coach Harold Morioka is the subject of a great profile in his British Columbia newspaper after being inducted into the B.C. Athletics Hall of Fame. It told me something I didn’t know — that he was born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. I wasn’t aware the Canadians followed FDR’s lead: “Following the attacks on Pearl Harbour in 1941, the federal government enacted the War Measures Act and Morioka’s father was sent to live in an internment camp in the Slocan Valley with all boys and men of Japanese heritage, despite having lived in Surrey since 1924. Eventually he was joined by his wife and three children, and Harold was born in 1943. Memories of his time in Slocan and the treatment of his parents and siblings are topics he would prefer not to focus on.” Lots of other revelations about gent I’ve known for about 20 years.

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January 14, 2017  10 Comments

Rocketman Rhodes first out of blocks for USATF masters exhibitions

JPL’s Jason ran at Perth.

Mark Cleary, who oversees the masters invitational program of USATF exhibition at the open meets, has posted details on two events — the indoor nationals in ABQ and the outdoor nationals in Sacto. If you’re a long sprinter, you’re in luck — men will run the 400 at both meets, and the women will run 400 outdoors and 1,000 indoors. Anyone 40 and over may apply to get in the races. So far, only one entrant is listed — M40 Jason Rhodes of SoCal TC (Mark’s club). The JPL scientist posted a seed time of 52.66 — a mark from Perth worlds — for both races. The indoor standards are 56.0 for men and 2:34.00 (800) and 5:20.00 (1500) for women. The outdoor standards are 56.0 for men and 1:10 for women. I suspect other masters exhibitions are still to be revealed. Here’s an interview I did with Jason in 2010 after an M35 relay record.

January 13, 2017  6 Comments

New All-American standards debut— in three grades for 1st time

The All-American Standards, a longtime revenue stream for National Masters News, are being updated. For the first time, the AAs come in three flavors — Gold, Silver and Bronze. The first batch — for running events only — was posted last weekend on usatfmasters.org. “The standards are now based on the Age-Graded tables,” says Jeff Brower, chair of the AA Standards Committee. “An age-graded percentage has been set for each level (Gold, Silver and Bronze) in each event and the performance required to meet each level has been calculated.” I had other questions, for Jeff and NMN publisher Amanda Scotti, and Jeff graciously provided details. Amanda declined to share info on how much money the AAs mean to the monthly. (See what they sell.)

NMN advertises the AA standards and awards program at top of its homepage.

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January 12, 2017  9 Comments

Long sad story of Stella Walsh reveals her masters-age marks

Stella had obstacles — making her WRs and Olympic medals all the more amazing.

M60 Renaissance Man Dave Ortman shares a link to an incredible story about Stella Walsh, the Polish-American Olympian who hid her intersex gender for decades. The revealing piece by Rob Tannenbaum includes a section on her later year track exploits: “At 35, her time at 100 yards was faster than it was at 19. At 37, she won the 100, 200, and long jump national championships for a fourth time; no one else had ever done it, and 50 years passed before someone else did. She won eight consecutive long jump titles at the national championships, and eleven total, the last one when she was 40. (She went 17-3.) When pentathlons were introduced for women at the national championships in 1950, she won the first five titles, including when she was 43, prompting sportswriter Jeane Hoffman to call Walsh an ‘ageless wonder of the spike-and-girdle set.’ ‘Everybody was in awe of her,’ said Nell Jackson, an Olympian and Hall of Fame sprinter who couldn’t outrace Walsh until 1949, when she was 20 and Walsh was 38.”

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January 11, 2017  2 Comments

USATF begins anti-doping seminar series Thursday via online class

If you’re still unsure about which supplements are legal, or how to apply for a TUE, USATF has a webinar for you. Starting Thursday, Jan. 12, you can quiz by computer anti-doping experts from USADA. This series will “highlight key topics such as supplements, Therapeutic Use Exemption Forms, Youth Education, etc. All USATF members are eligible to participate in this free interactive webinar series,” says a note from USATF and Mary Rosado of the Masters LDR Committee (She also has substance-abuse committee background). “The first webinar will be an overview of USADA and the offerings they have for our athletes at all levels. USATF members will have an opportunity to submit questions during the 30-minute session.” The Jan. 12 session is at 8 p.m. Eastern time. You can register here. At 8 p.m. Eastern April 12, the topic is “Global Drug Reference Online/ Therapeutic Use Exemptions.” Same time July 5: “TrueSport/ Youth Anti-Doping Measures.” Ditto Oct. 25: “Supplements.”

January 10, 2017  One Comment

Deadline for Daegu worlds is Jan. 23; Rex Harvey urging entry

Selling the sizzle: Daegu arena looks like it flies.

Rex Harvey, our new national chair, is pulling out all the stops to get people to enter Daegu worlds in late March, the WMA indoor meet in South Korea. Rex’s pitch, which includes details on travel and lodging, was posted in late December, but I didn’t notice it till Sunday. “Time to register is getting short as the close of registration is 23 Jan 2017 (24 Jan 2017 in Korea),” Rex writes. “You will not be able to enter after that time, no way, no how!” OK, gotcha. I like his flight advice: “Roundtrip airline tickets can be less than $600 on China Eastern Airlines if you don’t mind a 14-hour layover in Shanghai. Or if you prefer American Airlines or Korean Airlines, the price is still under $700. I bought tickets from Chicago (where I will be at another meet) to Seoul and back to Phoenix through San Francisco for just over $1000 on United. I would recommend Seoul instead of flying all the way to Daegu because there are not many flights into Daegu probably because of the economical and excellent train and bus service from Seoul to Daegu.”

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January 9, 2017  7 Comments

JuĂĄrez, Mexico, a tough call for 2017 WMA regionals: Safe enough?

Who do you trust on JuĂĄrez, Mexico, risk?

A week after LSU masters nationals in July, a major regional WMA meet is set for Juarez, Mexico — across the river from El Paso, Texas. A friend called my attention to its reputation for violence. Only a month ago, the State Department listed the city in a Mexican Travel Warning. The specific U.S. warning: “Ciudad Juarez: Exercise caution in all areas. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling after dark west of Eje. Juan Gabriel and south of Boulevard Zaragoza. Defer nonessential travel to the areas southeast of Boulevard Independencia and the Valle de Juarez region.” But the city of 1.5 million is no longer “The Most Dangerous City in the World” or “Murder Capital of the World.”

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January 8, 2017  8 Comments