Pure, unadulterated speculation on my part: The 2009 USATF masters outdoor nationals will NOT be held in Clermont, Florida. My evidence? A brief email from USATF Masters T&F Committee Chairman Gary Snyder today. In reply to a query about whether Clermont has signed a contract with USATF to hold the 41st masters nationals, Gary wrote me: “An announcement regarding Clermont will be sent in several days.” This is eye-opening. If Clermont were on track to host 2009 nationals, why would an announcement be necessary? Just to report a contract had been signed? When has THAT ever been necessary?

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The hardest record in masters track? That’s easy. The M100 4×400. First you have to find four centenarians to run. . . . Of course, we don’t have a record in this age group. But it helps one appreciate a 4×1 world record set last month at the British Columbia Senior Games — a rare appearance of four eightysomethings passing a stick. A local paper finally reported it — as part of a profile of one of the relay members. Leona Smith, 80, told Molly McNulty of the Terrace Standard: “I was thinking in my mind that we could do it. When we were finished they told us we had broken the world record and we cheered, I almost forget the fatigue.” Their time of 1:49.15 broke the listed W80 WR of 1:59.63, set by Brazil in 2006. The BC’ers averaged 27.3 per leg. Congrats to the Canucks — and Harold Morioka, who assembled the team.

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Olympic Trials spearchucker Roald Bradstock says he’s not quite done throwing long, pointy sticks. In an email yesterday, he wrote: “I have lost 15 lbs. and am throwing better then ever. I plan on dropping another 5 to 15 lbs. and see what happens. FYI: Here is an article from Spikes magazine that came out last week.” He also reports: “Last Thursday in London another of my paintings sold for $10,000.” Here it is:

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Nolan Fowler helped Pete Mundle track throws records.

Morehead State University in eastern Kentucky has reported the death Monday of former national-class hammer thrower, coach and professor Nolan Fowler in Cookeville, Tennessee. He was 94. Nolan’s role in masters track isn’t mentioned, but it is substantial and historic. His name graces an annual award at the big Southeastern Masters meet, where a silver bowl called the Nolan Fowler Award goes to the best age-graded hammer throw. Norman helped Pete Mundle compile weight throw records in his unofficial Masters Age Records booklet.

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A few weeks ago, I read this item by editor Sean Callahan in Masters Athlete Daily: “‘Running your age,’ similar to shooting your age in golf, is becoming an increasingly recognized achievement. Running your age is completing a 10K in fewer minutes than your age. For example, if you’re 60, you’d have to run the 10K in less than an hour. I was made aware of this newly popular metric by a Frank Callahan of Evanston, Ill. He ran the Bolder Boulder, a 10K run in Boulder, Colo., in slightly more than 1:02:30.98 at age 67. ‘And that was at altitude,’ he pointed out. Duly noted, Dad.” DAD? Wow! The editor’s father is a geezerjock! So of course I sought an interview.

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Roger Ruth’s fine-tooth-combing of open seasonal lists for masters 35 and over has uncovered some amazing nuggets. His latest batch is the 1500, steeplechase, discus and long jump. At least one possible world-age group record is identified: Tatyana Ter-Mesrobyan of Russia jumped 6.56 (21-6 1/4) on July 3 — less than two months after turning 40. That beats the WMA listed WR of 6.41 (21-0 1/2) by countrywoman Vera Olenchenko in 2000. In the 15, Russian Vyacheslav Shabunin ran 3:37.99 at age 38. If he can hang on for another two seasons, he could be the first M40 outdoor miler to go sub-4.

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Marie-Louise Michelsohn of New York lowered her own W65 world record in the 2K steeplechase yesterday at the Club West masters meet at UC Santa Barbara — traditionally the masters finale on the West Coast. MLM ran 9:00.2, according to Andy Hecker, who helped officiate. Her previous best was 9:09.25 at 2007 Orono masters nationals. Bud Held raised his M80 world record in the pole vault to 2.75 (9-0 1/4) after setting a 2.65 (8-8 1/4) mark in Spokane this past August. Andy writes that Marie-Louise “was chased and finally beaten by (M60) Rollie Cavaletto who ended up in 8:58.4.” The meet was hand-timed, Andy notes, because “the automatic timing actuator never worked.” M80 thrower Arnie Gaynor also set a record (probably in the shot), but his mark wasn’t immediately available. “Most of the meet had a drizzle from a fast-moving storm that passed through Southern California,” Andy writes. “There were lots of puddles, scheduling changes and dropouts because of it.”

Back to Roger Ruth. This time, he does some heavy lifting by compiling masters (35 and over) on the 2008 world open seasonal shot put lists. He found 13 men and 13 women, with the best guy going 68-2 1/2. Keep in mind that this would have been a world record as recently as 1965. (Here’s the WR progression.) But Roger’s list doesn’t mention American Rich Harrison, an M35 noted on mastersrankings.com as throwing the 16-pound ball 17.45 (57-3). Oh well. Meanwhile, the top American on Roger’s list (Jim Dunkleberger) isn’t listed on mastersrankings.com. Oh well again.

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W40 Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin did a good job parroting her memorized bullet points in the vice presidential debate last night, but according to cartoonist Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Sarah is a lousy high jumper. So I guess we shouldn’t expect her on the masters circuit anytime soon. (Although I’d love to see the former Sarah Barracuda, whose oldest child is named Track, try our sport.) Breen, who won a Pulitzer Prize in a previous newspaper gig, won’t claim gold for his funky depiction of a high jump pit and standards, however. No matter. This made me howl:

Tony Young, who lowered the M45 world record in the mile this past spring, has courageously shared details of his private life. Venture Bank, his employer in Redmond, Washington, laid him off several weeks ago. “Yes, this has been a rough time to be a banker (loan officer),” Tony wrote me this week in reply to a query. “Myself and 30 others were ‘downsized’ (sounds better than fired!), because the banks had stopped lending $$$.” Even though Tony’s wife also is out of work, he’s not in dire straits. He received a severance that will last several months.

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