Nick Symmonds, the great 800-meter man, is retired from pro track but not trying to fix the sport. He doesn’t turn 35 until the end of 2018, but maybe he’ll have ideas for masters as well. “If I could raise $2â3 million,” he writes, “I could put on the worldâs greatest and most modern track and field meet. But first things first, it would have to be in Nevada because gambling is legal there, so ideally that means Las Vegas. The additional revenue from gate receipts, food and beer sales, and gambling proceeds would be key to making it work.”
Nick would even sacrifice the 800 for a better spectator meet experience.
The Rev. Ted Miller (right) won the Western Australia M70 100-meter title in windy 16.13.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a horrible illness, but Aussie priest Ted Miller is conquering it, thank God (as he does). M70 Ted told his local parish weekly that the CFS he had was linked to glandular fever he contracted in his 20s, âwhich â when linked to a virus like the Epstein-Barr virus that causes glandular fever, can go on forever.â He could barely move at first. âWalking a short distance each day became important and was steadily increased, until after 20 years, two hours of walking was the norm.â He said: âI was on an oval one day and the thought came to me: âWouldnât it be great to do what you thought you would never do again â skip and run?â I actually told myself not to be silly. Then I took a couple of running steps and a few more and then stopped. The next day I took a few more. Careful not to overdo it and have a relapse (relapses were always happening), I very carefully increased the running exercise with great control.â Over the next five years he built up his strength and stamina to enter masters meets in Western Australia (including the recent state meet). âI now enjoy doing something I have always loved. . . . There is still a way to go and healing continues to take place, but rejoicing in what the Lord is doing is such a delight. It is good to be alive again.â If that doesn’t inspire you to make a comeback in later life, nothing will.
Mike Travers, USATF Eastern Region masters coordinator, has posted on Facebook a memo from national masters chair Rex Harvey with the title “Weather Delays at Meets.” Here’s what Rex wrote Friday: “This past weekend at the Outdoor Nationals in Baton Rouge, the competition was interrupted several times by weather delays. Some people called them rain delays, but that is not accurate. We would not delay for rain alone, unless it was extremely heavy or it was an event that cannot be safely conducted in the rain (such as the pole vault). Lightning was the reason for the delays. Every facility has its own policy on lightning and the minimum allowable distance of the lightning varies from facility to facility.”
A few weeks ago, word went out that USATF Masters would take reservations for poles it would ship to Toronto for the Aug. 11-13 NCCWMA world regional meet. “If we receive enough reservations, we will ship poles,” said the message to vaulters. Now the USATF and Doug “Shaggy” Smith, NCCWMA meet director, have reached an agreement to rent poles in Toronto. “When you sign the release and pay the fee ($50 USD/$63 CND) you have access to over 30 poles in 10-6, 11-6, 12-0, 13-0 and 14-0 UCS Spirit/Pacer and Gill vaulting poles,” says the new message. “Information, pole list, reservation form and payment available are available here.” Some 860 entrants as of July 21 are listed here, BTW.
Rex watched out for steeple safety at LSU nationals, where Dr. Cheryl Bellaire took a barrier. Dave Albo photo
Rex Harvey reported Thursday on his six-month cancer checkup, and it wasn’t good news. “One tumor is growing a little bit after a year and half of no change, so we will attempt some more treatment,” our national masters chair began in a Facebook post. “I have been accepted into a clinical trial. It is an immunotherapy treatment where they rev up my immune system to kill the cancer cells. It is brand new to my rare kind of appendix cancer, but has been very successful with other types of cancer. I have to have a tumor biopsy and many other tests first and then will begin at least three treatments, one every three weeks in Houston at MD Anderson. Thanks again for all your good wishes and prayers. All together, we are making this work.”
Julia finishes her WR 100 at 101 â heading for the arms of W80 Christel Donley, who won the race in 21.60. Dave Albo photo
With a nickname like âHurricane,â Julia Hawkins couldn’t help taking the world by storm. In being named USATF Athlete of the Week, sheâs likely to hold the title of oldest AoW for a long time â or until sheâs picked again. Julia is 101. Just a pup. (The previous record-holder was spring chicken Ida Keeling at 100.) âHawkins (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), who took up the sport last year at age 100, set a pending world record in the W100 100m after finishing in 40.12,â USATF notes. âEarlier this month, she set another pending world record in the event with her finish of 39.62 at the Senior Games. With such little experience in track and field, Hawkins is quickly building an impressive resume within the sport. But if two pending world records isnât enough, Hawkinsâs participation in the weekend event now makes her the oldest female to compete in USATF Masters history.â She told Indy: âI didnât feel like I was (breaking the record). Other times I felt like I was flying. This time, I wasnât feeling like I was going that fast.â
Steve has quite the collection. But he paid a price.
A local UK paper tells the amazing storyof an M40 sprinter who has a leg up on 2018 Malaga worlds. In 2004, Steve Jarvis got a kidney from his mother (as detailed here). Originally a judo champ, he turned to track and the World Transplant Games, which recently were in Malaga. In Spain, he won six gold medals and set a WR in the 100 of 11.49. (See results here.) “To run 11.49secs for 100m at 41 is really special; not many athletes in Cornwall run sub 12 seconds, so to run this time at my age blew me away, still hasn’t sank in and I feel there’s more to come,â Steve said. âI took up athletics because I couldn’t do judo any more. I was British judo collegiate champion before I got ill. This was tough to take on board and the athletics was something I had to do to prove to myself that I was capable of doing something special in sports still.” He raises money for his travels via this crowdfunding site. Anyone else with a new kidney have a story to tell?
Dave’s shots of “Grandpa” Bell are as historic as M95er.
Dave Albo was among the youngest M60s in the 400-meter dash at LSU nationals. He squeaked into the final with an eighth-place 68.85. In the final, Ben James won his 5,000th national one-lap title at 58.43 with Dave nearly 10 seconds behind at 68.12. But Dave’s shutter speed and masterful eye made him a champion at Baton Rouge. And he went home not to rest his bones but exercise his editing and posting skills. On Tuesday he shared a stellar set of William Bell vaulting at 95. He said he posted them on Facebook âjust because,â stealing my trademarked excuse for anything. (Youâll be hearing from my lawyers, Colleen Barney and Rita Hanscom.) But maybe not. He might already be a Colleen client (judging from photo). In any case, hereâs a case of an artist whose skills absolutely improve with age. Canât wait to see Dave shoot at 70 and 80! Order some prints from him. And see my bonus Q&A:
Kudos to Joy Upshaw for this shot of Dave (with vest inside out) and her Joy’s Jack Rabbit teammates Gabrielle Johnson (left) and Colleen Barney.
Scott McPherson, an M60 race walker, is the latest masters athlete to be penalized for doping. USADA announced Monday that Scott â who took fifth in the 3K and 10K walks at Daegu worlds â tested positive at Albuquerque indoor nationals for âpresence of an exogenous androgenic anabolic steroid and/or its metabolites.â He was the lone entrant in his age group in the mile walk and 3K walk. So if was doping for the sake of an advantage, he certainly didnât need it. USADA says heâll be sidelined till 2021: âMcPhersonâs four-year period of ineligibility began on March 23, 2017, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, McPherson has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 18, 2017, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.â I donât know Scott, and Iâm not sure if heâs the eye doctor in Lubbock I found online. But Iâd love to hear his story. Please have him contact me at TrackCEO@aol.com. I suspect he’s more collateral damage than willful cheater.
Karnell Vickers swept the sprints, hurdles and relays in M50. Photo via Facebook
According to weather charts, LSU nationals dodged a bullet â rain â on Day 4, giving sprinters and middle distance runners good footing and field-eventers a chance to breathe outdoor air. Also a slew of relay records. (Results here.) Sundayâs highlights included Bob Lida nipping Payton Jordanâs 20-year-old American record in the M80 200, clocking 30.80 to Paytonâs 30.89. Heâs a good shot for USATF Athlete of the Week, since he also took down the AR for 400 Friday. USATFâs press release gave due attention to the M60 200, âwhere In the closest finish of the day, Damien Leake (Van Nuys, California) of SC Striders Track Club narrowly beat Potomac Valley Track Clubâs Oscar Peyton (Accokeek, Maryland)âŚ. While Leake established a solid lead from the gun, Peyton closed in and nearly caught him at the end, ultimately finishing within .01 of each other, 25.65-25.66.â Walter Dix didnât run the M30 deuce. Too bad, heâs in shape for a sub-21. Local fave Mary Norckauer completed her 11th event in the M90 group. But I also was in awe of M50 Karnell Vickers, who won six golds â 100 (11.52), 200 (23.35), 100 hurdles (13.76), 400 hurdles (57.91), 4×100 shuttles and 4×100 relay. (He barely missed Walt Butler’s legendary 13.57 WR in the short hurdles.) Take some Ibuprofen and sleep in, Karnell!
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...]
