masterstrack.com

Older, slower, lower: Ken Stone's hobby blog for showcasing and watchdogging adult age-group track and field

Shades of Landover snafu: ‘All 60m races currently under review’

Two years ago at Landover masters indoor nationals, the timing company made such a hash of results that USATF Masters national chairman Gary Snyder apologized and the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee pledged, “Never again.” Don’t look now, but we have “again.” As many of you have noticed, results from Albuquerque nationals include a disclaimer: “All 60m races are currently under review.” That includes American records by Bill Collins and 13 others!

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March 18, 2011  27 Comments

Masters fantasy: Being treated like elites with USATF travel stipends

At Lahti worlds, a group of U.S. athletes gathered to plot how to improve their lot. Leader was Anselm LeBourne, who called a vote and gave the group a name: USAMA. Among its ideas was finding a way to squeeze USATF for some travel money. I’m reminded of this by recent USATF announcement: “In 2011, USATF will continue a program launched in 2010 which provided direct financial assistance to a limited number of athletes, to assist them with the cost of travel, housing and training while competing internationally during the summer. The primary purpose of the grant is to help athletes defray travel expenses not covered by meet directors and/or to assist them with the financial burden of securing housing and/or training sites. Priority for this funding was given to those athletes who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate or would need to devote a great deal of their earnings from the meet to pay for their travel and related expenses.”

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March 17, 2011  28 Comments

Olga Kotelko to star at Kamloops nationals — and in BBC profile

W90 superstar Olga Kotelko is competing this weekend at Canadian masters indoor nationals at Kamloops — site of last year’s indoor worlds. According to the local paper, Olga “is scheduled to compete in the 60, 200, 400, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put and weight throw.” Whew! And she just turned 92. But that’s not the least of her stardom this week. BBC World TV is set to air a profile of Olga and archive it on its website. Brandy Yanchyk, a freelance journalist based in Edmonton, Alberta, is using some of my Olga shots from Lahti worlds, she tells me. Not sure when it will run, but keep your eyes peeled.

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March 16, 2011  4 Comments

Back to the future: German poobahs decree masters starts at 40

Once upon a time, before 2004, masters track began for men at 40 and women at 35. Now masters is 35-and-up, period. But German track enchiladas apparently want to turn back the clock. According to posts on the Koops’ site, Eurovets president Dieter Massin is fighting a decision to spike the 30-34 and 35-39 age groups in German masters athletics. (And the Koops, Annette and Robert, have started a petition drive.) I couldn’t make complete sense of the post, since I know little more than “Danke” and “Wunderbar,” so I recruited some help. A friend translated.
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March 15, 2011  7 Comments

But for pace, Pete Magill might have tickled own M45 record in 5K

Pete Magill turns 50 on June 19. “And I can’t wait!” he writes in reply to questions in the wake of his huge 14:45 over the weekend in an open 5K in Los Angeles. But was he surprised to drop a single-age record early in track season? Nope. “I entered myself at 14:45, because that’s what I thought I’d run,” he says. “And I ran 14:45. So the time wasn’t a surprise. The surprise was that I was able to run the time following that faster, demanding first mile. If I’d slowed 3-4 seconds that first mile, I think I would have finished much stronger, possibly even challenging my American M45-49 record of 14:34.” But in my quickie Q&A with Pete, he spent just as much time talking up his son, Sean. That’s our Pete.
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March 14, 2011  One Comment

Pete Magill clocks 14:45 for 5000 three months before turning 50

Pete Magill didn’t get the memo that the last year of your age group is for kicking back. Instead, he’s kicking butt. Last night at the Oxy Distance Carnival in Los Angeles, he ran 5000 meters in 14:45.88, a single-age record for 49-year-olds. (Pete Mundle lists the old record as 14:46.66 by Mexico’s Antonio Villuenevo in 1989.) The listed M50 world record is 14:53.2 by Britain’s David Martin Rees in 2003. Pete turns 50 on June 19. So this excuses (maybe) Pete’s decision to close down his milestone blog Younger Legs for Older Runner. He made good use of his time. Congrats, Pete! Hope to see you in Sacto. Here’s a video on how Pete stays in shape:

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March 12, 2011  27 Comments

Penn Relays poised for next Bill Collins world age-group record

Bill Collins, lissen up. Time to focus on Penn. Three years ago, you ran the 100 in 11.44 seconds there — a world record. Now you’re 60, and the time to beat is 11.70. That’s the M60 WR set by Britain’s Ronald Taylor in 1994. So how to enter? Glad you asked! Penn Relays masters coordinator Phil Felton writes: “Attached are the Penn Relays Masters entry form and information sheet. … Feel free to forward the forms to anyone else you think might be interested. Note that the timetable is approximate at present and will probably change slightly, when the acceptance letters are sent out I will confirm the schedule. There is construction going on at Franklin Field and there will be changes to access, I will send the details with the acceptance letter.”

March 12, 2011  7 Comments

M60 Bill Collins back on top—named USATF Athlete of the Week

Thank goodness USATF got this right! The folks in Indy yesterday named Bill Collins USATF Athlete of the Week. He merely swept the 60, 200 and 400 in record times last weekend at nationals. “I knew I had trained well, but it was only my second meet of the year,” Collins said. “I didn’t expect to run at the level I did, and I attribute that to my competitors, the tremendous atmosphere in Albuquerque and the fabulous track facility out there,” he said. He could be a favorite to be IAAF Masters Athlete of the Year by the end of 2011—after Sacramento worlds. It would be his second such honor—and a ticket to Monaco for the IAAF Gala. In March 2006, Bill won the same USATF honors after speeding at Linz worlds. Any bets on who the honor will go to in March 2016? Congrats, Bill. Stay healthy!
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March 11, 2011  17 Comments

Can’t resist photo of ‘ageless wonder’ Martha Mendenhall in flight

Tacoma sports website says: “Martha Mendenhall, the ageless wonder, went to the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque last weekend and came home with a victory in the high jump (age group 50-54). ‘I was not at my best, but I feel very satisfied and blessed to have been able to compete the way I did. With the way our weather was this winter, it was not conducive to the kind of training I like to do for a national competition,’ Mendenhall told us when she returned this week.”

March 10, 2011  16 Comments

Mt. SAC Relays high on masters hurdlers: Get your entry in soon

Richard Holmes writes: “I spoke with Brian Yokoyama at Mt. SAC (Relays), and he gave me a resounding “YES” to having the masters 110 high hurdle race (39″) for a third consecutive year! Brian stated that, because of the race quality and positive response they receive concerning past relays, they want to keep it on the permanent relay schedule. … For those masters hurdlers 40-49 who would like to give this a whirl, please contact me at Richardh1380@earthlink.net and I’ll provide details. Their will be nine open lanes (eight because I’m in one of them!) so let me know ASAP. This race has had quality performances over the years and I’d like to keep that same level constant throughout the upcoming years. Thanks!”

March 9, 2011  10 Comments

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• About Ken Stone

  

  Ken Stone

  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...]
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