Jody Hawkins on running: ‘Every mile is a blessing’
Jody Hawkins of Texas, winner of the masters national cross country title last month in San Diego, mothers a running family. How much into racing are she and husband Mark? Her stepson is named Coe, after Sebastian Coe. Jody turned 41 in mid-October and is a bit surprised she’s still competing. In a Q&A conducted by e-mail, Jody writes: “I really didn’t see myself still doing this at 40 when I was younger. I thought, surely I’ll move on. Clearly I have not moved on. I just don’t want to give it up. I could live without it if I truly felt that was the road God wanted me to follow, but I feel that this is where he wants me to be. I help people every day with this gift, I do not waste it or take it for granted. Every step, every mile is a blessing.”
Helen “Speedy” Klein breaks own marathon world record
I usually ignore road results, but I have a soft spot for old ladies in Nikes. Yesterday, a bunch of masters dominated the Napa Valley Marathon, but the most amazing mark might be the 5:36:15 by ultradistance legend Helen Klein of Rancho Cordova, California. Helen is 85. She broke her own age-group record of last December by nearly 13 minutes. (The listed W85 WR is 6:53:50 by American Ida Mintz in 1990.)
Pete Magill transitions to track, lowers 3000 AR
South Pasadena’s Pete Magill, whose cross country season ended at San Diego nationals with an M45 victory and third-place overall masters finish, has made the switch to track quite nicely, thank you. At Saturday’s USC Trojan Relays in Los Angeles, Pistol Pete ran 3,000 meters in 8:36.86, as these results confirm. That lowers his own M45 American record of 8:37.52, which he set in June 2006 in Eugene, Oregon. (The listed M45 world outdoor record is 8:27.7 by Britain’s Nigel Gates in 1998.) Under his handle SoCalPete, Magill modestly (but hilariously) posted a recap of his race.
Another trans-Atlantic pole vault rivalry: W50 vs. W50
Why should the men have all the fun? Jeff Kingstad’s back-and-forth M55 record exchange with Germany’s Wolfgang Ritte — the subject of this blog and then the cover of the current National Masters News — has a female analog. In England, W50 vaulter Jennifer Ibbitson hopes to top her American counterpart, Donna Schultz, who in January set a W50 indoor world record at Reno with a clearance of 10-0 3/4.
Two WRs reported at Thursday Night at the Races
Our masters moles report two more world records set at the New York Road Runners’ Thursday Night at the Races. Two indoor 1500 WRs were set at the Armory track in New York City, according to a source who writes: “Last night was exciting at the NYRR meet. . . . W45 Zofia Wieciorkowska ran another WR. This time the 1500. I’m not sure of the exact time. She broke Aurora Perez’s record with a 4:40.? (I don’t know the tenths.) She ran a blistering final lap; she told me it was 33 seconds.” In addition, Marie-Louise Michelsohn, 66, broke her own W65 world indoor record by exactly 5 seconds, clocking 5:52.1 for 1500. More details to come.
M100 record holder ‘Flying’ Phil Rabinowitz dies at 104
|
South Africa’s great centenarian sprinter Phil Rabinowitz died Thursday at age 104, local media report. Ironically, what led me to this discovery was a Track & Field News message board posting. It made me chuckle when someone linked to “news” of a new M100 world record over 100 meters. The Daily Times of Pakistan reported: “A 104-year-old South African man has set a new world record for the 100 metre race. Phillip Rabinowitz, from Cape Town, is now officially the world’s fastest centenarian sprinter. He finished the 100 metres in 30.86 seconds, knocking more than five seconds off the previous best.” Only one problem.
Fresh links to results, photos, cross-dressers from UK
Allan Williams of Blackheath and Bromley AC is an outstanding M50 pole vaulter. His teammate Tom Phillips says Allan recently returned from knee surgery and is jumping well. But when I spotted his picture in Tom’s latest masters shots of UK indoor nationals, I was curious about his USATF top. (That’s our cross-dresser du jour.)
Allen Johnson hopes to avoid boredom at IAAF worlds
Allen Johnson turns 37 Saturday, and admits he’s not going to win the 60-meter hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. But he’s shooting for sub-7.50, an amazing time for a masters athlete. Gene Cherry of Reuters wrote a nice story about AJ’s quest. A bittersweet ending: “He said the most difficult part, aside from the aches and pains of age which affect his workouts, was the boredom. ‘Nothing is really new to me,’ Johnson said. ‘At first I was running against my idols. Now my idols are retired, long retired.’ ” Hey, Allen! You just need new idols. Here’s one for you. See U in 50 years!
M55 multi-eventer Carter Holmes is happy to be alive
Carter Holmes, 58, dearly wanted to compete in the pentathlon at the WMA world indoor championships in France. But life happened, and he probably won’t go. He’s just content to speak French, which he studied in advance of the planned trip. Carter has come out of a four-day coma following a heart attack. And Jim Ferstle’s amazing blog account tells his story. Equally wonderful is Jim’s report on how fellow University of Minnesota track alum Shani Marks helped save his life.
Alisa Harvey on Boston 800: ‘Just gave it all I had’
After Sunday’s 800 final at the AT&T USA Indoor Championships, third-placer Morgan Uceny, 22, approached the woman she had beaten by less than 2 seconds. Morgan asked Alisa Harvey: “Excuse me, I don’t want to be rude — but how old are you?” Alisa says she just laughed and told her, “42.” (Twenty years older!) That’s just one of several entertaining anecdotes Alisa shares of her Boston nationals experience, where she lowered her W40 American indoor record and provisionally qualified for June’s Olympic Trials. Alisa, who has been called the Tiger Woods of masters track, is just as compelling an athlete as the golf icon.
