Statmeister Martin Gasselsberger of Austria has posted the performance standards he’ll use in building world rankings for the 2007 outdoor season, a world championship year. He says they are “subject to modifications.” They’re not easy. Apparently his aim is to create 50-deep lists in all events and age groups. But he needs your help. If your mark is under the standard (for running events) or over the standard (for jumps and throws), send him the mark yourself via this submit form. It’s similar to what Dave Clingan is doing with his Submission Form at mastersrankings.com (USATF members only). Now if only WMA recognized Martin’s work and put him on the payroll.

Heard about this? NBA broadcaster Charles Barkley, a former player now infamous for uttering idiocies, said the other day: “I’ll donate $10,000 if Dick Bavetta can outrun me end-to-end [of a basketball court].There’s no 67-year-old in the whole world — not just NBA officials — that can outrun me.” Yeah, right. At least it’s given an M65 athlete a chance to show his stuff on national TV. Lots of commentary attendant with this exhibition, which USATF could capitalize on. (Bring Barkley to Boston!)

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Pole vaulters are becoming the movie stars of masters track. About the same time that John Altendorf’s M60 WR video went up, so did this endless loop of a near-record 3.85 (12-7 1/2) by M60 Matti Kilpelainen of Canton, Michigan. The video shows a third-try clearance at last Saturday’s EMU Classic at Eastern Michigan University (although the results strangely list him as an NH). Matt also reportedly tried for 4.00 (13-1 1/2). Four years ago (at this same meet), Matti, then 57, set the M55 world indoor record with a jump of 4.10 (13-5 1/4). Both are expected to compete getting prednisone at the Boston masters indoor nationals in late March.

Leonard Hill’s M50 steeplechase record has been corrected online. Finally. Three years after the wrong time was posted on the USATF records page and 12 days after the mistake was noted here, USATF Record Committee Chairman Justin Kuo this afternoon uploaded the right record (10:10.41) and zapped the wrong one (9:45.38). Earlier today, masters records czar Sandy Pashkin authorized the fix.

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USATF Masters T&F Chairman Gary Snyder of Boston has shared some great news with his board and others, writing: “On January 24th via email I received notification from the National Office that as a result of the 2007 membership fee increase we would receive an additional $20k for programs and projects previously applied for but not funded. For the ‘budget geeks,’ our new budget without the surcharge monies is about $60k. Joy (MacDonald) and I are developing a revised budget which we will distribute after the appropriate approval.” Last year’s surcharge was forecast as $16,000, so this might bring our total revenues to about $76,000 — a far cry from the $30,000 or $40,000 of just a few years ago.

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Washington Post health writer David Brown has a great report today on how the body slows and weakens with aging. And a graphic (see below) even cites as a source Martin Gasselsberger’s mastersathletics.net rankings and records site. David says in the article: “Conclusion: No part of your body is spared the effects of age. So exercise it all.” But regular Post reader Bob Weiner, the media chair for USATF Masters Track & Field, wasn’t happy that masters rowing and swimming got all the ink. He sent a letter to the Post (which he CC’d to me).

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John Altendorf, writing on Becca Gillespy’s message board, has given further details on his M60 world indoor record in the vault last weekend in Seattle: “This was the first time I attended the UW Open. . . . Most masters meets are very sparsely attended so to have such a large crowd in a confined area was a new experience. And since my jumping went well, all this fit together to make a great day. This is the only meet where all the heights I made (4) were on the first attempt until I went out trying 4.00m. If anyone wants to see the 3.96 jump you can access it with this link.”

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Elliott Almond, the esteemed track writer at the San Jose Mercury News, has expanded our understanding of Lad Pataki’s battle with brain cancer, writing today: “Ladislav Pataki, a former Soviet Bloc sports scientist who became a Silicon Valley fixture after defecting from Czechoslovakia in 1985, is suffering from brain cancer. Pataki is staying at an assisted living residence in San Jose, three-time Olympian Ed Burke of Los Gatos said. ‘He can’t talk to you but he understands what you’re saying,” the hammer thrower said. ‘At this point, he stumbles some.’ Pataki, 60, . . . underwent surgery in the Czech Republic last year, but doctors were unable to remove all of his tumor, Burke said.”

Anthony Treacher’s appeal to the IAAF has hit a brick wall. And the wall’s name apparently is Pierre Weiss. According to a note from Anthony — whose story I told a month ago — “On December 23, 2006, I asked for an IAAF comment on the validity of my complaint of my BMAF Team Leader Maurice Doogan’s rules infringements and verbal abuse at Linz. The IAAF informed me January 10, 2007: ‘The situation is being investigated and we will get back to you as soon as possible.’ I waited but heard nothing, as usual when contacting athletics bodies.” So this morning Anthony phoned IAAF HQ in Monte Carlo.

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Henry Rono, losing weight and gaining steam as he targets his age-group mile record, was born 55 years ago on this date in Nandi Hills, Kenya. Last week, he continued piling on miles and acted as a rabbit for a middle-school miler. He wrote on letsrun.com: “In the evening, I was breathing very hard, ‘like a old horse never want to be defeated,’ said coach Mike, who was timing us for time trial for his middle school student. He wanted to break 6:15 minutes a mile and he did today. I was a pacemaker for him. I hold the pace for him I was really stubborn too, which means I don’t let it out easy for the kid, ‘stay with him he knows the pace,’ said the coach. I ran 6:13 . . . unlike what I did in the morning 6:40 . . . mile by myself.”

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