Bill Andberg was the master of distances 800 to 26.2.

Minnesota and masters track are mourning the loss of pioneering masters runner Bill Andberg, who died Tuesday at age 96. Known as the “Gray Ghost” of the Halloween city of Anoka, northwest of Minneapolis, Bill won titles from the 800 to the marathon, including golds at the first USA masters nationals in 1968 (marathon) and the first world masters championships in Toronto in 1975 (M60 1500 and 3000). He was on David Pain’s legendary track tour of Europe in 1972. His obituary appears several places, including the Star-Tribune and the Pioneer-Press.

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M55 Stefan Waltermann, our new American masters multi-eventer, is profiled in the Charlotte Observer and the best is saved for last. Chanda Blitch quotes Stefan as saying: “I make a point to greet everybody (while working out). I smile and wave and try to get their attention so they can say, ‘There’s that bald guy who always smiles and waves.’ ” I do something similar. I’ll walk into a near-empty stadium and yell at the top of my lungs: “Whattaday, whattaday, whattta BEAUTIFUL day!” That’s an homage to Thad Talley, my coach at Kansas in the mid-1970s. Thad — an Arkansas native who pronounced my name “KAY-eeeya-en” — would yell the same refrain to distract our attention from the snow on the ground. How do you make friends in training?

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Rome Olympian Phil Mulkey is spittin’ mad. He’s the latest to ream USATF for its decision not to give his longtime friend Phil Raschker its Masters Athlete of the Year Award. Phil, who won the USATF Masters Male Athlete of the Year Award in 1993, once coached Raschker. Now he’s sent a note detailing his arguments on Phil’s behalf. After I first wrote on this insane decision, I learned that it was the doing of USATF President Bill Roe, Masters T&F Chair Gary Snyder and Masters LDR Chair Donald Lein. They alone chose a sympathetic but obscure distance runner for USATF’s top masters award. Mulkey’s reaction? “Hello! Is there any intelligent life out there? Are you just visiting!”

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This is getting insane. Paul Babits vaulted 4.94 (16-2 1/2) and then 5 meters (16-4 3/4) last Saturday at his Vault High indoor facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, says his Web site. He thus upped his own listed M45 world record of 4.90 (16-0 3/4) from March 2006. And he’s all of 47 years old, accounting for the incredible age-graded conversion of his latest mark. According to the WMA Age-Graded Tables, his 5.0 jump (see the video) is equivalent to an open mark of 6.06 (19-10 3/4). Paul’s PR is 18-5 1/4. Way to GO, Babco. Next on your list: the listed M45 outdoor record of 5.10 (16-8¾) by Larry Jessee in 1997. He’ll probably jump again this weeked — at Saturday’s RWB Open USATF Pole Vault Meet at the same site.

Riccione world champion Marco Segatel is on a roll. Make that a flop. Last Saturday in Padua, Italy, he jumped 1.95 (6-4 3/4) for an M45 indoor European record. Last July, he went 2.04 (6-8 1/4) outdoors for a world age-group record. But the highest M45 indoor jump on record is also 2.04 — by American Dennis Lewis. Marco turns 46 in late March, but should be a heavy favorite at the world indoor championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

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Ted Corbitt during a 24-hour racewalk in November 2003 at 84.

USATF yesterday reported the death of Ted Corbitt, a 1999 inductee into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. Although Ted has many other credits, one that shouldn’t be overlooked is his place in creating acceptance for elder distance running. As Len Olson describes in “Masters Track & Field: A History,” Ted at age 45 was doing 20K runs in 1965 — and pushed for longer races. In 1968, he won an open 50-miler. One biography says he was active as recently at 2006, when he was 87. Another site says: “Although a series of injuries forced him to give up running and switch to walking in his 60s, he never gave up being an active participant in the sport. In recent years, in his 80s, he has covered over 68 miles in a 24-hour race and over 300 miles in a 6-day race.” Here’s an account of his 24-hour walk in 2003.

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Colleen Barney of Southern California, a world-class mother and estate-tax lawyer, also happens to be a champion masters sprinter. She won the W35 world 100-meter title in Puerto Rico in 2003. But she’s been off the circuit since 2005 — focusing on two athletic daughters, including a champion diver. But word has arrived that she’s baaaacck. I wrote Colleen, and she confirmed her comeback. She’ll be 40 in 2008, and writes: “Goal is to start competing just in the short stuff this year (maybe the 60 at indoor nationals — if I can get ready in time, but definitely the 100). I’m still pretty fit. I never stopped lifting, just stopped the running training (so hard to coordinate practice with all the things I’ve got going with the kids!)”

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This is amazing. USATF chose Paige Rice, the 11-year-old winner of the Junior Olympic cross country nationals Midget Girls race, as its Athlete of the Week. That makes her perhaps the youngest AofW in USATF history (which should have been noted in the press release). It’s also a huge compliment to her coach, who happens to be our good friend Dave Clingan in Portland, Oregon. The only downside is mixed emotions that Pete Magill didn’t rate AoW honors for winning the masters men’s race. But masters are served in Paige’s selection, so all is good. Congrats to young Paige, who enters masters competition in the year 2031. See you at San Diego worlds!

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Over on our Forum is an interesting little thread started by vaulter Mike Soule entitled: “So Tell Me, How seriously DO we take ourselves?” Lots of cool replies. I thought of this question after reading a note sent me by Pete Magill, masters winner of the club XC nationals Saturday. I had asked him about his title-winning club, named “Fluffy Bunny.” He explained, “David Olds started the Fluffy Bunnies about five years ago. The name is David’s response to the preposterous level of seriousness with which some people take our sport.”

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Posting elsewhere on this blog, Southern California coach Mark Cleary writes: “I’m curious what everyone thinks about Los Angeles, specifically Mt. San Antonio College, as the site for a bid for the 2011 Masters Nationals approx. two weeks before the WMA meet in Sacramento? The idea is that some of the Europeans would come in early and stay for both meets . . . Please chime in with your thoughts. If there is strong support I will attempt to move forward with a bid for the 2011 Outdoor champs.” Actually, Cleary and the SoCal Fleet Feet club bid for the 2009 masters nationals — and lost to Clermont, Florida, partly due to internal conflicts in the Southern California USATF association. Athletes favor an L.A. nationals, but USATF officials are the ones who really need to be persuaded.

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