Yes! Thanks to a world record at 800 meters and an American mile record, Jim Sorensen today was selected USATF Athlete of the Week. He’s in pretty fast company. The previous week’s AOTW was Tyson Gay, star of the Indy nationals. Jim’s selection also benefited from the fact that USA track is in a lull after nationals and before a series of major European money meets. (And it doesn’t hurt that USATF CEO Craig Masback is a former miler.) Jim is the third masters-age athlete to be thus honored in 2007, following Gail Devers (Feb. 6) and Nadine O’Connor (March 27). Congrats, Jim. You earned it.

Mike Rouse was elected president of the San Diego-Imperial USATF Association last September to great hopes. He even talked about bringing masters nationals back to San Diego, where the movement started in the late 1960s. That’s all moot now. Mike resigned as president effective June 23. He writes: “I changed jobs, and have different responsibilities, including a lot of travel the remainder of the year and first half of 2009. I could not properly fulfill my duties as president, and felt in the best interest of SD-I USATF that I should resign.”

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James Lofton knew he had a stress fracture in his right foot Saturday when he toed the line in the 400 at Chuck McMahon. By the 250-meter mark, he KNEW he’d pushed the envelope. He hobbled home in around 54 seconds, well off his 52.64 from April.
Now it’s official. His season is over. “Had surgery this morning on my right foot,” James wrote me yesterday. “Had a screw placed in the fifth metatarsal. My other option was to cast my foot for three months. Not a good idea trying to coach receivers.”

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Every five years, Phil Raschker ratchets up for her new age group. Now 60, the Masters Hall of Famer continued her record assault today in the W60 finals of the 400 at the National Senior Olympics. Her time of 66.69 beat the listed record of 67.30 by Australia’s Anne Stobaus — and was a solo effort. Phil won by almost 18 seconds! In the 4×1 relay, Phil anchored a W60 team called 4-Dreamers to gold. They won by 25 seconds. For an encore today, Phil upped the W60 national record in the high jump to 1.36 (4-5 1/2), topping the listed record of 1.35 by Kathy Bergen in 2003.

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The pace could be sub-4 when Jim Sorensen runs the Pro Men’s Mile exhibition Friday at the USA Youth Championships near Chicago. USATF press release says: “Daniel Lincoln, American record-holder in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, highlights the field of professional and emerging elite athletes scheduled to compete in the Pro Men’s Mile at the 2007 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Lisle, Illinois, on Friday afternoon . . . (Jim) Sorensen will look to become the first athlete over the age of 40 to break four minutes in an outdoor mile. The current outdoor world record for masters 40-44 is 4:02.53. Earlier this year he ran 3:44.06 for 1,500m, which is equivalent to a 4:02 mile.”

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Roald Bradstock also replied to my Q&A request (days ago), and sent along a cool multi-exposure throwing sequence as well. Roald, of course, is our 45-year-old stud who took 12th at Indy open nationals (beating eight in the process and becoming the oldest javelin thrower ever to compete at the USATF Championships). Took an American record to beat him. I asked how he was treated. Roald began: “Absolutely fine . . . unlike previous years. One year I was denied entry to the stadium because only athletes were allowed on the track.”

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My apologies to the lady milers. Some great tales of the Indy nationals mile exhibition have arrived, and it’s not too late to share. One account is by Robin Judice, a 44-year-old runner from Lafayette, Louisiana. She writes: “I kept a blog of my whole USATF experience (since I’m a newbie to all this), and my husband Ross filmed the women’s race. It is all posted at www.blazingbayou.com. . . . . Although it was not my shining moment in track and field, it WAS my most thrilling moment in track!” And race winner Mary Grene, also 44, checked in as well, replying to my Q&A.

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Jim Sorensen isn’t done after all! The M40 middle-distance phenom is set to run a mile Friday at Benedictine University in the Chicago suburb of Lisle. And he told Jeff Faraudo of the Oakland Tribune: “I’d like to lower my American record and shoot for the world record of 4:02.53. The supreme goal would be to break 4 minutes.” His race will be an exhibition at the USA Youth Championships. Great showcase and model for the kidlets. Last week, Jim wrote me that his Bloomington 800 would be his final race of the season. Glad to see he’s changed his mind!

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The National Senior Olympics in Louisville saw another dozen or so world age-group records set over the weekend. Mainly by youngsters over 80. But now the toddlers are having their fun — 50 and older. Our perennial poster child Phil Raschker of Georgia scooted an impressive 100 heat Sunday in the W60 age group: a legal 13.97 seconds. The world record is 13.89 and AR is 13.91. The only woman to run faster Sunday was San Diego’s Rita Hanscom, 53, who clocked a legal 13.73. In the 400 prelims, Phil ran 1:08.54. The world record is 1:07.30.

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Three days after setting the M40 American record in the mile, Jim Sorensen of San Leandro, California, turned his sights on the two-lap standard — and delivered. Jim ran the 800 in 1:50.34 Saturday at Indiana University, smashing the M40 world record of 1:50.69 set by Ireland’s Colm Rothery in 2000. Jim took fifth at an American Milers Club meet in Bloomington. The time lowers his own American record of 1:51.57, set in mid-May. The 800 becomes his second WR in a month, since he set his age-group’s 1500 world best June 4.

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