Don Gammie had a simple philosophy as a masters runner: “I didn’t like people to pass me.” That helped him run dozens of marathons and set M55 and M60 masters distance records. He died Tuesday at the age of 83, according to his local Arkansas newspaper. The paper said: “Donald Gammie, whose records in Masters Track inspired the Grassy Knob Firefighters Association to name their Thanksgiving Day trail run in his honor, died Tuesday at the age of 83 at Eureka Springs Hospital. Memorial service is Saturday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall. Mr. Gammie started running competitively at the age of 47, and entered his first marathon, the New York Marathon, in 1978. The walls of his den at Beaver Lake house are covered with first-place plaques in Masters Track. At age 58, Mr. Gammie ran the 3,000 meter track race in 10 minutes, 4.49 seconds, beating the previous world record for men ages 50 to 59, a record that still stands. [Actually, no.] At the same Masters track meet in Knoxville, Tenn., he set a national record in the 1500-meter track race, 4:45:08.” According to mastersrankings.com, in 2006 he held the American M60 record for 3K at 10:13.8
Willis Kleinsasser is often relegated to “Father of Olympian Ruth Wysocki” status, but today we mourn the passing of a masters track pioneer who helped put our sport on the map. Willis died early Monday, Ruth reports. She writes: “He had turned 86 on May 9. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 13 years ago, and put up a valiant fight with this horrible disease. My mother was his caregiver, and did an amazing job of caring for him, which enabled him to live at home until the end. I had the privilege of being by his side as the Lord called him home. He is at peace.” In 1968, at the first USA National Masters Championships, Willis won the “Masters Six†sextathlon and the outstanding athlete award. Competing at San Diego’s Balboa Stadium, he was the top scorer in a two-day challenge, winning five events: the 220 in 24.0, 440 in 53.1, 880 in 2:09, long jump with 18-10 and shot (40-10¼). He was third in the mile — the final event on Day 2. In a Track & Field News discussion, we also learned from Ruth: “By the way, my dad is originally from South Dakota and the youngest of 12 kids.” Ruth says a memorial service is set for Saturday, June 28, at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Reno, Nevada. Our deepest condolences.
Kleinsasser kin prized this Don Chadez photo of Ruth running with her dad.
M55 sprinter Rudy Briscoe was being congratulated Monday on Facebook. An image showed his 200-meter time in mastersrankings.com. It said 22.89. Yowza! That crushes the listed age-group WR of 23.36 by Bill Collins. It would make him the oldest man to go sub-23. The May 31 mark at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, demanded scrutiny. On Tuesday, Cristy Snellgroves of PURE Athletics wrote me: “We can confirm the time of 22.89. However, there was a wind reading of 3.4 [meters per second], so PURE Athletics will not be submitting it as a world record. The results can be found at elitetiming.net under NTC/PURE Athletics Last Chance Meet.” Even with a 7.5 mph wind, the time is sensational. Hope Rudy travels to Winston-Salem for July masters nationals. (He’s a Jamaican national who lives in Florida, according to recent results. He took second in Olathe nationals in the 400 and third in the 1 and 2.)
Rudolph “Rudy” Briscoe of Jamaica wore SoCal TC colors in taking second to Ben James in the M55 400 final at 2013 Olathe nationals.
At last year’s Olathe nationals, I was robbed of season PRs because my sprints were run into a Kansas gale. (Surrender, Dorothy!) But at Winston-Salem nationals in July, that won’t be a problem. Meet director Noel Ruebel says timing is available for sprints and hurdles in both directions. He also shared other cool features of a potentially hot meet: “Pole vaulting poles are available for rent. It’s on the meet website under Athlete Information and Implements and Spikes.” Noel also is curious if entrants would be interested in races for their kids or grandkids (maybe a 100 and 800). “We’re always asking for masters exhibitions in USATF events,” Noel says. “I think we should let the youngsters travel with their folks and compete at the same meet as mom, dad, grandpa and grandma.”
Wake Forest track will be ready for any wind direction in sprints and hurdles.
Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain died at age 63 in 1999, but when he was 45 in 1982, he considered returning to an earlier love — track and field. Dave Ortman found this revelation in an Associated Press article in the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World. Wilt the Stilt said he was thinking about masters track — doing the discus, shot, high jump, triple jump and perhaps the 200. He never did, as far as I know. He was a teller of tall tales (aptly). He said he beat Al Oerter in the shot and lost only once in the high jump — to Charlie (first over 7 feet) Dumas. But I wish Wilt had tried masters track. Also wish I had asked him about track when I interviewed him for Kansas Alumni magazine in the late 1970s. But I was just a kid. What’s masters track?
Bax Berle, 15, celebrates as Don clears 3.20 WR; Bax is son of vaulter Dolf Berle.
In his M75 debut, Don Isett of Texas raised the world age-group record twice Saturday, jumping 2.95 (9-8) and then clearing a WR 3.08 (10-1 1/4) and finally 3.20 meters (10-6). He competed at the USATF Southwest Association Masters & Open Track and Field Championship at St Mark’s School in Dallas, and “application was filed for a world record by certified USATF officials,” I’m told. (Still awaiting official results.) The listed M75 WR is 3.00 (9-10) by Bud Held in 2006. On Sunday, German vault legend Wolfgang Ritte set an M60 WR in the decathlon, according to press and friend reports. He scored 8123 points to nip the listed WR of 8107 by countryman Rolf Geese at 2005 San Sebastian worlds. Rolf reportedly witnessed the new record.
Thirteen years ago, Alan Webb set the high school record in the mile by running 3:53.43 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. That same day, 80-year-old Gerry Davidson set an age-group mile record at UC Irvine, clocking anamazing 9:00.52. She would never go faster. She died at age 90 in 2011. So how ironic is it that Saturday, on the same day Craig Masback at the Pre Classic called masters records “laughably slow,” Helly Visser of Canada would shatter Gerry’s W80 mile record in Calgary, Alberta? Helly ran four laps in a stunning 8:33.77 at the New Balance Athletic Series meet, according to results. To add perspective: When Gerry set her mile record, the listed best was 9:49.40 by Ivy Granstrom of Canada. Also notable at Pre: W40 Diane Cummins of Canada ran the 800 in 2:02.64, and 39-year-old Bernard Lagat ran the 5000 in 13:31.23. He turns 40 in December. The listed M40 WR for 5K? It’s 13:43.15 by Mohammed Ezzher of France. Go get ’em, Bernard! And Masback can kiss Helly’s butt.
Helly handled the baton in a 4×4 at Sacramento worlds in 2011.
Atlanta Track Club members are mourning the death May 26 of Clarence Hartley, who was days shy of turning 85. “He holds most of the running records in all the age divisions of 70 and above in the State of Georgia, as well as age-group records in several other states,” writes Don Burkett. “He was looking forward to turning 85 on June 2, so that he could start breaking records in the next age group division.” Mainly a roadie, apparently, Clarence found his way to the track, and was the top M75 5K man in 2005, with a 25:00.2. He was notable for resuming running at age 68 — after taking a break for a half-century. A wonderful profile in Runner’s World said: “A 4:09:36 marathon debut in early 2005 surprised and greatly motivated Hartley, then 75, and he almost immediately set his sights on Boston. … But two big obstacles cropped up to block Hartley’s path to Boston, first a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March of 2006 and then, two years later, a bout with prostate cancer. Most men in their late 70s would be very happy to merely survive such daunting challenges, but through all the treatments and difficult months Hartley never forgot his Boston dream.”
Seth Brower informs us of the passing of Fred Adams, “a colorful participant at many of the local meets over the years.” Seth posted an obituary on his website. It notes that Fred was a founding member of Waterloo Track and Field Club who won a “Special Award and Recognition” from the club in 2008. He ran a 6:09 mile at age 55 and achieved All-American status in the hammer and weight throws later in life. According to mastersrankings.com, Fred last competed in June 2013. He was a proud member of Texas Exes (University of Texas alumni). The obituary also says: “A nontraditional Celebration of the life of Frederick Ward Adams Jr. will be held Saturday June 7, 2014, at 3:00 PM at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd, Austin TX, 78705. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Fred’s name may be sent to: Waterloo Track and Field Club, c/o Marion Coffee, 4112 Burnet Rd, Austin TX 78756.” Our condolences to his family.
A few months back, I began corresponding with Julia Perez, a journalism student at San Diego State University. Her multimedia project was the San Diego Senior Olympics. She needed a subject. Tag, I’m it. With a photographer friend, she met me at my regular training venue, Cuyamaca College, in Rancho San Diego (east of San Diego) and taped an interview. She also shot me stretching, doing drills and taking starts. I cringe at my form, but hey — I took one for the team. In any case, she shrank an hour of tape down to 2 1/2 minutes. Nice work. Here’s her class site.
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...]
