Well, Phil Raschker, 61, didn’t have to vault to make her mark in Boston. Running the 400 in 68.34, she set yet another world record. It was nearly a solo effort, since second place was 1:36.57. And the USATF news wrapup of Day 2 at masters nationals properly previewed her trip to New York for the AAU Sullivan Award announcement. She’s a finalist for the second time. How good is a 68.34 at Phil’s age (besides beating the previous WR by nearly 2 seconds)? On the Age-Graded Tables, it corresponds to an open (age-20-30) time of 50.55. The open world indoor record is 49.59 by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1982. Way to go, Phil.

The results showed some very close 60-meter-dash finishes:

1 598 Sims, Gary M70 Unattached,Paradise 8.51
2 395 Lida, Robert M71 Unattached,Wichita, 8.52
1 380 Larsen, Melvin M83 Unattached,Ames, IA 9.64
2 450 Melville, Bill M80 Midwest Mast,Platte 9.65

And the Sampson twins went 1-2 in the M45 long jump:

1 559 Sampson, Aaron M46 Unattached,Salt Lak 6.69m (21-11 1/2 AR)
2 560 Sampson, Adrian M46 Unattached,Salt Lak 6.46m (21-2 1/2)
Here’s a 2004 summary of the Sampsons’ credits:
Aaron and Adrian Sampson (Salt Lake City, Utah) – These 42-year- old twins are long-jumping sensations. Aaron broke the 25-foot barrier as recently as 2002, and together they are world record holders for the longest jumping twins in the long jump, with a combined distance of 50 feet 10.5 inches, set in 1983. They also were the first twins to place first and second at the NAIA Championships (1983). Aaron’s personal best is 25-7.5, with Adrian at 25-3.

And Dexter McCloud handed David Ashford a rare defeat in the hurdles:

1 437 McCloud, Dexter M47 Unattached,Norcross 8.52
2 17 Ashford, David M45 So Cal Track,Wheeli 8.61

Here’s Day 2 results, as well as the daily summary from USATF:

Saturday, March 29, 2008
Raschker does it again as three WRs,
12 ARs fall at USA Masters Indoor Champs
BOSTON — 2008 Sullivan Award finalist Phil Raschker set yet another world record Saturday at the 2008 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, topping a three-world-record day that also saw WRs from Kevin Solomon and Orville Rogers at the Reggie Lewis Center.
The 61-year-old Raschker (Marietta, Ga.) is a finalist for the Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur athlete. On Monday she will attend the Sullivan Award gala at the New York Athletic Club, but she’s leaving her mark in Boston first. On Saturday, she crushed the W60 world and American record in the 400 meters, running 68.34 seconds to break the record of 70.15 set by Riet Jonkers of the Netherlands in 2005.
Two world records fell in the mile, with Orville Rogers (Dallas, Texas) breaking the M90 world and American record. His time of 9:56.58 surpasses the existing mark of 11:23.67 set by American legend Max Springer in 2005. Kevin Solomon also made his way into the world and American record books in the M60 mile, his time of 5:01.62 edging past the previous record of 5:01.72 set by American Dan Conway back in 1998. Doug Goodhue (Milford, Mich.) added an American record in M65 with his time of 5:21.72, and Chad Newton (Pisgah Forest, N.C.) broke his second listed AR of the meet thus far in M35, running 4:25.27.
In the long jump, men set American records at both ends of the masters age spectrum. Aaron Sampson (Salt Lake City), jumped 6.69m/21-11.5 in M45, and Edwin Lukens (Syracuse, N.Y.) soared 3.25m/10-8 in M85.
Two records also went down in the men’s shot put as the appropriately – if somewhat redundantly – named Champion Gold (actually, it’s Goldy) was one of three men surpassing the existing American record in the M90 age group. Gold (Haddonfield, N.J.) threw 7.27m/23-10.25 to win the competition. Leland McPhie and David Schlothauer also beat the old record, both throwing 6.98m/22-10.75). Chad Lindsay of Lovell, Wyo., threw 16.69m/54-9.25 to break the M35 listed AR.
Other than Raschker, the sole woman to set an individual record on Saturday was another masters legend, Barbara Jordan, who ran 10.03 in the W70 60m. She had previously run 10.24 in January to set a pending AR in Hanover, N.H.
In the final two track events of the day, the Colonial Road Runners (Williamsburg, Va.) set an American record in the men’s 50-59 4x800m relay with 9:06.90, and Rod Jett (Sacramento, Calif.) ran 8.21 in the 60m hurdles to shave .01 off the American record in the M40 age group.

Actually, Jett ran faster earlier this year — an 8.19 in Seattle back in January, which I reported at the time.
Finally, a special congratulations to my M50 hurdler friend Eugene Anton, who took third in the 60 hurdles in 9.14. The time wasn’t as remarkable as his presence. He’s been through two or three ACL surgeries, and here he is, back in the game. My hero in Boston.