So I’m packed for Eugene, and can’t wait to start my quadrennial adventure. This will be my eighth Trials or Olympics since 1984. Gotta stay in the game. And besides the kiddie events, I’m looking forward to the women’s 400 and men’s 200 masters events June 30. Favorites appear to be Allen Woodard and Lisa Daley. But call Eric Prince and Alisa Harvey close seconds. And I’m still looking for a roommate to share 2-bed dorm room next to Hayward Field. If $65 a day (which includes three meal tickets a day) sounds better than your motel room, shoot me at a note at TrackCEO@aol.com. See you soon!
Somehow I missed this result from June 6: Tony Whiteman ran 800 meters in 1:48.22 in Indianapolis, lowering his previous M40 best of 1:48.28 from May. We learnfrom Kent Online: “Former GEC Avionics middle distance star Anthony Whiteman set a new M40 800m world record…. Whiteman, who recently became the first man aged over 40 to run a sub-four minute mile outdoors, will now target the M40 1,500m record of 3min 42.65sec owned by Russian athlete Vyacheslav Shabunin. His attempt could be a highlight of the Aviva Olympic Trials in Birmingham this weekend, where Whiteman has vowed to at least make the final to embarrass his younger peers. He could come up against the World Champion at 5,000m, Mo Farah, who is going to target the 1,500m at the Trials to prepare for a tilt at the London Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m double.”
Running in miserable weather, Christa Bortignon of Canada nipped the listed world record in the W75 200-meter hurdles over the weekend. Her time of 41.70 was just ahead of the listed WR of 41.71 by Barbara Jordan at 2011 Sacramento worlds. And she ran it into a 2.8 meters per second headwind! Christa writes: “It was pouring rain all of Saturday and most of Sunday, at 13 –15 degrees [55-59 Fahrenheit] or with gusting winds. The meet was the 2012 British Columbia Master Championships in Langley, BC. Also broke my previous 200 Canadian record with a 34.94 time and won 8 gold medals altogether: 100, 200, 200 hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump, javelin and shot put.” Still looking for link to meet results, but way to go, CB! And WMA, please clean up your records list. You list the W75 recordwith the 300-meter hurdles records. In other words, Barbara is depicted as running 300s in 41.7!
Christa claims Canadian W75 record in the 200-meter dash in British Columbia.
Results haven’t been posted as of late Saturday night, but we hear that Nolan Shaheed ran the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7:09.91 at the USATF Southern California Association masters championships at Caltech in Pasadena. The listed M60 American record is 7:21.09 by David Taylor at 2010 Sacramento nationals. The listed world record is 6:30.21 by New Zealand’s Ron Robertson in 2001. Photos by Diana Hernandez posted here (and on Pete Magill’sFacebook page) show Nolan’s form is a little ragged. That’s to be expected of a novice. We’re told it’s his first ever steeple! Nice debut, Nolan. Other eye-opening marks at Caltech include M40 Christopher Williams of the SoCal Track Club running legal 100 and 200 in 10.57 and 21.03, according to unofficial results sent by a friend.
Pacing Nolan, Grace Padilla ran 6:53.91, just off Lisa Ryan’s W40 AR of 6:49.58.
I pride myself on having a clue. But when word arrived that Alex Ratelle had passed June 10, I was ignorant as the day is long. Of course, Alex stuck to the roads. But his running is legend, as I learned fromhis recent obituary. He was a part of masters track history, though, as one of the original entrants in the first USA national masterschampionships in 1968: He ran a 3-hour marathon at age 43 that year in San Diego. He got a LOT better, clocking 2:30:40 at age 56. We also learn: “He holds the Grandma’s Marathon mark for those 60-64 at 2:48:20, set in 1985 at age 60. He once held eight world age-group records and 32 American age-group bests.” In 1999, he was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame — along with 

Hal Higdon, Al Oerter and Larry Stuart. RIP to a Great One.
Alex was 52 at the first Grandma’s Marathon in 1977. Rename it Grandpa’s.
I’m covering the Eugene Olympic Trials in late June for Patch.com and have reservations in a dorm near Hayward Field. My wife, Chris, will stay with me the final three nights (June 29-30 and July 1). But I can share the room with someone else (male nonsmoker) the nights of June 21-28. (My first roomie for opening three days fell through with a family crisis.) We’d split the cost of the room, which has two beds but no air conditioning (not a problem usually). Your share would be about $65. This includes several meal tickets in the dorm cafeteria. Such a deal! If you are interested in staying with me all eight nights or a portion, please write me at TrackCEO@aol.com. First preference goes to hurdlers who can pep-talk me into reviving my career. (Kidding.)
Myrle Mensey, a thrower who specializes in hammer and weight, shares this photo of her holding paperwork for a W60 American record in the 12-pound weight. She improved her own AR from 16.63 meters (54-6) to 17.03 (55-10 1/4). The record came at the Missouri State Senior Games at the University of Missouri in Columbia on June 9. (The listed WR is 17.84, or 58-6, by Inge Faldager of Denmark.) Myrle
writes: “This is the first time I have thrown over 17m in competition. This was my first meet this outdoor season throwing the weight. I have been throwing good in practice and felt really good at the meet. Who says you have to throw less just because you get older? I’m getting older and better every year. What a great way to start the season!! I am so excited.” So are we! Congrats on the great heave!
This hurts to report. Our friend Jerry Smartt, the former world-class distance runner who became a regular at nationals and worlds with his bandanna, died Tuesday at his home in Warsaw, Missouri. (Here is his official obituary.) This sad news first came from several friends as well as USATF national masters chairman Gary Snyder. Jerry was quoted in the book about the 1960 Olympic Games called Rome 1960. (He was an alternate at those Games, but competed in USA-Soviet dual meets.) I’m told that more details will be on the Reiser Funeral Homewebsite. An obituary will run in the Benton County Enterprise. His wife told Don Pratt, a friend: “Jerry ran his last race this morning.” His funeral will be Saturday in Warsaw. Jerry was the coolest cat in masters track, and he’ll be sorely missed.
Jerry Smartt, in his signature bandanna, competed at 2011 Sacramento worlds.
Ida Keeling faced a 2.3 meter per second headwind and opponents young enough to be her great grandchildren. Her time in the 100-meter dash at the USATF Eastern Regional Open Championships was 51.85. But I’ll take any time at 97. Ida thus became the owner of the W95 American record. The listed WR is 35.48 by Katsuko Iwaki of Japan. The meet was held on the same NYC track where Tyson Gay ran 10.00 over the weekend (also into a wind). Let’s see Tyson crack 52 when he’s Ida’s age, in 2080. Rob Jerome, who took the photo at left, writes that Ida “ran … no walking in the middle of the race. … Ida’s exploits were covered by Broadcaster Lisa Ling of “Our America with Lisa Ling”, which is shown Sunday nights at 10 on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Some nice publicity for Masters.”
Dave Clingan shared link to YouTube video of the masters mile at his Portland Track festival race Saturday, won by Tim Gore. Unsure whether he’s related to Al. But the biggest untold story of the race was Pete Magill running two races the same day, almost 1,000 miles apart. We’ve learned that Pete on Saturday morning won his age group in the Downtown Anaheim 5K in 15:01.24. See results here. Then he flies to Oregon for the mile? I want to see confirmation from him on how this was possible.
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...]
So I’m packed for Eugene, and can’t wait to start my quadrennial adventure. This will be my eighth Trials or Olympics since 1984. Gotta stay in the game. And besides the kiddie events, I’m looking forward to the women’s 400 and men’s 200 masters events June 30. Favorites appear to be Allen Woodard and Lisa Daley. But call Eric Prince and Alisa Harvey close seconds. And I’m still looking for a roommate to share 2-bed dorm room next to Hayward Field. If $65 a day (which includes three meal tickets a day) sounds better than your motel room, shoot me at a note at TrackCEO@aol.com. See you soon!
