In September, the shadowy Russian hacking group Fancy Bears made public the TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions) of Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez and many others. The WADA database was invaded. Last week, Masters Hall of Famer George Mathews wrote me that he had been notified by USADA CEO Travis Tygart that USADAās database had been hacked by Fancy Bears, āand my confidential information on the TUE is apparently on Fancy Bears website or however they disseminated the information on all Americans who got a TUE in 2015.ā I searched that site and also WikiLeaks, but didnāt find Georgeās info. āHey, āI donāt mind sharing what is known to the world [about] my 2015 TUE for prednisone, which I need to take sporadically for acute and chronic sinusitis,ā George says. I immediately wrote to USADA, asking how many masters track TUEs were likewise revealed. No response. Anyone else contacted by USADA about your TUE being posted?
Race organizers north of San Diego are going back to the future. In the late 1960s, āmasters milesā in elite invitationals led the way to masters track. Now the folks at Bring Back the Mile are touting a November road mile for seniors only ā 60 and over. Could be a first. āThe inaugural Tri-City Medical Center Festival of Senior Miles is also a BBTM Featured Event, showcasing Americaās best Mile races throughout the year,ā organizers say. Another rarity: The sixtysomethings will race in two-year age groups. According to Running USA, the number of 55-plus U.S. road race finishers has grown by 600,000 since 2010. In 2015, 12 percent of finishers (2.05 million vs. 17.1 million overall) were over 55. Kathy Kinane is the mastermind behind this new Senior Mile, which will be a weekday, oddly: Wednesday, November 23. The cost is $30. Entrants get a T-shirt, backpack, custom Trot medal and Senior Mile neck ribbon.
My masters at Nemean Games post prompted our Seattle multi-eventer friend Dave Ortman to share his own recent European adventures ā in Serbia. Dave, 63, was part of a five person 60+ U.S. team in the IX Olympiad of Sport, Health, and Culture for the Third Age in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. The event was Sept. 30 ā Oct. 4. Dave writes: āThey were invited by Djordje Maricic, a Serbian who graduated from Bethel College (Kansas) in 2007. He returned to Belgrade and is a deputy of the board president of the Olympiad. While at Bethel, Mr. Maricic became acquainted with a number of (my) relatives in my hometown of Freeman, South Dakota. As a Bethel College graduate (1975) who set several school relay and hurdle records and is a member of the Bethel College Athletic Hall of Fame, (I) agreed to serve as team captain for the U.S. team.ā
Dave (with shirt) and fellow members of the U.S. team at Serbian event.
From left in Lyon: Irene Obera, Christel and Fei-Mei.
Members of the W80 American relay teams at Perth worlds are dedicating their efforts to the memory of Fei-Mei Chou, one of their friends and Lyon teammates. Fei-Mei, 81, died of stomach cancer in August. Christel writes from Colorado: āAs you all know, she ran with us in so many meets over all the years. She was one reason we were able to come up with 2 WRs last year in Lyon, and she had planned to run with us again this year in Perth. Her joy and the teamās success was palatable, every time we talked. Over all the years, Fei-Mei has been the best friend and athlete. Her untimely death has left a big sadness in all of us. Barbara Jordan and Flo Meiler will not be in Perth, but they are included in our ācircle of friendsā and share our memories and the love for Fei-Mei. Irene Obera and myself will dedicate our participation during thewhole competition to Fei-Mei. Simple prayers will do! I have talked with Fei-Meiās husband, and he is very grateful for our thoughts. There was no memorial, as to her wish, so our heartfelt memories of her will be her honor.ā Other relayists at Perth thinking of Fei-Mei are Jeanne Daprano, Mary Harada and Mary Roman. Touching gesture. Meanwhile, Bob Weiner has released a Team USA preview of Perth.
Anyone with the motto āMake Track & Field Great Again!ā has my vote. Except I wonāt be a delegate or visitor to the Orlando annual meeting of USATF in December. But Iāll be there in muck-raking spirit. I plan to quiz the candidates for USATF national masters chair (Rex Harvey and Robert Thomas) as well as USATF presidency seekers Vin Lananna and perhaps others. Amanda Scotti of National Masters News would become the third national officer from NMN if she wins election to secretary. (She announced in the current issue.) The late Al Sheahen and still-kicking Suzy Hess were earlier NMN publishers to hold national masters office. (Itās a tightrope they walk ā balancing reader and commercial principles with committee politics, and avoiding conflicts of interest.) For the sake of a savvy Q&A, Iād like your ideas for topics and queries. Post them here, or email me privately at TrackCEO@aol.com. I have no shame. All subjects are fair game.
The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center is a mecca for kiddies and masters alike. Its indoor track at Roxbury Community College outside Boston has hosted USATF masters indoor nationals 14 times, the latest being in 2014. Now a soap opera involving former sprinter Keith McDermott, its M50 director, appears to be headed for resolution. He was fired for reasons unclear. (Some think itās because Keith didnāt make the center available for college class registration. Others hint of embezzlement.) Now the Boston Globe suggests Keith will be reinstated if management of the track is moved to the University of Massachusetts, as some state lawmakers want. I donāt know the ins and outs of this case, but I sure hope Boston stays in the masters nationals rotation. Folks have fond memories of the meets. Keith was probably one reason for that. āI think at the end of the day whatever you do it comes back to you,ā McDermott told the Globe. āI think things are going to work themselves out.ā
Racewalk.com has posted 49 years of Ohio Racewalker newsletters. The archive starts in March 1965 and goes through early 2014. But donāt think itās just a narrow interest parochial publication. It covers the history of the sport and masters results and stars over the years ā such as current W50 stud Teresa Vaill. Many issues show an address for Dave Talcott, the racewalking husband of record-setter Erin Taylor-Talcott. (Click on their names to see what honor they shared.) And thatās the last Iāll write about racewalking until the next Olympiad.
I see respectable marks out of the 30th Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah, but sadly none from 99-year-old Dan Bulkley of Oregon. Guess he scratched. The oldest entrant was M90 Al Box. But M80 sprinter Bobby Whilden of Texas ran a legal 100 in 14.89 ā a half-second off Payton Jordanās listed WR. I enjoyed reading the standing long jump results (because my mind says I can still go 10 feet). Scroll down this page for other track results. Canadaās Christa Bortignon, on cusp of W80, won seven of 14 contested events despite having had a bad case of pneumonia and an ischiofemoral impingement that kept her from training or competing since July.
Steven Bunn posted this shot of 50 at Huntsman. James Birgans won in 6.60.
Now is not the time to go for a wind-aided 100 PR in eastern Florida. Hurricane Matthew is blowing in, and folks in the evacuation zones have heard the warnings not to blow them off. I realize that the whole state isnāt at risk, but I still fear for our Gator geezer friends, including Joe Johnston, Gary Dixon, Dr. James Oglesby, Brian Hankerson, Bob Cahners, David Jones and Tom Sputo. Others have family in the at-risk areas. When youāre safe and dry, post a comment on your status.
Training takes a back seat to safety this weekend. Let us know you are OK.
Americans are dominant in masters track, but nobody holds a candle to Eurovets on masters stats. Latest evidence is the recently updated All-Time Top 10 Lists. Good example is 100 meters, which goes up to M105. (But only one deep in that age group.) And they keep trying to improve data, saying: āIf better results or missing performances (detectable) were achieved, we ask them to send to the following email address: bernd.rehpenning@htp-tel.deā Hereās how the system evolved: āThe idea of creating a table of the ā10 European Best Masters everā started in 2004. It was Ton Peters from the Netherlands who asked statisticians in Europe to send him names and results of all different age groups. Unfortunately Ton Peters passed away before he could finish the collection of all results. Bernd Rehpenning ā the man who created the age factors for WMA during the last years ā has started this project with new energy. At the beginning the engine had problems to move but step by step it started to keep on going. Now Bernd Rehpenning has found his Style of collecting the results and put them in a new table that has been visible on EMA website since April 2015.ā USATF Masters T&F could do the same. Just ask: Who wants to help?
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
