What do Parry O’Brien, Johnnye Valien and Willie Gault have in common? Or Larry Stuart, Christel Donley and Peter Mundle? Besides being Southern California masters legends, they all hold SoCal USATF Association Masters Championship records. We know this because M45 hurdler Jeff Davison spent months collecting and collating meet records going back to 1977. Check out Jeff’s milestone work of masters history.

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Parry O’Brien’s obituaries have rightly recited his Olympic golds and shot put innovations. But except for noting his death during a masters swimming race, they haven’t given due deference to his earlier masters career — as a thrower. According to Len Olson’s “Masters Track: A History,” Parry set M50 world records in the shot (58-1 1/2) and discus (185-11) in 1984 and won silver (in the shot: 16.04) and gold (discus: 53.86) at the 1985 WAVA World Championships in Rome (where in 1960 he won Olympic silver). He won shot golds at the 1952 and 1956 Games.

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Marie-Louise Michelsohn, in warmer weather this time, has bagged another W65 world record, she reports. This one was over 3,000 meters Sunday at the New York Relays at Icahn Stadium, where her 12:09.65 shaved nearly eight seconds from the listed age-group record of 12:17.49 by Germany’s Lydia Ritter in June 2004. It was M-L’s second WR in two weeks and fifth of the season. On April 7, she brought down another German’s 10K record. Writes Marie-Louise: “I must say I’m having fun.” Meet results online are still to come.

From the masters section of the ambien Italian track Web site comes word of an M45 world outdoor record in the high jump by Marco Segatel, who turned 45 on March 23. Marco jumped 2.01 meters (6-7) on Saturday to top the listed WR of 2.0 (6-6 3/4) by American Bruce McBarnette in May 2006. Marco sent me this great photo of the jump. Last July, at age 44, Marco cleared 2.04 (6-8 1/4), so the weekend’s mark isn’t a surprise. But he’ll have to match that 2.04 to equal the highest M45 leap on record — an indoor 2.04 by Dennis Lewis. If Marco can stay injury-free, he has motivation to go 2.05 this September — when his country hosts the WMA world championships in Riccione. (He won the 2004 and 2006 world indoor titles, so he’ll be the favorite.)

Roger Kingdom was as bummed as I was about his DNF yesterday at the meet he hosted. Roger writes: “It was a perfect day for racing. The temperature was between 72-76 degrees, with nothing but sunshine. I would like to thank the masters competitors for coming out. At this point I’m OK. I have a slight strain in my right hamstring (trail leg). I felt very good before my race. The injury came as a result of trying to run too fast too soon. The 39′ barriers which we ran yesterday was like speed drills for me. I’ve been so used to the 42′ hurdles.”

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Of 55 finishers in the men’s 400 at yesterday’s Triton Invitational at UC San Diego, the gent who took 46th was no slacker. It was NFL Hall of Famer James Lofton, who ran the 400 in 52.64 — showing he’s still serious about challenging Fred Sowerby’s M50 world record of 51.39, set in 1999. James turns 51 in July. He could become the youngest man to run his age. (Harold Morioka ran 51.7 at age 51.) Last year, James also spoke of getting the long jump record as well.

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Running into headwinds of 3.5 and 1.8 mph, Jeff Laynes, 36, beat the youngsters at yesterday’s Oregon Invitational at 100 and 200 meters. Jeff’s 10.66 and 21.13 are easily the best of his age group in the United States — and probably the world. A week earlier at the Mt. SAC Relays, Jeff ran a slightly wind-aided 10.30 for 100. As far as Jeff is concerned, the only numbers that matter are 10.20 and 10.35, the “A” and “B” qualifying standards for the USATF open nationals, which serve as the IAAF Osaka World Championships trials. He’s guaranteed a spot in the Indy nationals by running 10.20. He’ll have to be top 32 in America with a 10.35 or better.

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Oh well. The highly touted masters hurdle race between two-time Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom and M40 world champ David Ashford didn’t produce a race for the ages. Roger, who turns 45 in August, is listed as DNF — did not finish. Ashford, also 44, clocked 14.99 — over the 39-inch masters hurdles. But W40 record-holder Alisa Harvey delivered on the women’s side, winning the 800 in 2:08.47. That’s a few clicks off the 2:08.04 she ran in late March. Another nice mark was turned in my Bob Bowen, a mid-50s sprinter who ran the 100 in 12.10.

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M40 runner Rodney Zook won the Kansas Relays masters 800 today in a respectable 2:07.98 — but in the absence of Steve Gallegos, the 2005 indoor world champion for M50. But M40-minus-six-months vaulter Jeff Hartwig showed up big time — showing up Sydney Olympic champion Nick Hysong in the invitational pole vault with a big 5.72 clearance — 18 feet, 9 1/4 inches. Jeff missed three times at 5.82 (19-1). Fellow 39-year-old Pat Manson, a Kansas grad, cleared 5.22 (17-1 1/2).

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M45 hurdler Jeff Davison’s dream of a shuttle hurdle relay at masters nationals is a step closer to reality. The Orono schedule, which is now online, lists this exhibition (nonmedal) relay as the last track event of Sunday — following the medal relays. So any ironman (or ironwoman) athlete still standing after four days of competition can enter the 4×110 or 4×100 hurdle relay. Jeff offers more information on his Web site. And BTW: Online entry isn’t up yet. But usatf.org webmaster Keith Lively informs me that online entry should be available “in the next week or so.”