The schedule at Winston-Salem nationals shows timed finals in the 800-meter run — mostly on Thursday, July 17. (Some 800s are run Saturday.) But USATF rules for years have said timed finals apply to 1500 and longer at outdoor nationals. New England’s Steve Vaitones tried at least twice to amend the rules (in 2006 and 2008) to make it apply to the half, but both times the Rules Committee said nyet. The masters section of the 2014 USATF rule book says: “In events of 1500 meters or longer, timed finals shall be run.” Maybe I overlooked it, but I don’t see where a Games Committee can apply that rule to the 800. So how did this come about? I’m looking into it. Confusion exists, no doubt. At least one athlete — blogger Kevin Forde — said he was looking forward to 800 prelims. Read the rest of this post »
How lucky can you get? San Diego had an all-comers meet on my 60th birthday — and charged me only $5! So I entered the 400 at San Diego Mesa College, and James Lofton out in Lane 14 or 15 ran his age (57.89). I ran my age, too (if you consider my 73-year-old running style my age). But just when I thought I was the star of the meet, along comes Carmelita Jeter. You know, Carmelita “2011 world champion, London 100 silver medalist and No. 2 100-meter dasher of all time” Jeter. She ran her first race in 10 months on Saturday, and on Wednesday she entered the Mesa College 100 for another tuneup for USATF Open nationals next week in Sacramento. So when meet announcer Paul Greer noted her presence, everyone forgot about me! Well, I forgive you, Jet. I’m learning to be gracious in my dotage. Just do me a favor, CJ. Share the link to my Times of San Diego story on your comeback. Best of luck in Sacto!
Think your bib number is no biggie? Ask M60 distance runner Alan Robb. He says he made no mistake, but organizers of the 56-mile Comrades ultramarathonin South Africa say he didn’t wear his age-group tag — and are denying him his $520 second-place prize. Race officials say tag “was not clearly visible,” according to local media. “I am hoping it is just a mistake. My daughter has raised it with them and they are looking into it,” Robb said from his home in Johannesburg on Tuesday. “If you have a look at the photographs of me running you can see the age category tag. Some of the pictures are taken from angles where you can’t see the tag but there are some where it is clearly visible.” Same thing happened to Olympian Zola Budd, now 48. (But she lost $1,000.) Zola was the first South African in the female top 10, and the first veteran to cross the line at Comrades. “She had been issued with an international number that had the age category tag on it,” said a report. “But race officials said a separate number had to be sewn on the athlete’s vest.” Hope this never happens to you!
Parachute-deploying Eugene Driver has a serious side — as president-for-life of the Trojan Masters Track Club. His driving ambition in recent years has been reviving a masters track meet on the campus of the University of Southern California. I competed there several times (see photos), and it was a thrill. But a combination of factors led to the meet being canceled in 2008(and not held since). So it was great to learn a couple weeks ago that the event is back! Eugene told me at the Pasadena Senior Games that he took out an ad in National Masters News despite USC not having yet given formal approval. (It’s easier to cancel a meet than stir interest in it, he said.) But all is well now, and the meet at Loker Stadium is set for Sunday, July 6. Here is the entry form. Among the events is a 4×100 in which team age must total at least 160 years. So who prevails? 20, 20, 20 and 100 — or four 40-year-olds? But the hammer and weight throw will be held at West Los Angeles College.
He never won an Olympic medal, but John Brenner was a UCLA superstar and legend to a generation of throwers in the 1980s. And thanks to a sharp-eyed mole, we note his masters comeback at Winston-Salem nationals. He’s entered in the M50 shot — his specialty — as well as the hammer, javelin, discus and weight throw. All with NM listed (no mark). Meet director Noel Ruebel wrote me: “I studied countless hours of his technique when he threw 73’ 10.75” for an American Record.” He’ll compete for the SoCal Track Club, and club leader Mark Cleary confirmed that this John was the former Bruin who took bronze in 1987 IAAF worlds. According to his Mt. SAC Hall of Fame bio: “While a student at UCLA, John was the 1984 NCAA champion in both the shot put and discus. His collegiate record of 71-11, established in 1984, stood for 11 years. John was a two-time U.S. national Champion in the shot. He captured the bronze medal in the 1987 World Championship in Rome. He finished 4th at the 1984 Olympic Trials, and missed the 1988 Olympic Trials due to an injury.” Great to see you back, John!
Brad Barton is living the dream. Not just the dream of setting records — he gets to savor the masters fantasy of beating the kiddies (my term for elite collegians). And the best shot I’ve ever seen came out of the Music City Distance Carnvival where he crushed the M45 world record in the 3K steeplechase. (Resultsare posted here, BTW.) Over the weekend, Brad shared this image, taken by Foon Fu, a runner and photographer. “This is too fun,” Brad writes. “Our masters community might get a giggle. This was taken just past the mile mark. I beat this young Duffy kid (the one with the disbelieving glare) by 25 seconds.” But you don’t have to be a world-beater to star in such photos (as my beating-the-grade-schooler shot demonstrated). Have a shot of yourself wailing on the whippersnappers? Share the link!
Dave Clingan turned 60 this month, and his Oregon Masters Mile at the Portland Track Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday at Lewis & Clark College. Winner of the first-place $200 prize was M40 Sam Alexander, who clocked 4:24.41 to beat Eugene Dr. Orestes Gutierrez (4:25.17) and George Hanson (4:26.40). The local Bauman twins (Oscar and Ahrlin) took fourth and fifth. Results are here. The Portland meet usually has a masters women’s 3K, but I don’t see results (or even an entry list). Congrats to Sam and Dave! Here’s a salute from Sam and Dave:
Meet director Noel is entered at nationals as well. (He’s the top-seeded discus thrower in M55.)
Masters nationals may not be the most expensive meet you’ll find, but it’s still pricey (costing $75 for the first event). So you don’t want to to miss the June 19 deadline for “early registration” for the July 17-20 meet in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. An extra $50 is tacked on for entries up to June 26. Meet director Noel Ruebel also stresses that poles are available for rental. Here are the sizes, models. Noel notes: “Poles will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at $40 for the day. Additional sizes may be available. To reserve a pole, please email noelruebel@fcds.org and indicate your size choice and date/time needed. In order to reserve a pole, you’ll need to pay in advance with no refunds offered. Poles not paid for within 7 days of being reserved will be reinstated to the available list. Checks in the amount of $40 should be made payable and mailed to: Noel Ruebel, 412 Paigebrook Dr., Winston Salem, NC 27106. Poles will be available within 2 hours of your competition and must be signed out; you are responsible for the return of the pole to Implement Check-in.” Finally, Noel says: “If you find you are in need of a different size pole, you may exchange a pole for another (if available) during your competition. Broken poles will not be the responsibility of the competitor.”
Shade in the stands (and under the trees) will be welcome at 2015 Lyon worlds.
In 2010, Sacramento hosted nationals a year before worlds. Lyon did the same this year. French masters nationals, held last weekend at the site of 2015 worlds, drew a record 1,100 entrants, including more than 40 athletes from Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Russia and Portugal. And at least one Yank — multi-eventer Chris Bates, who turned 50 on the first day of the dec. So he had a good view of Jean-Luc Duez’s M50 world record in the dec. Jean-Luc scored 7897, beating the listed WR of 7556 by Italy’s Hubert Indra in 2007. Results are here. Eurovets also reports the presence of WMA Prez Stan Perkins.
Doug “Bubba” Sparks of Dana Point, California, is promoting his June 28 “first-ever masters pole vault symposium and competition” with help from Jodi Altendorf, wife of age-group record holder John Altendorf. I like the out of the [vault] box creativity of her logo design. (She’s a vetaran of this genre. Jodi designed a logo for beach vault in 2009.) Every major meet should set up a CafePress or Zazzle account like this. Just create a logo and it gets slapped on all manner of merchandise. M60 Bubba is jumping, too. He posted this video of a jump at the Pasadena Senior Games. (Too bad Bubba’s event conflicts with the Chuck McMahon meet north of San Diego.)
These will be collector’s items eventually. Remember Woodstock?
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
