American masters age-group records added to Wikipedia site

Andy Hecker is relentless. First he posts a world masters records page on Wikipedia. Now he’s done the same for American records. (See his latest work here.) Andy writes: “Here’s my Christmas gift to the masters community. I waited until it was a little more complete this time. There is still a lot of information missing, but a major improvement on what is on the USATF site. I’ll open this up to the community to help fill in the blanks. If anybody does not know how to edit on Wikipedia, feel free to send me the information.” This is amazing. Although it’s unofficial, this compilation is likely to get far more attention than USATF’s full-of-holes site. And since it can be updated in real time, we’re likely to see new records posted faster. Of course, the honor system is in force. But if I have to choose between occasional errors and wholesale incompetence, I’ll take Andy’s version.

December 22, 2010 6 Comments

Watch out for this guy in 20 years, or ask for a far-away lane

This is a hoot. Several people (including my son) have sent me this link. It’s a hurdling video for the ages. Thank goodness it doesn’t involve my age group. Or continent. How many DQ actions can YOU spot? At least 10 and maybe a dozen, by my count. In any case, this video is now legendary. Enjoy.

December 21, 2010 25 Comments

Rich Burns on mile rival Bateman: I hope he can get all WRs

Rich Burns says he knew his crossworld distance friend and rival Keith Bateman was going for his M55 world mile record. They exchange notes. “He was good enough to e-mail me from the track that he had run around 34/35 ( hadn’t had the official time at that point),” says Rich of Keith’s WR 4:35.04 Saturday. So what was his reaction when Keith took down his 6-month-old record? Read on for a quickie Q&A. (Photos are courtesy of Simon Butler-White in Aussieland.)

Keith battles the kiddies in weekend race where he's pulled/pushed to mile WR.

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December 20, 2010 3 Comments

Aussie Bateman scorches Burns’ WR in M55 mile, clocks 4:35.04

Keith Bateman seeks six WRs this season.

Who said it was indoor season? Not Keith Bateman. The Aussie superstar yesterday ran a mile outdoors in 4:35.04, taking nearly 2 seconds off Rich Burns’ 6-month-old M55 world record of 4:36.94. Rich had lowered a record that had lasted 33 years. Now this. No word short of awesome suffices. From Down Under, Simon Butler-White writes: “Happy to report that Keith Bateman broke the 1 mile record at the Athletics New South Wales ‘Skins’ meet at Sydney Olympic Park yesterday (December 18). …The official results from the meet are posted on the Athletics NSW website, nswathletics.org.au.” On the Age-Graded Tables, 4:35 is worth an open time of 3:50.9. That’s nonsense. Call it 3:45.

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December 19, 2010 6 Comments

Track season is here! Great indoor marks in time for Christmas

Don’t look now, but indoor track season is here. The Philly Masters TC had a great little meet last Sunday at the Glen Mills Schools, and quite a few great marks were posted. See results here. Heather Scanlon sent these results, bless her heart. She also put the shot 8.07 meters (26-5 1/2) in W45. Not bad, Heather. World champ Renee Henderson dashed 55 meters in 7.58 and the 400 in 66.89 in W45. And M55 Lovell Butler had the fastest 55 of all age groups: 7.09. W45 Lorraine Jasper ran the 800 in 2:38.85, the mile in 5:35.18 and, for giggles, the 400 in 1:12.15. Nice workout, Lorraine!

December 18, 2010 14 Comments

New Brunswick, Canada, to host 2012 WMA region championships

UNB track: meet site

In contrast to Puerto Rico’s hurry-up organization of WMA regionals in early September, the 2012 WMA regional meet sounds like a first-class operation. This just came out: “On Thursday, organizers of North American, Central American and Caribbean World Masters Athletics (NCCWMA) announced its Aug. 9-12, 2012 championship is coming to Saint John. . . . The meet will double as the 2012 Canada Masters Athletics championships.” This means that regionals will presumably follow 2012 Illinois masters nationals by a week or two. Folks are still in shape, and it’s still vacation time (for teachers and coaches with limited time).

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December 17, 2010 17 Comments

Frenchman claims M55 indoor world record in 1500: 4:21.94

Pierre Faucheur

Pierre Faucheur of France has five kids — ages 3 to 28. Now he’s added a world record, too. According to this site and others, with official stature, we learn that Pierre pipped the M55 world indoor record in the 1500 on Dec. 10. In Metz, France, he clocked a wonderful 4:21.94, beating the listed WR of 4:24.39 by Britain’s Alistair Dunlop in 2009. The indoor American record for M55 is 4:26.7 by Nolan Shaheed at Boston in 2007. Also for the record, Pierre’s children are as follows: boy 28, boy 26, girl 11, boy 7, boy 3 years. He writes: “Not the time to be bored in this life.” Of course, I shot him some questions. (And here he is winning M50 world title at 2008 indoor worlds in France.)

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December 16, 2010 10 Comments

Masters photos posted for USATF team cross country nationals

Lyudmila Vasilyeva wins the W40 race.

Cheryl Treworgy, a great photographer who happens to be Shalane Flanagan’s mom, has posted hundreds of great shots from the weekend’s USATF national club cross country nationals. Meet was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Results are here. Many track stars are shown. See the men’s gallery here. See the women’s gallery here. National Masters News reports via email that “Club Northwest’s Lyudmila Vasilyeva, 41, scored a nine second win over Lori Kingsley, 44, of the Willow Street AC, covering the 6k cross course in 21:38.7 to Kingsley’s 21:47.1.” And the top masters men’s runner “was M45 winner Peter Magill, 49, Compex Racing, covering 10k in 32:36.0. Second was his Compex Racing teammate and M40, winner, Christian Cushing-Murray, 43, who ran 32:47.8.”

December 14, 2010 6 Comments

CBS Evening News eyes my employer; also see my latest work

Self-indulgent Plug Du Jour: My new employer, Patch Media Corp., was featured on Sunday’s CBS Evening News. In the video clip below, Patch gets praise. But it also is criticized for supposedly not taking on controversial issues. Well, I beg to differ. Today I posted a long article on the La Mesa Police Officers Association, the bargaining unit for the cops in my town. The LMPOA also has tax-exempt nonprofit status. Their annual fund-raising letter raised eyebrows, and I dug into the commercial outfit behind the mailer. I also reported on how much money they actually give to charity. Please check out my article and let me know what you think.

December 13, 2010 6 Comments

Kay Glynn’s 2010 Christmas card and news: indoor WR in vault!

Multi-eventer Kay Glynn, who incredibly is “57 a bit longer,” shares her latest Christmas shot. “Husband took this photo on a nice, sunny, no-wind morning Dec. 8 BUT it was 13 degrees!” she writes. “I was just happy to get a Christmas photo without having to scoop 2 feet of snow first! This morning we’re in a winter weather advisory and are advised to not travel as we’re on the edge of the big snow coming through the Midwest! BTW, pole vaulting gurus keep telling us young pole vaulters to spend lots of time on the rings and bars. This isn’t really one of the pole vaulting drills, but I sometimes get sidetracked!”