Tom Jordan, meet director of the Pre Classic, told an Oakland Tribune sportswriter yesterday that he’ll consider inviting M40 recordman Jim Sorensen for his event’s featured Bowerman Mile on Sunday. In an article published today, “Asked Monday if there might be a spot in his race for a 40-year-old chasing a record, Pre meet director Tom Jordan said, ‘I’d have to think about that. I don’t know.’ ” For his part, Jim would love a chance to draft off a world-class field that includes Bernard Lagat (3:47.28 best) and Alan Webb (3:48.92 best). The field is now 12 runners — but major Euro meets have larger fields. (The women’s 1500 field at Pre lists 15 entrants.)

Here’s the article, in case the link goes buh-bye:

San Leandro teacher becomes 1,500 master
Jim Sorensen sets world record for 40-year-olds in L.A. race
By Jeff Faraudo, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
Article Last Updated:06/05/2007 05:49:06 PM PDT
SAN LEANDRO — Jim Sorensen, a middle school teacher from San Leandro who finished second at the 1996 Olympic track trials but didn’t have a fast enough time to qualify for the Atlanta Games, got a bit of revenge Sunday night.
Sorensen broke the world masters record for 40-year-olds in the 1,500 meters, clocking 3 minutes, 44.06 seconds at a meet at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Remarkably, 11 years after barely missing a shot at the Olympics, Sorensen ran just 0.18 seconds slower than he did at age 29 in the’96 trials.
“Maybe that’s what motivates me — not making the Olympic team even though I was second in the trials,” Sorensen said.
He placed fifth Sunday night at the Jim Bush Southern Cal USATF meet, his time eclipsing the former American age-group best of 3:46.43 by Tony Young and the world record for 40-year-olds of 3:44.89, set eight years ago by Spain’s Luiz Jose Gonsalvez. Last in the field after two laps, Sorensen gradually worked his way to near the front of the pack in a race witnessed by both of his parents and his girlfriend.
“The race was perfect, really,” he said. “I was able to hang out in last place for the first two laps, stay out of trouble. I ran a good home stretch over last 100 meters.
“I wasn’t shocked because I’ve been kind of eyeballing this record for a while. But you never know. It was neat to get the world record. I was tired but happy.”
Alex Harp, assistant principal at Bancroft Middle School, said Sorensen’s achievement was announced to students over the P.A. system Monday morning.
“I’m sure his kids are going to go nuts,” Harp said. “Anyone who knows Jim knows he’s phenomenal.”
Sorensen said his goal this summer is to become the first 40-year to run a sub-4-minute mile outdoors. The world masters record of 4:02.53 was set by Britain’s David Moorcroft in 1993.
Sorensen’s 1,500 time Sunday converts to about a 4:02 mile time.
“I feel much better about that now,” he said of the 4-minute pursuit. Sorensen twice has run the mile under 4 minutes, but not since 1996.
The Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday features a top-notch mile field with nine entries who have run 3:51 or faster, including 17-year-old Kenyan Nicholas Kemboi.
Asked Monday if there might be a spot in his race for a 40-year-old chasing a record, Pre meet director Tom Jordan said, “I’d have to think about that. I don’t know.”
Sorensen said at 40 it’s tougher to recover well enough to be at his best on back-to-back weekends, but he wouldn’t be able to pass on one of the country’s elite meets. “I’d definitely be low man on the totem pole,” he said. “But this would be an opportunity I’d love to have.”
Back on May 12, the physical education teacher broke four-time Olympian Johnny Gray’s American masters 40 record for the 800 meters, clocking 1:51.57 two days after his birthday.
Sorensen was a sixth-place finisher in the 800 meters at the 1986 state meet for Villa Park High in Orange County and was the 1991 NCAA Division II champ for 1,500 for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.
At the ’96 Olympic trials, Sorensen ran 3:43.88 to finish second behind Paul McMullen in a slow, tactical 1,500 race. He spent the next few weeks trying to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard of 3:38, ultimately falling short by less than a second.