Sacto was coming out party for M55 supersprinter Mark Davis

Mark Davis wins M55 400.

Track fans love the sport because the local high school star could be the Olympian of the future. In masters, that same kid could be a world champion in four decades. Meet Mark Davis. He’s my pick for Sacramento’s Coming Out of the Woodwork Award. Davis, a Caltech engineer from Pasadena, took 8th in the 100 (12.64), bronze in the 200 (25.25) and won gold in the 400 (55.85) and both relays. Never heard of him till worlds. So I wrote him for details on his career, and he graciously replied. “Now … I need to rest these 55-year-old legs (I ran 11 races) for a few weeks and begin to think about next year’s goals,” he said. Take your time, Mark. You’re entitled.


Here’s a mashup of the note Mark sent:

I was born on Oct. 14, 1955, and grew up in Erie, Pa (right on Lake Erie). I started running when one afternoon my father and I were driving by a local high school and there was a summer all-comers meet going on. We stopped to watch and he asked me whether I wanted to compete. I did and won an age-group race.

Following that, I started and ran in AAU Junior Olympics program in the summers. In 1969, I was second in the country for the 75-yard-dash for my age group. I made my high school track team as a freshman and that got me started in competing at the high school level.

At age 14 (when I was a freshman), I ran the fastest 440 yards in the country for that age: 50.2 (converts to a 49.9 400 meters). From that point on, I was focused on obtaining a track scholarship to run at the university level.

During high school, I ran well enough to compete on the national high school scene (for example, I took 4th place at the Mansfield Relays my senior year in the 440 yd dash — at that time, this meet was the “big” meet on the East Coast that covered the Eastern US and Eastern Canada).

I received full scholarship offers from numerous universities and went to the University of Kentucky. The SEC is a very strong track and field conference and I competed for UK for several years. During my prime, I was a mid-10 100 M, mid-21 200 M and mid-47 400 M sprinter.

By my junior year, my studies were so demanding (studying chemical engineering and doing pre-med simultaneously), that I had to stop running (DI track has a very rigorous schedule with a lot of travel). I received my BS, MS and PhD in chemical engineering and began teaching at Virginia Tech in 1980. I moved to Caltech in 1991 (I do live in Pasadena just three miles from Caltech near the Rose Bowl).

I did not run competitively again until my wife convinced me to jump into an all-comers meet at Caltech in 2006. I have been running in the masters program since then. My problem has been injuries. I have struggled each year with injuries and have not competed as often as I would like due to those injuries.

I do typically compete in the Pasadena Senior Games (I won both the 400 and 200 there this year — I also ran the Stanford Senior Games this year and won the 400 and 200 there as well).

I am 5-7 and weigh about 160. I am a professor at Caltech in chemical engineering, and my research involves the creation of new therapeutics for cancer. I have started two biotech companies in this area and our new therapeutics are in clinical trials throughout the world. My wife has an undergraduate degree in engineering and a MBA in finance and is working with a start-up company in the Pasadena area that is creating various software packages for lawyers.

We have three children: our daughter just completed her BS degree in biology and will now be going on to medical school, we have twin boys who just completed their freshman years at Univ. Colorado (Boulder) and Emerson College in Boston. The twins are interested in the film industry and are both in film studies.

Sacramento was an amazing experience for me. It was my first world championship and there were three things that stand out.

First, it is an incredible feeling to win an individual event. For me, winning the 400 (which has been my primary event ever since high school) was a great honor. Second, the relays experience. My goal was to try to make it onto the USA relay team (either one). I was fortunate to be on both relay teams. I really enjoyed being with my teammates (all great guys!) and winning both events.

Third, in addition to making many new friends from the USA team, it was special to meet and get to know a number of the competitors from other countries. For example, guys like Wally Franklyn and Eric Smart from the UK were names I knew but I got to meet them both. They are wonderful people and I hope to continue my friendships with them.

Overall, the total Sacramento experience was exceedingly positive for me. I must say, that not only Sacramento, but almost all masters meets that I go to, I come away positive as the people who are competing are so nice.

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July 24, 2011

14 Responses

  1. Tom Phillips - July 24, 2011

    Strong man! Like Wally Franklin, one af a select few to run all three rounds of three individual events plus two relays, all in about 12 days. Being able to do that at World Masters level is truly the mark of strength.

  2. peter taylor - July 25, 2011

    A different kind of guy, that’s for sure. I, too, had never heard of him but started doing some studying when I saw he was entered in the big meet this week in Berea.

    Is Mark a scratch? He says he needs to rest those weary legs.

  3. James Chinn - July 25, 2011

    Congrats to Mark, I’ve known him a couple years and he’s an outstanding person. It’s great to see his running elevated to world class status.

  4. Stephen Robbins - July 25, 2011

    Ken–My candidate for your “Coming Out of the Woodwork Award” would be Kenton Brown. Kenton is 66 and a psychiatrist in Austin, TX. He never ran track–at ANY level–until last year! He has the fastest M65 100 time (12.46) in the world this year, won the 1 and 2 at the NSGs, and finished 2nd in the Sac 100. His 26.85 for the 2 is the 3rd fastest US time. We often see former track stars return to glory at the masters’ level but to have never competed previously in track and to medal at the Worlds in your second year of competition seems incredible to me.

  5. Mary Davis - July 25, 2011

    Mark – Love you and so proud of you.
    Mary

  6. terry krupczak - July 25, 2011

    Great Job MARK! You are more than a worldclass runner, you are a worldclass human being.

  7. Eric Smart - July 25, 2011

    I always study my competitors at major championships,
    I saw his name in the entry list,i must admit i did not who Mark Davis was ? i do now !.
    I can say in my opinion Mark was the best performer at these World Championships.
    He did a “GREAT JOB” in the 400m.
    he has my utmost respect.

  8. bob - July 25, 2011

    Congratulations on coming back into the sport & becoming a world champion.
    I am in the same age group and there are alot of guys who for whatever reason never got a chance(injuries, bad coaching, life in general) never got a chance to show what they could do and it’s nice to finally see someone get that chance. Albeit decades later.

    No offense but to have a college PR of 47 something
    after running 49 something as a 14 year old we know you must have had some obstacles. And obviously you have risen above that and succeeded. There are alot of people who will find inspiration & hope in your perseverance. Hopefully we will see more people like yourself coming “out of the woodwork” for something they have worked towards for a very long time.
    Once again Congratulations

  9. Who's your daddy ?? - July 26, 2011

    Speaking of “coming out,” how about the MIA’s; such as Bill Murray ??

  10. Gary Whiting - July 26, 2011

    Congratulations Mark! Now I know that there is nothing you can’t accomplish if you put your mind to it. We are very happy for you.

  11. Steve Cummings - July 26, 2011

    Congratulations Mark. Well done. When I found myself chasing you last year in the 2 in spite of running my butt off, I took note. Last month in Pasadena it was confirmed, at least in my mind, that the rest of us in the M55 group were in for a tall glass of whoop-ass. You delivered, we imbibed 🙂

  12. Craig Davis - July 29, 2011

    The T-Shirt Co said that the USA Team had too many “Davis” on the list to place the STAR. I enjoyed my first Worlds by making the finals in the 50-54 100/200. Sacramento was a Wonderful experience. I look forward to meeting Mark in the coming year(s)! I am also from PA but from the other side of the state. GO PA and GO DAVIS’!!!

  13. Eric Smart - July 29, 2011

    Hi Craig Davis,
    Despite me being in the M55 age group,i did notice your very good performances in the 100 & 200m.
    Well done Craig -i will look forward competing & meeting you hopefully for your 2nd world Championships in Brazil 2013.

    Cheers,Eric Smart,100/200/400m dash U.K sprinter.

  14. Martin Spencer - July 29, 2011

    Mark great Job…I competed against you in the 100 and 200 M55…and like you have been battling injuries all the past years….did not compete as well as I wanted to, but the experience was awesome….Congrats till we meet again….

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