Sacramento LOC ‘learned a lot of little things’ for 2011 worlds
Sacramento organizers of worlds next July have put the best spin on 2010 nationals, writing: “Sacramento’s test run is complete, and the results bode well for the 2011 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships.” (The whole report is here.) Meet entry booklet also is posted here, and it includes a day-to-day schedule. The LOC also confirms that “approximately 80 percent of the WMA events will be held at Sacramento State.” The good news: Most events will be at the prime showcase stadium. The bad: Events may be scheduled all day long, including the prime heat time of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hope they divert the Sacramento River to SacState.
Here’s the report for posterity’s sake:
Sacramento played host to the 2010 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships from July 22-25, using the Sacramento State venue that will serve as the primary facility for the WMA Championships. The USA Masters Championships featured a near-record number of entries, several world records and widespread praise from the U.S. athletes who are expected to comprise a significant percentage of next year’s WMA field.
“We were hesitant to call it a ‘test’ because it was our national championships and we didn’t want U.S. athletes to feel that we were looking past this year’s event,” said John McCasey, chief executive of the Sacramento Sports Commission and chairman of the 2011 WMA local organizing committee.
“At the same time, the USA Masters meet did provide an invaluable opportunity for us as we prepare for the 2011 WMA Championships, and the comments we received from the U.S. athletes was very encouraging. We learned a lot of little things that will help us put on an even better event next summer,” McCasey said.
McCasey said that while U.S. participation will go a long way toward determining whether the 2011 WMA Championships are a success, he’s not forgetting that European countries generally make up the bulk of WMA entries. With that in mind, he attended the first two days of the
European Veterans Athletic Championships in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, returning to Sacramento in time for the USA Masters Championships.Since being awarded the 2011 WMA Championships at the 2007 event in Riccione, Italy, Sacramento’s local organizing committee has sent representatives to the 2008 WMA Indoor Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France; the 2009 WMA Outdoor Championships in Lahti, Finland; the 2010 WMA Indoor Championships in Kamloops, British Columbia; and the 2010 European Veterans Championships in Hungary.
In Nyíregyháza, McCasey and several other Americans handed out about 1,400 entry booklets to European athletes. He also made a presentation to about 30 team managers.
A similar number of entry booklets were distributed in Sacramento. The entry booklet is available online in four languages – English, French, German and Spanish.
More than 1,400 athletes competed in Sacramento. Comments about the competition venue, officiating, transportation and overall meet management were uniformly positive.
At least 20 U.S. records were set during the four-day competition. Six U.S. athletes set seven world records in Sacramento:
* Oneitha Lewis surpassed the W50 record in the hammer on three of her six attempts. Her final throw was her longest, measuring 181 feet, 11 inches (55.46 meters).
* Lisa Valle broke her own W40 world record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase, clocking 6 minutes, 51.92 seconds.
* Suzy MacLeod’s winning time of 1:25.40 shattered the W75 world record in the 400 meters.
* In the W70 high jump, Kathy Bergan twice raised the world record, clearing 4-2¼ (1.28 meters) and 4-3¼ (1.30 meters).
* John Altendorf raised his own world record in the M60 pole vault with a leap of 13-3 (4.04 meters).
* Sabra Harvey broke the W60 world mark in the 1,500 meters by more than six seconds, clocking 5:12.27.A large contingent of Canadian athletes also set 13 national records in Sacramento.
Approximately 80 percent of the WMA events will be held at Sacramento State. Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College will be the secondary venue, and American River College’s Beaver Stadium will be the practice facility. The cross country events will be held at Granite Regional Park, and the marathon will be held along the American River Parkway.
52 Responses
Ken:
Maybe I read the materials too quickly, but I didn’t see anything that would tell me explicitly that events will be held all day long, “including the prime heat time of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
However,I believe that is a fair assumption, given the large number of athletes expected and the fact that 80% of events will be held at the main stadium. Hard to imagine that they could take a prolonged break in the middle of the day and still get the trials and finals in for all the events.
If it is an all-day affair, of course, the key issues will be (in some order) shade, medical staffing, and water + electrolytes. Wonder what Matt B. thinks.
And speaking of schedules – the NSGA posted the 2011 “Full Competition Schedules” yesterday. Its really not a ‘time’ schedule – just posting the sports and the days of the related events.
T&F M&W 50-64 includes a practice day (Thursday 6/16) and events from 6/17- 6/20.
The M&W 65+ have their practice scheduled for Monday 6/20 and events 6/21-6/24. A rain date is scheduled for Saturday 6/25.
No mention of Houston weather.
Let’s hope McCasey trains his employees (interns) a lot better than the one’s he had for Nationals in dealing with the athletes for Worlds!
I was surprised to see that the worlds were going to implement an all day schedule. I was hoping for morning/evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day. I think it would serve them well to hold the prelims for events at Sac City College and the finals at CSUS. That way the finals could be held in early morning or evening when the tempetures are more ideal for competition (especially the events lasting longer than 10 minutes). I live here in Sacramento and the weather for the past two weeks has seen a high of 85-90 and lows in the high 50’s which is very unusual for this time of year. However, we could have used this great weather 2 weeks ago!
At Nationals, my events were held early and I was freezing. Of course, at my age, I have tissue-paper skin I bought a long-sleeve shirt at one of the vendors. Saved me.(^_^). Smartty
Having lived in the Valley for a good part of my life, July is very consistent for weather:
1. No rain
2. Little or no humidity
3. Cool morninings and pleasant evenings
4. Everyone goes inside during the middle of the
day because of the intense heat.
Without irrigation, the valley would be a desert. So, I would hope the organizers would take advantage of the great mornings and evenings and contest all distance events in either the morning or evening hours. I would much prefer to run at another venue other than the main stadium if it would secure a morning or evening time.
For the World Championships the athletes deserve the best possible weather conditions in which to compete.
Okay, let me get this straight.
The same people who ran the 2007 NCAA Div I T&F Championships, the 2006 NCAA Div I T&F Championships, the 2005 Div I T&F Championships, the 2004 US Olympic Team T&F Trials, the 2003 Div I T&F Championships, the 2001 National JO T&F Championships, and the 2000 US Olympic Team T&F Trials called the Masters National Championships a “trial run.”
I wonder how long it took them to run the 25 person deep field of bantam boy high jumpers at the 2010 National JO T&F Championships last week. Say, Sgt. Fitzhough, did they decide to open two HJ pits for the youngsters, but not for the masters?
None of the other meets were masters meest with the huge number of heats and flights due to all the age groups, nor the large variety of implements to supply and certify. On the other hand, I would think the need for avoiding the heat, and having places to sit out of the sun, is the same for all groups.
Martha
I think after Houston, Sacramento will feel like a vacation. BTW – I live in Houston so I’m pretty familiar. I’m on the runway for my vault practices at 7 AM. I’m fine at meets of course but no need to add to the torture by waiting until it’s really hot.
Even an event as short as the 800 will be effected. It will take place over 4 days or so with the heats, then semi’s and the final. The high heat in the middle of the day simply wears you down prior to the race. Runner’s in Sacramento use the AM and the PM when the sun is setting to train. I am in favor of running in the evening of course. If it has to be in the day, then they have to have adequate shade for the athletes, a cool or air-conditioned tent close to the track, plenty of water available , and please use misters! All these things are going to be very important not only for the athletes, but spectators as well.
I did not find the heat too bad in Sacramento for running the 400 and 800 in the middle of day. However, I think that something should be done to provide more shade for everyone. The few umbrellas that were provided worked great. Why not have more?
I have to bring up that parking garage again. It was closed to cars for the summer, was right by the track and it was 20 degrees cooler. Again, it doesn’t help the warm-up for throwers and you can’t wear spikes but you can wait out your event there as well as do your warm-up.
Fidel, The only problem is, how do you do strides with spikes on in a garage? I would be afraid I might miss getting to the staging area on time, or who knows what the situation will be like at the Worlds, will that garage be available? I guess I have to wonder why as athletes we have to seek out a garage and if that is the best alternative I further question the management and organization of the event itself.
Yes, as I stated earlier, you can’t wear spikes and not thrower friendly. But, if you want shade, cooler temps, close to the track, that was the best option we had last month. BTW, it is right by the track…it took us less than 30 sec to walk to the clerk’s table. If you were there, you may remember the construction going on next to the massage tables? That’s where the parking garage was located…adjacent to the 200m start.
Karen by coincidance my neighbors son was at the JO meet. She watched a lot of events and said there was only 1 HJ pit but there was a qualifying opening height and the bar was raised by 5 cm increments. Many masters would not quaify to compete or would be knocked out of competition quickly under these rules. I guess that qualifying standards are a way of streamlining our meets if we want to go that direction.
There are many recommendations that I will make to the Masters executive committee.1. We need a canopy over the whle home stretch stands, more water and electrolite stations ( like 5 times as many as we had at Nationals)rubber mats from the check in all the way to the track so that you can easily move in spikes,order enough medals so you don’t run out,sod that area where they had the teams set up we were literaly sitting in the dirt. Stop all construction activity during the dates of competition.I was warming up as a bull dozer was dumping dirt, which sent clouds of dirt and dust all over halyf of the warm -up area.They really do need to look at the schedule again.I think without all these things being vastly improved we will get embarrased.It’s easy for the Sacramento sports commission to say they got uniformally good comments from athletes–who did they pole.I agree with Karen that the folks working with the meet were overall pretty rude–McCasey especailly–we had better make some demands of the Sacramento Sports commission to elevate their game for the Worlds or we will all not enjoy the outcome of the 2011 WMA Championships.I think the last three hosts of our Nationals did a better job.
Yes, Mark, that construction was a bit of a distraction but I didn’t mind it. Those guys need the work and any time off hurts their paycheck. There are other more important things to target to make this a better all-around meet. Mainly, make those 100/200 guys run slower than me and it would have been a great meet. If that had happened, I wouldn’t be thinking about the heat, shade, price of a shirt, etc…:-)
They would have halted that construction if it were the Oly trials. Time off to travel to these events hurts my paycheck too. Maybe we should all protest and the sports commission would miss all the extra $$$ it brings into the community.
Yes, it will be quite a challenge next year. I am glad I am not in charge of figuring out what to do with the large number of competitors expected.
Let’s take a look at the 800 run. This year, for nationals, there were 223 USATF entrants. A few Canadians, etc.; let’s call it 230 in all. Worlds next year should be about 4 times the size of nationals this year.
Multiplying 230 by 4 gives me 920, but I doubt there will be anything close to that number in the 800 run, as many of the competitors will opt for the marathon, the cross country race, etc. Let’s call it 600 in the 800.
My big concern is what people will do in the minutes and hours leading up to their races in the 800 (in this example). Will they (a) huddle in the parking garage, (b) find an air-conditioned building, (c) stay under the stands, etc.? With language problems and heat, it could be difficult to keep everyone comfortable and still get them to the starting line in their particular race.
Again, I am glad I don’t have to figure this one out.
Logistics aside the LOC has to make everyone aware of te risks and signs of dehydration. There should be signs in many languages and places encouraging water consumption and directions to the nearest available water. It would also be beneficial for those interested to know the content of the electrolyte mixtures that were available at nationals if the LOC plans on having this available again.
For all those travelling by plane and for the guests from all over the world; hydration should start a few days prior to competing and travelling, plane rides compound dehydration, Information on how to avoid dehydration should be given to all participants prior to competition in writing so they can adequately prepare for the meet and hopefully diminish the risk and incidents of dehydration.
They will probably be charging for water etc as they were doing at Nationals. You would think they would have tubs of free water throughout the arena, but financial gain seems to be the norm for our master’s nationals. Charging to park etc… I saw one vendor selling bananas at the meet for $1 each. I was tempted to sell him mine for $.50 and he could double his profits. CRAZY!!!!!
I have been emailing my European friends to advise them location and places to purchase b4 they get to the track, so they are prepared.
Yes, I heard from many people that McCasey was rude to them. No justification for this. You would think that Sacramento would want to have a better representative to promote goodwill, so people didn’t leave with a bad impression. Heard that he hung out in the Alumni Center and asked others if it was getting warm outside.
Why don’t they have events early in the day and then at night? I would guess because they would be afraid it would hurt tourism-people going out at night. I don’t get the impression that the athletes are the first priority. This is just a money maker for them and as long as no one dies in the heat, they consider it a success.
Agreed with all that was said. During the first round of the 800’s this year I had a tough time figuring out how to get my strides in before the race. I had to opt to do a few on the way to the line. What no one has mentioned is the price. If my wife and I both run the meet and run two events the cost will be in excess of $300. Is there a more expensive track meet in the world?
I would hope that the construction of the Wellness Center would be completed by the time of the World meet and hopefully it would be available to athletes for warm-up (in a gym like Boston does or in hallways lined with mats, as Kamloops did), and for cooling off, vendors, etc. The warm-up track is in full sun, so more tents around it would be great, especially if the Wellness Center is not available. California clubs brought their own tents, but that’s not possible for everyone. The check-in area needs to have more tents as well, to allow for multiple heats to be lining up, getting on shoes, etc. The arrangement at the Nationals worked well and officials were great — it just needs to be expanded. Tents near the starting areas would be great too. I found that the officials, in the interest of keeping us out of the sun, delayed taking groups to the start line, which was appreciated at Nationals. However, that means we get a very short opportunity to do last minute strides on the track before a 100 or on the back straight before the 200 for example. If there were “holding” tents on the infield, that would get us out there close by, but with the choice to stay in the tent or get ready on the track. More tents should also be on the infield for jumpers.
Thank you, Allan Tissenbaum, for your advice. If people knew that you are an orthopedic surgeon who has seen thousands of cases of musculoskeletal trauma they might be even more impressed.
I was thinking of your points about hydration in connection with the earlier report of Jeff Davison that 10 athletes (TEN!) who had signed up for the shuttle hurdles on Sunday were injured in other events on either that day or Saturday.
Remarkable. I put 2 and 2 together and wondered whether some of these athletes were dehydrated, possibly predisposing them to these injuries.
For my own part, I was very much dehydrated on Thursday but paid only a small penalty, as I was not competing. About 20 cups of liquid allowed me to recover. I remember also when I searched for water but could not find it. I like your ideas about signs pointing the way.
I have attended 11 national outdoors, and Sacramento ranked as no. 2 in terms of the physical beating I took. Only Charlotte (2006) was more difficult (I will never forget that meet). Even after the meet was over on Sunday that year I could not drive all the way home, having to stop at a hotel in desperation and spend the night there.
More shade has to be available or we will have the pathetic scene from this year’s nationals -almost empty stands. I watched very little as it was just too hot to sit in the stands. I ended up huddling with others by the track under one of the few umbrellas that were set up. As a result – I spent more time sightseeing away from the track – and in the cool of an air-conditioned car than at the track.
I did not watch any of the field events -no place to sit and no place to get out of the sun.
While I was fortunate to have 2 of my 3 events in the cool of the morning, I did not run the 800 at 12:50 on Saturday as it was just too hot for me. At age 75 I do not tolerate heat well and I did not want to risk heat exhaustion or heat stroke. I had the 1500m the next morning at 7 am – and not enough time to rehydrate after having all the moisture sucked out of my body on Saturday by 1 pm.
One of the great pleasures of masters track meets is watching the competition. I did not get to do that in Sac this year – and fear that if the same lack of shade and available fluids is repeated next summer – I will be spending most of my time away from Sac and not at the track – seeking out cooler places to visit.
As for electrolytes and water being on the track – not for my two races – there was NOTHING – at 7 am -no water on the track – never mind electrolyte drinks. While I may not need this at 7 am – perhaps others do – and at what time did water tables appear??? Water was brought out for the steeplechase for the first heat only upon the demand of one competitor who had a medical condition that required water- and that was at about 11:30 in the morning.
As for comments about retreating to the empty garage for cooling off – perhaps the garage will be in use next summer -and warming up on cement – fine for those who take a few strides, for those of us who run middle distance, for hurdlers etc – the warm up is much longer and on cement – no thanks, although the so-called warm-up track was only slightly better.
We should not have to huddle in an empty garage to stay cool – that shows poor planning or a disregard for the health and safety of the competitors in a location known for heat, or both.
Mary brings up a good point about empty stands at Nationals. Nowhere in the LOC report is there anything about “lessons learned” at Nationals about spectators and accommodating their needs.
Presumably many foregin competitors will bring friends and family with them. My guess is that one afternoon in the Sacto sun will sour visitors on the whole competition. More umbrellas are definitely needed and maybe even a “mist walk” for people to cool off in like at the Atlanta Olympics.
Riccione and Lahti Worlds had many, many spectators. Has the Sacto LOC thought at all about using Worlds to publicize Masters Athletics or will they consider empty stands a “success”?
Hi,
I’m from Northern Europe. I normally go to athletics matches equipped with gloves, warm hat, fleece jacket, several pairs of tracksuit trousers, a full set of waterproofs and a thermos flask full of hot coffee. At least the hot weather will mean my luggage will be lighter.
More seriously, I am poor at coping with heat as my body is not used to it. For me the most important thing is not to have to compete in the mid-day sun. Water and electrolytes only help if your body sweats – mine doesn’t, it just over-heats.
H
So glad Mark Cleary and others underscored “rude” to describe McCasey. This definetly needs to addressed by the commission!
I agree whole-heartedly with many of the comments/suggestions posted on this thread- there certainly is room for improvement in some key areas for the WMA meet. However, posting on a blog is not likely to be the most effective way to affect change. Contact the Sac Sport Commission, the WMA, and the PAUSATF with your concerns. Make yourselves heard, and be sure to also comment on what you LIKED about the meet. A little positive reinforcement goes a long way. Remember, if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem!
I will be happy to contact the WMA and PAUSATF with constructive suggestions. For a number of reasons I do not think that Mr McCasey will pay any attention to comments and suggestions – constructive or otherwise.
In Nyíregyháza the temperature was around 33 centigrades (92 F). I personally like that… And they even forgot to offer shade. With shade a few degrees extra, no problem. Shade was very well offered at several European and world championships: Potsdam, San Sebastian, Riccione. Add a siesta of say 12-15, in Nyíregyháza the szieszta was shorter.
Thanks, Mary. Your comments typically are well-thought out and relevant. Instead of Mr. McCasey, try:
Bob Burns
Sacramento Sports Commission
(916) 802-5841
bburns.sacsports@gmail.com
I did contact the commission and suggested they read this thread. Good comments. Mary W, you put on a great tune up meet and it wasn’t nearly as expensive!
Thanks, Leonard! Hope you and Midori cam make it next year!
Thanks for the suggestion Mary Woo – will do that.
I grew up near Sacramento and wish nothing but success for Worlds. But every time I go back to the Central Valley, I sense that rapid growth has far outstripped the Valley’s ability to handle challenges.
“Small town think” still predominates with a stubborn pride that “we do things our way”…so shut up.
It’s make or break time for the Sacto LOC. Time to think big and plan big. Contemplate problems; solicit solutions; have double and triple back-up plans.
People from around the world will be watching, Sacto. It’s your time to shine or crash.
How about roughing up those new throws rings on the practice field. All the throwers were slipping on them and a few fell down as they were trying to get across the ring. If you want to see record performances in the shot and discus at Worlds, those rings need to be acid washed. Also how about opening up that parking garage just west of the throws area. No one was using that garage while we were there, but only school staff could use it.
Listen, kids, I haven’t seen one comment about the time of year for the 2011 Worlds. The “solution” is to have the meet in, at earliest, September. Bingo!
@Mr. Sparandeo….did u get a response from the commission?
I would like to return to Pete Taylor’s excellent post #1 regarding the schedule of events. Below is a copy of an email sent to the WMA2011 “info” contact listed on the website. No response to date, so perhaps someone else can provide an answer to the simple question of whether a real schedule of events will be available prior to the close of entries.
====
Aug. 11, 2010
TO: info@wma2011.com
FR: David E. Ortman (M57) Seattle, WA
TO: WMA-2011 Sacramento
One of the real frustrations with attending both our USATF national masters meet and WMA world masters meets is the lack of a firm event schedule prior to entry deadline.
Although there is a WMA Sacramento website up and running with an entry booklet, it is useless for athlete event planning:
http://www.wma2011.com/WMAEntry2010English.pdf
M55 July 9, 2011
100m semis/finals
400m Hurdles semis
High Jump finals
M55 July 11
200 quarterfinals
400m Hurdles finals
M55 July 17
4x100m Relay
4x400m Relay
Long Jump Final
Entering each event cost $36.25. I would LIKE to enter the 100m and the High Jump, but not if they conflict with the 400m Hurdles. I would LIKE to run the 200m, but not if it is before the 400m Hurdle finals. I would LIKE to Long Jump, but not if it conflicts with Relays.
Obviously I do not expect you to change the WMA meet schedule.
My single question is as follows: Does WMA intend to issue an event schedule with order and times PRIOR to the April 24, 2011 entry deadline so that Athletes can have a realistic picture of possible event conflicts? If not, I will seriously consider skipping this meet.
That’s a good suggestion, Jerry, but school will be in session at Sac State by September so it’s gotta be summer for Worlds. September will be too late.
I think Sacramento (and Sacramento State) are looking to put big bucks into the city’s beleaguered economy with Worlds…which they may be able to do if they pay attention to some of the comments made by folks on this blog.
In response to Tim Edwards, the circles clearly need work for most throwers. I didn’t compete in Sacramento, but circles like that are actually preferred by some. If you are in balance you won’t slip. If you aren’t you will. They aren’t forgiving.
However, I used the garage every day of the Nationals. There were two entrances — the one on the main street required an electronic key card and was the entrance for Sac St staff, but the other entrance on the side street was for students and was open for us to use and had no controls on entry or exit.
In response to Tim Edwards, the circles clearly need work for most throwers. I didn’t compete in Sacramento, but circles like that are actually preferred by some. If you are in balance you won’t slip. If you aren’t you will. They aren’t forgiving.
I used the garage near the throws field every day of the Nationals. There were two entrances — the one on the main street required an electronic key card and was the entrance for Sac St staff, but the other entrance on the side street was for students and was open for us to use and had no controls on entry or exit.
No, I did not get a response from the commission. I do hope there are individuals there who know the sport and CARE about putting on a good meet for the athletes. I don’t know if John Mansoor is part of the planning, but if he is he will do what he can to fix some of the problems. He’s been involved with the sport nearly his whole life and does a very good job.
Wait! What?? There’s cross country at worlds??? Dang. I had absolutely decided to stick to my biennial schedule for entering a track meet and skip worlds. Where would they do the xc? Cross country in 100 degree weather is still not as fun, but it’s a heck of a lot better than laps on the track! 😉
Shade, water and signs to the free medical tent. I burned myself leaning up against the stands railing trying to watch. Ouch.
In Response to David Ortman questions. It may be impossible to give you a solid anwser about the schedule at Worlds and the reason for this is that everything will depend on the amount of participates that sign up. The Sacramento Sports Commission states that most of the events will be held at Sac State University. If that is the case then the numbers will dictate if any particular event will be held at Sac state or one of the alternative locations and the time schedule as well. I know this doesn’t help your decision as to what events to sign up for. It would be difficult to put a firm schedule together before final entries. Now one suggestion would be to look at some results from past worlds and you may be able to get an idea about what times events were held. Usually the schedule pretty much follows from championships to championships. Its not always exact again it all depends on the amount of participates. That’s why they have to have three tracks for competitions to make sure they can get all the rounds completed.
Thanks to Robert Thomas for his response about event scheduling. I did look at the WMA Lahti 2009 schedule. However, there are already daily event changes in events for the Sacramento meet compared to Lahti. Athletes don’t need an exact event schedule down to the minute. But we at least want to know the ORDER the events will be held. But even this information is impossible to obtain from the posted entry booklet. If Sacramento is going to run events at three different venues, then Sacramento should offer a refund policy for Athletes prevented from participating in an event because of a schedule conflict inflected AFTER the entry deadline.
Mr. Ortman has it in a nutshell. I’m going to be cynical again and make a broad generalization about the policies of meet directors I have opposed for so long . . . they have the athletes pay the price for their inflexibility. That price is paid by the athlete through wasted entry fees. Yet meet administrators force premature decisions by early deadlines. Now we see a failure to release something solid resembling a schedule. I have long contended that conducting a track meet involves lots of minute to minute decisions that adjust the schedule. I advocate last minute registration because those decisions are a two way street. We all attend with a plan, but as masters athletes, plans change with the current status of our body. Sometimes that change is for the good, more often its because something breaks. But the business interests running the meet won’t play ball. They keep all the pie. They are only promoting the sport to the extent of their own profit and these policies maximize their profit. You, the athlete, knew risks going in. Its not our problem.
All Mr. Ortman or any of us entrants want to know is how we will schedule our events–in this case, he and I will probably overlap in many of the same events in the same age group (though he has a much more reasonable expectation of making the next round than I). $36.25 an event to possibly finish 24th in my age group (my average finishing position the last time I went to the World Championships) is a lot to justify (plus the time and cost of transportation). But I’m dedicated to the sport and its nearby. So I’m your perfect mark. Big meet directors need marks like me. If only the people expecting to win a medal were to show up, their crowd would be pretty sparse; their profits would be pretty low. The one hook they have is that we look at a meet like this as our chance to run well against competition we don’t normally get to see. To that end, we’d like to schedule our plans so we can do our best, to not be conflicted by which stadium to be at simultaneously, or even which side of the field to be on when we are supposed to be jumping during our hurdle race (for example). We get our 70 odd seconds on the track but they win. Whether that opportunity to do our best materializes or not, whether I hurt myself sometime between the deadline on April 24, 2011 (the day I will register for the meet, and not a minute sooner) and the moment they fire the gun, they don’t care. They get their $36.25 per event. That is really all they care about.
It’s a struggle, Andy. I have been involved to some degree in masters T&F for several decades and have accomplished very little. Very hard to change things. My suggestion to eliminate trials in the 1500 at nationals (now eliminated) and my advocacy of John Hinton’s world indoor mark (M45) of 4:20.18 (now the record) in the mile were perhaps my only successes.
Very tough to get anything done, as I said.
I ran the m45 10k and almost didn’t make it to the finish-too hot for me. The racewalks were a bit cooler, with the 10k rw heaven starting at 7:30.
Anyone know the time of the marathon start at worlds?
If it’s 6:00 AM or earlier no problem. After 7 AM I’ll skip it 🙂
Actually, Don, you didn’t do badly in the 10,000 on the track, finishing 7th in your age group in 37:43.46. I did not notice that you barely made it to the finish (more runners struggled than I realized). And the other Young did not finish that 10,000.
I am guessing that the 26.21875-mile race will go off at 6:30 AM, but that is purely a guess. Those who require > 4 hours will be struggling mightily under that hot Sacramento sun.
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