Travis Padgett cousin faces fast introduction at masters nationals
M40 newbie Calvin Padgett is a cousin of Olympian Travis Padgett, but Calvin is in a different class, speedwise. A story in his local paper says he won an indoor regional title for 200 meters in 30.84 seconds. Uhm, nice start, Calvin! Of course, I canāt be dissing peopleās lack of blazing speedāsince W70s are breathing down my tortoise neck. But itāll be interesting to see how Calvin fares at Albuquerque this weekend when he runs with the big dogs. Best of luck to all!
Calvin shows off the first of many medals he'll win in his masters career.
Hereās the story, in case the link goes buh-bye:
Calvin Padgett wasnāt sure what to expect when he returned as a track and field competitor.
Yet his experience thus far as an adult sprinter has been both challenging and rewarding.
At 42 years of age, he won a 200-meter USA Masters Track and Field indoor regional for his 40-44 year-old division by posting a time 30.84 seconds. He also fifth in the 60 meters (8.66 seconds) in Baton Rouge, La., in February.
This coming weekend heāll compete in the USA Masters indoor nationals in the 60 and 200 sprints out in Albuquerque, N.M.
After being out of the sport for 20 years, the Cleveland County residentās training has had plenty of ups and downs.
āThereās been days where I felt like, āWhat have I gotten into?āā Padgett said. āThen thereās been other days where itās like, āMan, this is where I need to be. This is where I belong.āā
Back in his school days, Padgett ā the cousin of Olympic sprinter and Cleveland County native Travis Padgett ā ran at Burns Middle and Cherryville High. He later ran track for a year at Appalachian State University before finishing his collegiate career at Lenoir-Rhyne as a football and track athlete.
Seeing his cousinās success at Crest and Clemson, then as a pro, made him want to get back in shape. He then got back into competitive running after such a long absence. His indoor schedule this spring is helping prepare him for a full outdoor schedule this summer.
He said he had no idea he would make such a mark in his age group so quickly. But heās not complaining.
āIām just excited because I never figured that Iād be doing this at 40,ā Padgett said. āBut my body is responding well to the training.ā
4 Responses
I wish Calvin the best. If he never breaks 30 seconds for the 200, he can have a wonderful time at track meets for the next 40-50 years. After high school sports, athletes make one huge mistake. They stop participating. There are amateur leagues established for most any sport. A person can run a 5K every weekend in most cities and never have to do much training. There’s open competition. There are All Comers meets. Swim meets. Basketball teams. Softball teams. The key to life is action. Smartty
I ran with Calvin in that 60m at LSU. After visiting with him for a while, I can tell this guy is a class act. Welcome to our world Calvin! Make sure you drag as many folks as possible with you.
This is yours truly… c padgett. I am blown away at how much attention I have received from my hometown and this media. It has been an exciting experience and the athlete I have met this past weekend have been very encouraging! Well as for the results…. A PR in the 200 at 26.64 (10th overall)… First 400 since college at 58.67 (7th overall!) and did not practice for it. I know I will get better as the year goes on. Hey Bart, thanks so much for the nice words! I remember you at regionals and you have a friend for life man.
No problem, Calvin, just callin’ it like I see it. I see your conditioning has kicked in, that’s some awesome times in the 4 and 2. Hard to believe I beat you in the 60, LOL! Must have been a fluke. Anyway, contact me on our website, http://www.southernmasters.org, I’ve got some questions for you.
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