By Peter Gambaccini

Photo supplied by Edelman Public Relations

Phil Raschker is arguably (where’s the argument?) the world’s greatest masters track and field athlete. Now 62, she is competing at the Summer National Senior Games Presented by Humana in Palo Alto, California; the Games, for athletes over age 50, have already commenced, but Raschker’s own events don’t begin until August 8. Originally from Germany, she has set more than two dozen world and 70 American age group records, not just for running but also for a wide range of field events and the heptathlon. Her most notable recent records include world 60-and-over bests for the 200-meter dash (28:54), the 400 (1:06.69), and the 80-meter hurdles (13.26). Think of that; past the age of 60, and still breaking 30 seconds for the 200. Raschker (Phil is for “Philippa”) also has a REALLY really long list of international gold triumphs to her credit, including ten gold medals at the 2007 World Masters Championships, right after she’d turned 60. Twice she has been a nominee for the Sullivan Award, the honor for the nation’s top amateur athlete; the other nominees were less than half her age. Raschker, who lives in Marietta, Georgia, responded to our Chat request by e-mail.

How many events will you enter, over how many days, at these Championships? Do you expect to win them all in your age group?
Phil Raschker: I qualified and entered the following events for the National Senior Games:100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, and javelin. Including trial heats, semifinals, and finals, it means potentially I have 17 competitions during the four-day period. If we have a rare California rain during the competition, the events will be extended to a fifth day, otherwise I compete from the 8th of August to the 11th of August, a total of four days. Depending on what the final schedule will be, I am hoping to win the sprints and jumps. The 800 would be a great challenge, but usually it interferes with my most important events. The throws are plain fun and games to see how high I can place within the competition. Still, they will have to be second in my schedule choice. I never expect to win all the events; it would not be a healthy attitude to take things for granted. In Louisville, Kentucky, at the last National Senior Games two years ago, I was fortunate enough to win my “main” events and set a few records in the process. My goal of course is to do that again.

Which of the events is your favorite, and which is the least favorite?
PR: It’s difficult to put a priority on the events, but at this point my top choices would be the 200 and the pole vault. However, there is a BUT on the pole vault. I have hardly trained for the event in many years due to lack of training facility. Additionally, it has become way too expensive to travel with poles. I do love the extra challenge of a very technical event, but have in my opinion, not come close to my capabilities in recent years. Taking the throwing events out of the equation, the 400 is my least favorite. It is very demanding on one’s body; sprinting for 60-some seconds puts incredible demands on one’s muscles and cardiovascular system.

Do you manage to stay injury-free? Is the Achilles problem you had a thing of the past?
PR: Since I cut back in training and slowed way down after a year like 2007, I believe it has helped to stay healthy. As we age, less is more, and sometimes we forget that as we attempt to get ready for another big competition. We now have a World Championship every year, one year Indoors, one year Outdoors. When I was younger it did not seem to matter much but now…one has to pick carefully. Of course, I also could cut back on the number of events, and it would be much easier to set records. The difficulty is that I am very good in the sprints, hurdles, and jumps and which event would I pick – just the 100m and 200m? To me, it is another kind of challenge to do so many events and attempt to be successful. One has to make the body believe that every time one goes to start an event, it is the “first and only” event of the competition, even though it might be the 17th.

The Achilles tendon, I have found, is one of those injuries that never goes totally away. By being smart in my workouts, I have been able to manage. As soon as I feel an onset, I take care of it ASAP with physio, ice, and ultrasound, and NO running for a few days. So far that method has been successful.

Has the community of masters athletes embraced the success you’ve had? Is it a tight-knit group? Do you see the same athletes at most of the championship meets?
PR: Yes, I have had, over the last 29 years of competition in the Masters program, a wonderful rapport with other athletes. We are a large tight-knit national and international group of athletes, and yes, at the National and World Championship level, we look forward of catching up with friends from way back and embracing the newcomers. A major goal of the Senior Games is to encourage participation. We love to see the sport grow.

What was the experience of being a Sullivan Award nominee like, being honored alongside such younger athletes?
PR: An honor that is difficult to describe. To be in the pool with such great athletes, being recognized by them as one of them, as their equal, it made me very proud. Additionally, from my perspective, to show them that one is never too old to achieve athletic success is a life-long mission of mine.

Tell us a little about your training? Do you run almost every day, or are some days just devoted to field events?
PR: Due to limited access, I basically train the sprints, I would say 99 percent of the time. I try to throw in one or two days right before a big meet to go through the motion of the jumps and hope that my speed and memory will do the rest during competition. Of course we are talking about the present, it used to be
different. I try to run, weather and work permitting, about four days a week. This has not been a good year in both matters, and I recognize that my condition has suffered because of it. But on a positive note, it probably kept away the injuries.

You compete at almost everything except long distance. Would you be interested in running longer distances, perhaps even road races?
PR: Before I came back into track and field, I tried the 3ks and 5ks. I don’t think that is in my cards. As much as I like to compete and love athletics, I would find another sport, like I am very interested in rowing.

Because of your fitness, do many people you meet think you’re much younger than you are?
PR: Probably. I like to think that my fitness level makes me look younger than I am, and I am sometimes complimented on my looks, but we have to recognize that our bodies change as we age. A wonderful aspect of masters athletics is that we compete against people our own age (five-year age group); that encourages lifetime fitness, and fit people generally do look younger than sedentary people their age.

When did you come to the United States?
PR: Late ’60s with the idea of going back after a two year commitment, but…here I am.

Have you had jobs in recent years?
PR: I am an accountant by training, and do accounting work with a number of business and personal clients (spread out around the US) from my home in Atlanta. This is a big plus since I can, time permitting of course, look out the window and decided when to take off for the track anytime of the day. Unfortunately for my athletic career, accounting schedules place significant demands on my time, so
my training is not as regular at times as I would like.

What sponsorships do you have?
PR: I have had a few small sponsorships in the past, but don’t have any at the current time. Sponsorships for masters athletes are few and far between. That’s unfortunate because I feel that many masters athletes would be great representatives of our baby boomer population.

What would you consider the single best moment of your athletic career?
PR: After 29 years of competing in the Masters Program, there have been many outstanding moments and they are special in different ways. In the end it always seems to come to my least favorite event, the 400. At the 1983 Worlds, I came from behind and won the event by a hair width. 1993 in Miyazaki, Japan, was a similar situation. 1995 in Buffalo, three of us ran under the old world record; it was a very close race and I came in second. 1997 in Durban, South Africa, I was in the middle of the high jump competition; near the end I had to decide either to stay with the high jump, which I was leading or take a step over to the 400 final. I won the 400 and lost the high jump. Looking back though, I made the right decision and would do it again. The ONLY time I trained for the 400 was in 1983 and yes, I won, yes, it was worth it, but back then I decided NEVER to train specifically for the 400 again. And I have not.

What a grueling event. A total 400-meter sprint – my 400 competition has to come out of all my other training and again, determination of being a winner, letting mind over matter kick in.

Besides practicing the events, do you do a lot of maintenance like weight training, stretching, and massage?
PR: I have been lax about my weight training this year and only started incorporated stretching and a massage therapist in my 50s. All three are important in keeping a well balanced, healthy body.

You’ve accomplished so much. What is the biggest athletic goal you have remaining?
PR: At this point I would love to get back into vaulting. I feel I have so much left in me, been disappointed in my heights since 1997 but at the same time, I love all my other events (except the throwing and the 800). Presently, I am not willing to give up competing in the sprints, jumps, and hurdles. And there is the matter of vaulting competition being available where one does not have to fly to and pay exorbitant fees for shipping poles.

It would be a great challenge to go after Nadine O’Connor’s World record. What a fantastic accomplishment. Who ever thought when we had the first Masters World Champion vault competition in 1989 in Eugene, Oregon, when I was applauded and many were at awe about my new world record in the W40 with 8’1″, that 20 years later, Nadine O’Connor at age 67, jumped 10’5 1/2″. 11 feet is not that far away. Back in the ’80s, the only women who competed in the pole vault were master athletes. We have come a long way baby! Most important, though, is to stay healthy. Lifetime fitness – that’s the goal.