Got your USA uniform? Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Under WMA rules for the world meet, you have to wear a USA top. Anything for bottoms is OK. But those who want to look spiffy representing their country are finding themselves shitouttaluck — again. One athlete writes: “For myself and all other newcomers, USATF does not have full sets of uniforms. You can purchase a singlet, a shirt, etc. in limited sizes. As you can unitards (if and when they mysteriously appear on the website, of course). Forget about essentials like Running Shorts or Half Tights, they are available in the smallest size and in XXXXX, maybe.”

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Speaking of entry forms: You might fill out the one for Riccione before Orono’s. For Americans, the deadline is May 14 — only three weeks away. (And yet the world meet is a month after the USATF nationals. Takes the mail boats a long time, I guess.) And if you check out the Status of Entries page, you’ll find fewer than a couple dozen entrants. Bill Collins is down for the M55 1, 2 and 4. But most age groups don’t even have enough folks for a relay team! Given the Sept. 4-15 time frame (well after most U.S. vacations), this world meet might be the worst-attended in history. At least from the American side.

The funniest thing in the Orono entry form is a choice of entrees for the Saturday night Athletes Banquet. Unless you’re allergic to shellfish, you pick LOBSTER! (The other options are chicken, steak and vegetarian lasagna.) In any case, the entry form shows what days all events are on — for those planning travel for the August 2-5 meet at the University of Maine. The other good news: National championship patches will be awarded as well as ribbons for fourth, fifth and sixth. (The 2002 Orono nationals lacked ribbons.) The drop-dead deadline for entry is Friday, July 20. Motel rooms are filling fast, so go book ’em.

Like last weekend’s Mt. SAC Relays, this weekend’s Kansas Relays will have four masters events. Thanks to W45 champ Joy Upshaw-Margerum for providing the link. She’ll be watching results with interest because her Olympian sister Grace is long jumping this weekend in Lawrence. I’ll be watching for open pole vault results, since M39 stud Jeff Hartwig is entered. The top masters entrant may be M50 Steve Gallegos of Colorado, the Linz world champion, entered in the 800. But in the mile, I’ll be rooting for M50 Malcolm “Mike” McCollam of Tulsa. He was the editor of the Jayhawker yearbook when I was features editor in 1975-76. Go Mike! (Later note: MM took 2nd. Here’s the phototimer image.)

Two things you can expect at Maine masters nationals: lobster and lovely views. It’s the scenic part that meet director Rolland Ranson stresses in Peter Taylor’s first interview on the August 2-5 meet. But Coach Ranson (a University of Maine assistant) also recalls a freaky moment from the last nationals held there: “At the last nationals in 2002, many remember the car lineup on the highway, when a moose sat on an exit ramp and did not allow cars to go around him; eventually the moose got up and wandered off.” Feel free to suggest questions for Pete to ask Rolland. (And to revisit the 2002 nationals, check out photo files beginning with “orono” here.

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The Los Angeles Daily News isn’t the only paper to give masters some recognition. A week earlier, the Corvallis (Oregon) daily did something similar. The Corvallis piece notes how record-holding masters vaulter John Altendorf schmoozes local coaches for facilities: “The secret to his success? It’s about the relationship with the local high school coaching staffs, in particular Crescent Valley, that makes use of Altendorf’s knowledge and permits him to use the pole vault pit to practice.” Good points. The bigger focus is how masters make their way without clubs.

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Dieter Massin, president of the Eurovets, writes: “Dear friends, please take note of the information as follows: Helsinki-Indoors: all tests = negative. On the occasion of the 6th European Championships Indoor in Helsinki (March 22 to 25) drug tests have been made. The Finnish laboratory has analysed all tests and has now informed EVAA about the results: all tests were negative.” What’s interesting about this statement is the need to make it at all. Reason for this may be political. Dieter is basically confronting German accusations of widespread doping in the masters ranks. Between the lines, he’s saying: Go hang. Of course, so few tests are conducted (because of expense) that “no positives” is basically a meaningless assertion. Only by testing everyone can they say that with authority.

Roger Kingdom last September issued a challenge: Come to my April 21 meet, and let’s see who’s the best masters hurdler. Despite six world-class M40 or M35 hurdlers expressing interest at first in the event — only one will show up: M40 world champion David Ashford. Roger writes: “Right now only David and I are entered. I’m very disappointed! From the interest generated earlier, I thought we would have gotten a better showing. We will have to rethink our plans for the meet next year.” However, we’ve received word that W40 sensation Alisa Harvey will run the 800 at Roger’s meet in Pennsylvania. Another shot at getting a qualifying time for the USATF open nationals, which will pick a team for IAAF worlds in Osaka.

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No captions yet, but here are lotsa shots of Nadine O’Connor’s WR in the W65 100, Aaron Thigpen’s AR in the M40 100, Willie Gault in an open 200, Marty Krulee being interviewed by Dixon Farmer after winning the M50-plus 100 (and recalling his 20.3 glory days at Mt. SAC a few decades ago). Also, many shots of the masters 800 won by Fresno’s Joe Carnegie (who showed up only 20 minutes before the race!).

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Ed Whitlock, our Canadian friend who dabbles in the marathon when he’s not setting track records, has astonished again. Sunday at the Rotterdam Marathon he took 183rd out of 4,337 entrants and finished in 3:04:54 — slicing nearly four minutes from his own world record for the M75 age group of 3:08:35 set last September in Toronto. (Ed turned 76 in March.) On the WMA Age-Graded Tables, his mark is equivalent to a 2:05 marathon for open class. He averaged about 7:03 a mile. As Larry Rawson would say: “Try running that four times around your local high school track!”

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