Three weeks ago, I wrote about the coming powwow of Eurovets enchiladas in Frankfurt, Germany. I said: “One hopes the council reports out what they’re recommending at the Nov. 3-5 meetings.” Well, they delivered — Euro-fluff. Here’s what “KG” posted on the Eurovets site about the “Management Workshop for EMA’s future.”

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Mastersrankings.com reports that more than 1,500 athletes took part in the WMA South American Regional Championships that ended Sunday in Santiago, the Chilean capital. “Participants came from several nations outside of WMA’s South American Region including Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Curazao, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands and United States,” the story says. I found one Yank (M70 distancer Henry Weiland) and a Canadian (W55 multi-eventer Susanne Lauridsen). “The home country took home about 200 gold and over 550 total, Argentina won over 120 gold and 300 total and Brazil won the third most medals bringing home over 150 with over 75 being gold.” Brazil’s Takumi Matsushima set M85 South American records in the shot, discus, hammer and javelin. Here are women’s results, and here are men’s results. Lots of photos on meet’s Facebook page.

On the Ides of March 2013, Christian Cushing-Murray was seven months away from turning 46. He stepped to the line of the first 1500 heat at the Oxy Invitational in Los Angeles and proceeded to chase kids half his age. He finished 13th in a fantastic 3:55.09, which I celebrated as an M45 American record. It beat the listed AR of 3:56.39 by John Hinton in 2007. (The listed WR is now 3:48.72 by Britain’s Anthony Whiteman.) But years passed, and crickets. No record listing. But this week, Cush learned that his AR application had been approved, and masters records czar Jeff Brower should be posting it soon. On Facebook, Cush said the mark went “unratified because of paperwork issues. … The performance meant a lot to me when I did it — it was the culmination of setting a goal, a year of preparation, and executing a solid race — but the record didn’t really mean much; it was enough to know I did it. Now, in my elder years, I cannot tell a lie: The official record does mean something to me, because I know how difficult — and fleeting — these things are.” Again, thanks to Jeff for righting a Sandy Pashkin wrong. And belated happy M50 to Cush, whose birthday was a month ago.

W75 sprinter/jumper Carol Lafayette-Boyd — a contender for WMA Female Athlete of the Year after setting five WRs in June and competing in WMA regionals in August — tells a Canadian news site she hopes to compete until she’s 100. We learn: “She hopes that her story can help people see that age shouldn’t stop you from starting something you’d like to try.” She says: “Don’t worry how well you are doing because look at me, 25 years later I’m doing better than the first two meets that I had.”

Two Aussie schools are offering a chance at $100 gift vouchers or $150 digital cameras if you take part in their what-motivates-masters study. But they’re apparently targeting folks who competed in the Australian Masters Games. “The first project will explore the reasons why people get involved in sport and how they continue to participate as they get older,” says one story. “Some athletes will be asked to complete surveys and others will take photos of things that are meaningful to their games involvement and will be interviewed about them later.” My reasons? Athletic immortality and shiny medals.

Sally Pearson doesn’t turn 35 until 2021, but she told an Australian masters track club she’s looking to join it. Her first masters worlds wouldn’t be until 2022. But watch out, short hurdlers. (She won the IAAF London world title in 12.59. Also grabbed London Olympic gold.) The Gold Coast Bulletin said: “Pearson has promised to join the fun in the future but for now members of Gold Coast Masters Athletics are happy to create their own modest track and field legacies. … While it’s a world away from the Olympics, 31-year-old golden girl Pearson has pledged her support behind a format that’s as much about fun and fitness as results.” Quoted is Gold Coast Masters Athletics official Karen Lakin: “Sally Pearson told me she would join soon. That wasn’t too long ago so hopefully (down the track she will).” Good on you, Sally. See you soon.

Steve McBride is director of a Dallas indoor meet Dec. 1-2 seeking high-profile entrants. A press release says: “Dunamis Sports Group brings to Dallas Market Hall the nation’s fastest independently owned 200m-banked track. The same blazing track where Tara Davis set the national high school long jump record in February 2017 (21-11) will now host youth, high school, collegiate, and post-collegiate athletes in a two-day frenzy of activity, including charitable events benefitting the Boys & Girls Club of Dallas and various Animal Rescue Shelters.” Cool. So I wrote Steve to see if masters age-groupers can come. He replied: “The only masters event we are looking to have is pole vault.” Oh drat. I don’t know which day it’ll be contested, but here’s the entry site. Hope some good geezervaulters can attend.

A brief flurry of email has led to official confirmation of where and when 2018 outdoor masters nationals will be. It’s July 26-29 — as noted on the USATF calendar and at USATFmasters.org. It’ll be at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, 23 minutes southwest of Spokane. (The 2008 outdoor nationals were on the blue track at Spokane Falls Community College.) The issue arose because of conflicting information from a USATF email newsletter and several sites saying the meet would be in August. National Masters News also carried the wrong date (since corrected). National masters Chair Rex Harvey says: “We had to go a week earlier because of field availability. It will give a good recovery time before Malaga.”

Yoko Nakano of Japan lowered her own W80 world record over 3000 meters a week ago, clocking 14:27.49 at a Japanese masters meet in Wakayama featured at mastersrankings.com. “Dozens of championship records as well as 22 Japan … records were bettered. The listed record is her 14:47.89 from Sept. 17, 2016, in Nigata, Japan. WMA noted: Octogenarian Yoko Nakano, Japan, ran a marathon in February in a World W80 Best time of 4:11:45. She has now followed that phenomenal time up with a 10,000 world record run in 53.12.59. Both times have now been ratified by WMA. “Almost 2,300 athletes were registered for this championship, which was shortened from three to two days due to impending typhoon,” said the report.

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On Friday, Sabra Harvey, 68, of West Houston was named USATF Athlete of the Week, her first time thus honored, after having the top age-graded percentage at the USATF National Masters 15K Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She ran the 9.3 miles in 1:07:24 — a 7:13 mile pace. Oddly, the announcement story gives no details. But I contacted Sabra, a world champ and WR-holder at 800 meters. I asked her what her longest races are. She replied: “I usually do a 10-miler in Houston, have run the CRIM 10 Miler in Michigan twice, and have run Tulsa several times before. In fact, in 2015 ran only a few seconds faster on the same course so was happy to run well again this year. Great to have a competitive field of F65s racing. Tough, tough course — ’12 on a scale of 1 to 10,’ said one well-known participant. The finish is a particularly challenging mile and a half-steady climb into downtown from across the river. Conditions were very cold with some bit of wind, making the feel-like temp dip somewhere below 32. No time to stand around at the finish line if you wanted to be warm again!”

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