Two months after zapping Phil Raschker’s W55 American record in the 100, Joy Upshaw did a number on Phil’s ARs in the 200 and 80 hurdles. At the new Sierra Gold Masters Track and Field Festival in Grass Valley (Northern California), Joy clocked 27.54 Saturday to lower the listed record of 27.78 by Fab Phil in 2002. (The listed WR is 26.36 by France’s Nicole Alexis.) In the 80H, Joy ran 13.04 at Nevada Union High School, which smashed Phil’s listed record of 13.19 from 2002. (The WR is 12.31 by Helgi Lamp of Estonia.) Results are here. Joy’s 200 event is here, which also shows W80 Irene Obera running the 2 in 37.08. (She holds the WR at 36.80.) For now, Phil’s 4.90 (16-1) long jump American record is safe. Joy jumped a legal 4.65 (15-3) at Sierra Gold. Lemme know if you see any other records.
Results should be available soon for Saturday’s Chuck McMahon Masters Meet at Cal State San Marcos. Meanwhile, see my gallery of the San Diego TC-sponsored event that also serves as the San Diego USATF association masters championships. I enjoyed meeting some up-and-comers, including W30 Jasmine Artis, making a comeback in jumps and sprints after competing for Maryland more than a decade ago. I reconnected with my friend Jim Selby, staying in the game at 88. And I reminded coach Wes Williams that he’s still The Man in the Long Hurdles. Dr. Richard Watson, escaping 120-degree temps in his Arizona home for high 70s in SoCal, brought his kiddie Radio Flyer wagon, the same kind used by Chuck McMahon when he was a world champion thrower and record-setter. Check out my favorite images. These and others can be downloaded in high resolution from this Google Drive folder. No charge. (But I accept love offerings.)
Dr. Richard Watson tows wagon with gear, just as Chuck McMahon did in his hallowed career (note Steve’s T-shirt at top).
Our honey-making friend Brad Barton is having one sweet season as a new M50. His American record 4:05.4 for 1500 on June 18 was matched by his son Garrett running a leg on Ogden High School’snational record4×1 mile relay team (a 4:16 leg), breaking a 40-year-old record. But the best may be yet to come. Brad has qualified for the Olympic Trials masters 1500 on Sunday, July 3 — just minutes before Ashton Eaton runs his own 15. He’ll be going against guys in their early 40s. But no matter. He’s a force. Recently, Brad shared details on his 1500 AR. Here’s what he posted on Facebook.
Brianna Scroggins photo of Brad training for return to the Trials. He made steeplechase semis in 1992.
Alfred Hermes reports on a masters meet Sunday in Ingelheim, Germany, which included an M80 world record 8.95 meters (29-4 1/2) in the triple jump by Lothar Fischer. That equals the listed age-group WR by Japan’s Mazumi Morita at 1993 worlds in Miyazaki. See results here. Germany’s track site notes that Lothar also set an M65 WR in the long jump that was tied by an Italian seven years later. But Lothar holds the M75 TJ record outright at 10.10 (33-1 1/2).
Here’s Lothar’s series at a Southwestern German Masters Championships.
Perhaps taking a cue from the 2017 Auckland World Masters Games, Perth is offering one lucky athlete a free flight to WMA worlds. But you have to enter first. So says WMA. “All you have to do is register for one or more events at the Perth 2016 World Masters Athletics Championships prior to 11.59pm Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) Thursday 30 June 2016,” WMA sez. (That’s 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time.) “The winner will be drawn at 10.00am (AWST) Friday 1 July 2016 and will receive flights for you and a companion up to the value of AU $3,000.” Unsure if this applies to folks already signed up. But nice gesture.
At the 2008 convention in Reno, Nevada, the USATF Masters T&F Committee adopted a set of timelines for masters nationals, including: “14 Days prior to first day of competition, Detail Schedule Available.” Since Grand Rapids nationals start July 14, that means we can expect hourly (or even by minute) event schedules posted by June 30. But the nationals website says: “The final time schedule for each day will be set following the close of entries on June 16.” Almost a week later, we’ve seen no change in the tentative sked. June 30 is a drop-dead deadline, but many would appreciate knowing detailed schedule sooner. But don’t count on it from an LOC that posted this about outdoor nationals: “Track events will range from 60 meters to 3,000 meters.”
Laura Bruess also excels off the track (and roads).
M50 Brad Barton of Utah smashed one of the oldest American records on the books over the weekend, clocking 4:05.41 for 1500 at the Portland Masters Track Classic in Oregon City. (See results here.) That beat the listed mark of 4:05.8 by Ray Hatton in 1982. At the USATF West Region Masters Championships, Gary Patton lowered the M70 AR in the mile to 5:35.03. (The listed record was 5:37.8 by Charles Rose in 2003.) In the 10,000 at the same Cerritos College meet, W55 Laura Bruess clocked 39:37.05, just beating Kathy Martin’s listed AR of 39:37.78 from 2007 Orono nationals. (See results here.) Also notable in Norwalk (Cerritos) was an M55 Canadian record in the mile. David Guss ran 4:49.94 to beat the listed Canuck record of 4:54.72 by Paul Reimer in 2010. Kudos to all.
Olympic champ Adam Nelson, aiming for his July 1 Olympic Trials shot event, is getting ambitious at 40. He’s starting a biz he calls Strong at 40 that will fill “the massive void of information and opportunities” for athletes over 40. Hoooo-kay! He’s promising to hold seminars and meets for fellow geezers — and also start “an amazing community.” Adam especially wants our money — seeking donations at tiers from $25 to $10,000. We wish him luck, even if he’s clueless about the masters and Senior Olympic circuits, National Masters News, decades of research, and serious clubs and coaching in older-adult T&F.
Pete Taylor, 71, has wisened since my last full-blown interview with him in 2002. He’s also been through several medical wringers. But Pete is always worth listening to — either as a meet announcer or masters observer — so here’s another Q&A. This time, I delve into his day job. And his boss at Palladian Partners graciously offered his thoughts as well. Robert “Rob” Wald, director of editorial services, told me: “People in the masters track and field world probably don’t know how multitalented Peter Taylor is. I’ve been in the health and science communications business for more than 20 years, and I’ve worked with dozens and dozens of editors. The simple truth is that Peter is the best editor I’ve ever run across.”
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
taking a cue from the 2017 Auckland World Masters Games, Perth is offering one lucky athlete a free flight to WMA worlds. But you have to enter first. So says WMA. “All you have to do is register for one or more events at the Perth 2016 World Masters Athletics Championships prior to 11.59pm Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) Thursday 30 June 2016,” WMA sez. (That’s 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time.) “The winner will be drawn at 10.00am (AWST) Friday 1 July 2016 and will receive flights for you and a companion up to the value of AU $3,000.” Unsure if this applies to folks already signed up. But nice gesture.
