Top prize for Arizona masters 800 event rises to $650
A month ago, we noted the second Annual SISU Foundation 800 Meter Challenge Race on March 8, with a first-place prize of $500. Check that. The top prize is now $650, reports event organizer Doug Thompson. He writes: “We’ve gotten agreement from Saucony to donate six pairs of shoes to men and women who beat the All-American standard in the race. We’ve received an anonymous donation of another $150, bringing our total first-prize money to $650 for the man or woman who runs the most seconds under their All-American standard. We’ve received numerous inquiries and several commitments to participate. . . . I’m getting excited about this because other folks are getting excited.”
Yes, you can get faster with age, NYT writer notes
Gina Kolata of The New York Times always seems to find a new spin on health and exercise. Her book “Ultimate Fitness” a few years back was a hoot and a revelation. It debunks a bunch of fitness maxims. Now an article by Gina looks at aging runners. And she delivers some revelations here as well. Among them: You can be faster at 60 than 50. (Gina herself turns 60 on Feb. 25.) But she isn’t the first to point out that intensity of training is more important than frequency. Phil Campbell made similar points in his “Ready, Set Go!” books.
Girl, 5, beats Alisa Harvey in stairway match race
Now it can be revealed: Alisa Harvey can set an American indoor record in the 1500, but she can’t beat her own 5-year-old daughter up the stairs. So we learn from a mini Q&A I conducted with our W40 star over the weekend. Alisa also confirms that she’ll double-dip at the AT&T USA indoor nationals Feb. 23-24 in Boston. She’ll run the open 800 and the masters exhibition 400. (The first round of the 800 is Saturday, and the 400 is Sunday.) I began by asking Alisa if she had filled out all the necessary record paperwork for her amazing 4:26 indoor 1500.
Alisa Harvey recaptures W40 American indoor 1500 record
Back in December 2005, three months after turning 40, Alisa Harvey of Virginia ran an indoor 1500 in 4:41.34. It shattered the listed W40 American indoor record of 4:48.40 by Kathy McIntyre in 1990. But a few months later, Marisa Hanson ran a hand-timed 4:36.7 at a nonsanctioned meet. But Alisa’s record also went unrecognized. She remedied that oversight yesterday, however. Running in the New Balance Collegiate meet at the Armory track in New York City, Alisa, now 42, clocked a 1500 in 4:26.18, cleaning the clocks of her 20-something rivals. Her 4:26 also beats the listed W40 outdoor AR for 1500 of 4:32.73 by Joan Nesbit in May 2002. (However, Alisa ran a 4:26.49 for 1500 en route to a 4:46 mile at the 2006 Penn Relays.)
Jeff Laynes maintains his speed at Canada’s KofC
Northern California’s Jeff Laynes, 37 going on 17, ran 50 meters in 5.91 seconds Friday night at the Knights of Columbus meet in Saskatoon, Canada. Last year, he ran 5.86. Pretty consistent. In 2007, he ran the 60 meters on the meet’s second day in 6.74. I haven’t seen results from Saturday night yet. Jeff, who sat out a couple years with a drug suspension, has been consistently among the fastest M35s in recent years. He’s already qualified for the Olympic Trials, meeting the “B” qualifying standard of 10.28 last April. (He ran a legal 10.16). But he just needs to be in the top 32 on the U.S. list come June. He’ll likely be the oldest male sprinter at the Eugene Trials.
Roald Bradstock’s slew of world records null and void
Roald Bradstock has been racking up the records this winter. But all will be rejected by Sandy Pashkin, USATF and World Masters Athletics. They weren’t measured with a steel tape. What a shame. I can’t think of any other 45-year-old who can throw an iPod 154 yards or a soccer ball 82 yards. Check out his latest WR:
Dragutin Topic tops listed M35 world indoor HJ record
Serbia’s Dragutin Topic, who turns 37 in March, last night became the oldest man to clear 2.30 meters (7-6 1/2) when he scaled that height on his second try at the Eurotop meet in Novi Sad, Serbia. Dragutin then fearlessly passed 2.32 (7-7 1/4), made a failed jump at 2.34 (7-8) and missed twice at 2.36 (7-8 3/4). Gutsy! He thus beat the listed WMA M35 indoor record of 2.27. Better yet, he tied Charles Austin’s unrecognized world age-group record of 2.30. But Charles was 35 at the time of his 2.30 jump, so Dragutin is now the GeezerJump King. As it turns out, Dragutin himself organized the men-only HJ meet, which was set to music. Here are results.
Submitted for your inspection: Phil Raschker’s innards
Bone scan of W60 world champion Phil Raschker.
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Now for something completely different: Phil Raschker’s bones. More specifically, three bone scans done as part of Amanda Mittleman’s master’s thesis research at Long Beach State University near Los Angeles. Phil volunteered the images and writes: “When I was out in California before Thanksgiving, I did the study with Amanda and highly recommend it to anyone. Especially if they are in driving distance, they should not miss this FREE opportunity.” Among other things, we learn that Phil’s body fat is in the bottom 4 percent of her age group, she’s in little danger of suffering osteoporosis, and her hips aren’t perfectly symmetrical.
Donna Schultz: like mother like daughter vault stars
Donna Schultz is one proud momma. Her daughter, Kate Soma, got hitched to William Conwell last August. Oh, and did I mention that Kate was the 2005 NCAA pole vault champion? And did I mention that Kate is one proud daughter? Her mom has broken the W50 world indoor record in the pole vault twice this year — the most recent being a 3.11 (10-2 1/2) clearance Saturday in Seattle, Washington. A member of the Willamette Striders in Oregon, Donna earlier broke Phil Raschker’s listed W50 indoor vault record of 3.06 (10-0 1/2) set in 2000. Donna did 3.07 at the Pole Vault Summit a month ago in Reno.
February 7, 2008
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Running Times editor goes Orono, becomes a believer
Jonathan Beverly is editor in chief of Running Times magazine, but he wasn’t fully on board the masters bandwagon until Orono nationals last summer. That did the trick. In the March issue, a wonderful article by Jon chronicles his conversion. Headlined “Embracing time” (which you can read here), Jon’s gem begins: “I have to confess that I used to think masters competitors were a bit pathetic. Not older runners keeping in shape . . . but those serious competitors wearing flashy racing flats and singlets designed for speedsters half their age, grimacing and sprinting as they finished in the middle of the pack. I thought they were in denial: refusing to accept that they really couldn’t compete anymore.”
