The weight throw is being added to the schedule at the Orono masters nationals, reports USATF masters throwing events coordinator Jerry Bookin-Weiner. Jerry writes: “I learned earlier today that a request I had made on behalf of some of the throwers to add the weight throw as an exhibition event in Orono has been approved. Essentially the terms will be like those for the shuttle hurdles: 1. Entrants must be entered in another event at the Championships. 2. $10 entry fee. 3. No medals — this is not a championship event.” Jerry says he thinks entries will be open in Orono and not restricted to those who sign up for the event by the deadline for entries, but he plans to check on that.

Read the rest of this post »

If you went to the L.A. or Atlanta Olympics, you might recall the daily publication that carried that day’s schedules, the previous day’s results and assorted features. Sports Illustrated was behind the Atlanta one. Now the National Senior Olympics set for next month in Louisville will have its own daily wrap-up, look-ahead paper. GeezerJock magazine is behind it. Editor Sean Callahan writes me: “The National Senior Games newspaper, which will be called the Euflexxa Exxtra, is going to work great. We’re going to produce the newspaper for 10 days, and we’re selling tons of advertising. I think people are going to eat it up.” How cool.

Read the rest of this post »

Is Mike Rouse the Don Imus of the San Diego-Imperial Association of USATF? Mike had been president of this sunny association only two months when, in a November public meeting, he called a longtime meet and club director a “bitch.” Uh oh. He tangled with the wrong woman. His target was Liz Tate, sister of the late Florence Griffith-Joyner. Her annual Flo-Jo International Youth Club meets have been kind to masters in the past, inviting them to run entry-fee.

Read the rest of this post »

Marie-Louise Michelsohn of Stony Brook, New York, shares details of her latest world record, her sixth of the year — the W65 outdoor mile at Saturday’s Bob Boal meet (where results are now posted.) at Duke University. (I reported Jeanne Daprano’s W70 mile record there earlier.) Marie-Louise writes: “My time was 6:16.28. The old world record was Diane Palmason’s 6:19.04 run on April 6, 2003. The old American record was Jeanne Daprano’s 6:32.47 run on May 4, 2002. Incidentally, Jeanne’s 2002 mile was run at the same meet — the Southeastern Masters. I love that meet. I’ve done it several times and always enjoy it.”

Read the rest of this post »

At the same Duke meet where John Hinton lowered the M45 world record at 1500, Olympian Joan Nesbit Mabe did the same for the W45 American record at 1500, fellow middle-distancer Lesley Chaplin-Swann points out. Joan ran 4:43.21 to smash the listed AR of 4:46.00 by Carmen Ayala-Troncoso in June 2006. Joan’s 1500 time is roughly equivalent to a 5-minute mile. The listed W45 AR for the mile is 5:07.76. The world record for the 1500 is wayyyyy out there, though: 4:05.44 by Russia’s Yekatarina Podkopayeva in 1998. (It’s so extreme that her times were banished from calculations of the most recent Age-Graded Tables.)

Read the rest of this post »

Less than a week after turning 45, John Hinton of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, began his assault on the record books Sunday at the Duke Twilight Meet in Durham, North Carolina, reports Alan Sigmon. Alan writes: “John Hinton broke the M45 world record for 1500, clocking 3:56.39 in seventh place. Hinton turned 45 last Tuesday. Old record: 3:58.3, Peter Molloy, GB, 9 Aug 1995.” John’s 3:56 is roughly equivalent to a 4:16 mile. The listed M45 mile world record? It’s 4:16.75 by New Zealand’s David Sirl in 1987. Now it’s Tony Young’s turn. He runs the mile Saturday in Oregon.

Read the rest of this post »

Jeff Hartwig, closing in on 40, vaulted a season best 5.83 (19-1 1/2) Saturday in Veracruz, Mexico. The IAAF reports: “The 1999 World Indoor Championships silver medallist cleared a season’s best of 5.83 to win a duel with local favorite Giovanni Lanaro ( 5.73), who took the CAC and Mexican record to 5.82 three weeks earlier. USA’s 2000 Olympic champion Nick Hysong (5.53) and Robinson Pratt (5.53) shared the third stop, the same height of USA’s Daniel Ryland ( 5.53).” Jeff’s jump is equivalent to 20-10 1/2 on the Age-Graded Tables. He’s the No. 4 vaulter in the world this season. Keep it up, Jeff!

Which is harder? Running a sub-4 mile when you’re 25 or a sub-7 mile when you’re 70? Whatever the answer, there’s no question Jeanne Daprano is our latest Roger Bannister. She made sub-7 a reality yesterday at the 37th annual Bob Boal masters meet (formerly the Southeastern U.S. Masters Meet) at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Her husband, Bill, writes: “Her time of 6:47.75 beat the existing record of 7:15.87 (by Helly Visser of Canada in 2004) by 28 seconds.” On The WMA Age-Graded Tables, that’s equivalent to an open (age-20-30) time of 4:15.9. Jeanne has bigger ambitions this fall. She’s entered in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 at the world masters championships in Riccione, Italy. Congrats to Jeanne!

Stacy Dragila, competing against the kiddies, wasn’t at the top of her game today at the Modesto Relays, the results indicate. She vaulted 4.10 (13-05 1/4), tying for fifth. It was short of her W35 world record 4.30 of last weekend. M35 sprinter Jeff Laynes and M40 dashman Aaron Thigpen were also off their age-group bests. Jeff clocked 10.31 for 100 with a maximum-allowable wind of 2.0 mps. Aaron ran 10.82 with an illegal wind of 2.1 mps.

Read the rest of this post »

Joy Upshaw-Margerum is a lucky duck. Not only does she have amazing athletic talent and belong to a storied track family, but she also gets to attend some great parties. Last week, she went to the celebration of Don Bowden, the first American to run a sub-4 mile — 50 years ago. She also got a chance to chat with masters sprint legend Payton Jordan, now 90. He lost his wife in December, so knowing that he would be there, I had Joy ask him whether he might lace on spikes again. Joy wrote me: “Yes, I did ask Payton if he may come back into masters track –and he replied, no, but he enjoyed it immensely.” Oh well. At least Don Pellmann’s records are safe.

Read the rest of this post »