Check out this Flocast video of the M50 4×1 relay at Penn yesterday. Bill Collins anchored his Houston Elite team on a wet track. Their winning time was 46.49 — a national “club record“ for M50 by half a second. (The listed world record is 44.99 by the USA national team of Bowen, Gonera, Collins and Norman at the 2003 worlds in Puerto Rico.) On the video, listen for the “woooooooo” of the crowd when Bill takes the stick and just zooms away — at age 56. Gotta love it.

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Babe Ruth called his shot nearly 75 years ago. Or maybe not. But there’s no question that Mike Powell, the longest jumper in history, is predicting his own blast. An age-group world record. This time, it won’t be Tokyo. It may be Modesto, as he promises on his Web site, or it may be in Germany, as he told the IAAF this week. Of course, Mike once said he’d jump in the 2004 Olympic Trials. He didn’t. And that he’d get the M40 record in 2006. Not so, either. But you can’t fault a guy for having a fire in the belly. Go get it, Mike!

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Kip Janvrin is a Drake Relays legend as a decathlete. But now that he’s 41, he gets to run for FUN! Today he won the masters 800 in Des Moines in a sensational 1:53.89. He broke the masters meet record by nearly two seconds. Must have been forced to run fast: 18 in the race. “These fans, this facility deserve top-notch performances,” he said. “Did I think I could run that fast? Yeah. We have a beautiful day and the track is fast.” His time age-grades out to 1:47.28. Not too shabby. Tomorrow morning, Drake runs a masters mile. Maybe Kip will come back and surprise us there, too.

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I don’t know the USATF rule book inside out, but it scares me when top officials don’t. Latest example: I got formal word today that the published meet schedule for the Orono nationals in August errs by saying 1500 prelims are Friday, August 3, “as needed.” Oops, wrong. No heats. It’s under Rule 332 regarding masters timed finals. We don’t do heats in the 1500 and longer events at nationals. Orono meet director Rolland Ranson wrote me: “After everyone had, months ago, approved the schedule of events . . . we found (that) change. . . . There will be no prelims or trials in the 1500. Jim Flanik, Don Barry ruled. All 1500s are run on Sunday, Aug 5th. as finals.” Rolland gives credit for the catch to meet announcer Peter Taylor.

The Kip Keino masters mile May 13 may have Olympian Mark Coogan. But more eyes that weekend will be on the Fountain of Youth Masters Mile in Oregon, where records may fall like rain May 12. Dave Clingan, event organizer, writes: “Within this field of 13 masters athletes, there will be several exciting sub-races according to standard Masters Track & Field five-year age divisions,” and he cites M45 entrants Tony Young and Pete Magill as well as M55s Nolan Shaheed and Henry Rono.

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Willie Gault, our great M45 sprinter/hurdler, last week was named to the Penn Relays Hall of Fame for his stellar efforts back in his Tennessee days. So will he be in Philly this weekend to savor old glories? Heck no. He’ll be taking a lane in the 100 and 200 against collegians at the Steve Scott Invitational at UC Irvine. He’s not alone, either. Olympian Jeff Williams and fellow M40 sprinter Kettrell Berry are entered at the Scott Invite as well. Vaughan Kastor and Ralph Garibaldi, who ran the masters 800 at Mt. SAC a few weeks ago, are entered in the same race there.

Weldon Johnson of letsrun.com has a good word for elite masters milers: Money! Weldon writes: “I’ve got an update on the Masters Miles at the Kip Keino Mile. There is $250 for first place in the men’s and women’s miles and a pair of Loco Running shoes for 2nd and 3rd. Olympian Mark Coogan is coming to run the men’s mile and hoping for a sub 4:30. We’re still looking for others in both races so if someone wants to run please have them . . . email me directly.” The event is May 13 in Ithaca, N.Y.

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In late December, masters coach Ross Dunton of Tennessee sent a disclaimer with one of his email newsletters: “Yes, I screwed-up — yesterday’s newsletter had the incorrect title. It should have been titled ‘Coaching and Training Information.’ I have no excuse for using the incorrect title, but I do have a reason. My memory is not what it used to be. At the annual session with my neurologist last July, I told him about some of the memory problems that I was having. As I had suspected, he said that they were the early signs of Alzheimer’s. He put me on Aricept and my memory has improved significantly.” Today, however, the news is worse. Under the headline “Training for Alzheimer’s Disease,” Ross writes: “I have Alzheimer’s Disease.”

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I doubt they have Olympic aspirations, but several world-class masters tracksters are entered in the Olympic Development 400-meter hurdles at this weekend’s Penn Relays. According to the schedule, the OD long-hurdles race goes off at 9:05 a.m. Saturday. Not sure how they’ll squeeze 17 entrants into one race. (Maybe run timed finals?) The ones I spotted are M35 Don Drummond, M40 Tony Echeandia and M45 Darnell Gatling. All are strong reps of our sport. Go kick kiddie butt, guys!

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The Malaysian national news agency reports: “The sixth Johor Masters Track and Field meet to be held at the Larkin stadium . . . has attracted a total of 235 athletes. Malaysia, with seven states participating, will send the biggest contingent of 73 with Indonesia, the next biggest, with 30 athletes, respectively. According to a spokesman for the organiser of the two-day meet to be held on April 28th and 29th, some ex-internationals who have competed in the SEA Games are expected to take part. The other countries that have confirmed their participation are Hong Kong, India, Brunei and Singapore while the Malaysian states taking part are the Federal Territory of Labuan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Melaka and Johor.”

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