Kathy Bergen outkicks a younger sprinter, Lynn Naftel, in the 100-meter dash at the Club West Masters Meet in October 2002 in Santa Barbara, California.

Kathy battles with Sullivan Award finalist Phil Raschker in the Age-Graded 100 race at the 2003 USATF National Masters Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Bert Bergen, Kathy’s husband of four decades, high jumps at one of many meets held for masters at Long Beach State University. Bert is a national-class M65 straddler, but Kathy sets records with the flop.

Kathy poses with other entrants at a Mt. SAC Relays masters handicap sprint exhibition in the late 1990s. Although she lost to Phil Raschker (in yellow) that year, she’s won the event more than anyone else over the years.

Ken Stone photos

MASTERS PROFILE

By Chris Stone

It was Kathy Bergen vs. Stan Whitley. A 67-year-old woman vs. a 60-year-old man. But it was no contest. In 2006, Stan had won four national championships in the sprints – two indoors, two out. Still, Kathy had great credits of her own that year – six national titles in the sprints and high jump. Plus two world age-group records.

So when Kathy beat Stan on December 28, 2006, it wasn’t a surprise.

Ken Stone photo Kathy Bergen has branched out to the throws in recent years, including the javelin at the May 2006 Striders Meet of Champions at Long Beach State University.

It came in a vote. Both are members of the Southern California Striders, and Kathy ran away with the club’s top honor: Athlete of the Year.

She accepted a trophy featuring a bronze female sprinter from Brenda Matthews, club president, and Eric Dixon, the club’s vice president, and beamed with pride and gratitude. But on her path to that award obstacles had to be overcome.

  

It was 1996. Kathy’s husband, Bert, didn’t want to see her hurt again. She was laid up for eight months after her back went out. To drive the point home, Bert told her that if she ever high jumped again, he would divorce her.

Two years later, in better health, Bert relented and Kathy was back trying the flop. She has since dominated the high jump in her age group, and in 2006 soared to indoor and outdoor world records.

In all, Kathy has set eight American and world records.

She has always been in love with sports. Growing up in Brooklyn, she played stickball, rode a bike and tooled around on roller skates.

But she really enjoyed competition. In high school, the only girls sport was basketball — three offensive players and three defenders playing a half-court game.

Kathy yearned to do more and calls the lack of athletics for women in the 1950s the “great tragedy” in her life. “I would have loved it.”

She attended Brooklyn’s St. Saviour Catholic Girls High School and Marymount Manhattan College and went on to be employed in a couple of “boring” computer programmer jobs for banks.

But her love for sports didn’t wane. “I pick up sports quickly,” she said. Kathy took up competitive tennis with her husband, whom she married in 1963 at the age of 23 after meeting Bert through a mutual friend.

Ken Stone photo Brenda Matthews and Eric Dixon present Kathy her Athlete of the Year trophy at the annual awards dinner of her club, the Southern California Striders.

Then in 1993 Bert spotted an AARP article about the Senior Olympics. Bert had high jumped in high school, and the two of them decided to give track a try. Kathy entered the 50- and 100-meter dashes at Occidental College.

“It was so much fun! What a ball! I couldn’t wait for the next one,” she said.
The Senior Olympics still holds a special place in her heart because it was her first meet, but in 1994 she was introduced to the masters track circuit.

While they both continued their 3-4 times-a-week competitive tennis schedule, Kathy began running around a local track and worked on picking up speed.

She began concentrating on her technique and garnered tips from other athletes. As she went indoor and outdoor meets, Bert was competing in the high jump and long jump. Kathy noticed “nicest” group of athletes who hung out around the pit. Everyone was encouraging and Bert and his friends got Kathy to add an event to her repertoire — high jumping. “I tried the straddle, but I crashed and burned,” she said. So she switched to the Fosbury flop.

It was at the 1995 Reno nationals that she set her first American age-group record — in the indoor 60 meters. A year later, in Spokane at the age of 56, she began her string of high jump victories with an American outdoor record.

But she suffered a herniated disk in her back the following year from what she said was too much wear and tear from competitive tennis all those years.

While she was on the hiatus from high jumping on orders from her husband, she decided to give javelin a shot.

And while she’s had soft-tissue pulls “everywhere—hamstring, quads, ankles and shoulder,” she continues to compete in the 60, 100, 200, high jump, discus and javelin. She has learned to befriend ice and follows the credo: “If it hurts, don’t do it.”

In addition there were other adventurous attempts. “I gave thought to hurdles for a half a season. But it was terrible, so no way.” The long jump jarred her back. “I’ve kicked around the idea of the triple jump, but I don’t want to jeopardize the high jump and sprints to do it, but it seems like fun.”

Indeed fun has played a big part in her competition over the years. She speaks often of her joy and excitement about track and field and is thankful for the healthy body to carry her through the journey.

“I used to think at first that being first was the most exciting,” she said, “but just being out here to do my best all of the time” brings her satisfaction.

And her best allowed her in February 2006 to break the W65 world record for 60 meters and the high jump at Lehigh University – a school in Pennsylvania between New York and Philadelphia. And at USA nationals in Boston the following month, she again broke the indoor 60 record. In May, she bested the outdoor world record in the high jump despite that fact she didn’t think she did well technically.

Although she’s had success in swimming and tennis in the Senior Olympics, winning in mixed doubles, Kathy has decided that track and field means the most to her.

“You can’t do it all, and I want to concentrate on it, Kathy said. Her favorite event is high jump followed by the short sprints – the 60 and 100.

Together the Bergens, who live in the Los Angeles suburb of La Canada, have had five children, all swimmers. The first swam in Chico, the second swam and played water
polo at UC Davis, the third swam at University of San Diego, the fourth swam at Davis — and the fifth also ran cross country, “and they all graduated on time,” Kathy says. “They are very supportive and brag to their friends and co-workers about us.”

The Bergens don’t train together and there’s no competition between them, but support for each other is a constant. Kathy supports Bert’s basketball triumphs in addition to his field events (he also long jumps). “Basketball is the love of his life,” she said.

Her speed, spirit and love of the competition have fueled her to surpass many world records and win numerous awards since her first Senior Olympics competition.

And she doesn’t need any additives. “They can test me if they want,” she said. “All they’ll find is vodka and wine.”

As for her future in the sport, Kathy said, “I’d like to keep going forever. If I’m having fun, why not keep doing it?”