Sacramento masters nationals drawing more than 1,400 entrants
Amid all my hoohah about heat, I’d be remiss in not mentioning the expected turnout at Sacramento masters nationals late next week. According to the Sacramento Business Journal, some 1,415 athletes are entered. The official USATF news release says more than 1,400 are entered. This is one of the biggest turnouts at outdoor nationals in history. California is a hotbed of masters track, of course, but the proximity of national parks and San Francisco didn’t hurt. Bob Weiner’s press blast also highlights the top names entered, along with attention given to the oldest entrant — 96-year-old Leland McPhie of San Diego, who hasn’t posted an outdoor mark this year (that I can tell). Here’s more info from the Sacto organizers.
Merlene Ottey runs 100 meters in 11.67 — latest W50 world record
According to these results (posted in Slovenian) and several news sites, sprint goddess Merlene Ottey took second in the 100 at yesterday’s “Mednarodni atletski miting KRKA 2010.” She clocked a legal 11.67 in the prelims and a legal 11.71 in the finals. Her 11.67, of course, lowers her own W50 world record of 11.84 on June 26 in Maribor, Slovenia. Merlene scratched from the 200 yesterday. Among M50 American men this year, Merlene would be No. 2 in the 1! Only Michael Waller could beat her (on a good day). On the 2010 Age-Graded Tables, 11.67 corresponds to an open (ages 20-30) mark of 10.32. Get out! (Her real PR is 10.74 from 1996.)
Before Merlene turned 50 in May, the W50 world record was 12.50 seconds.
Two-day regional meets — evoking nationals or peeving athletes?
Once upon a time, the USATF West Region Masters Championships was a one-day meet. Folks came from three or four states to compete at places like Los Gatos High School (near San Jose) or Cerritos College in Norwalk (near L.A.). But in recent years, under the direction of USATF West Region Coordinator Mark Cleary, the meet has been a two-day affair. It hasn’t pleased everyone. Before last weekend’s meet, for example, one record-holding athlete wrote me: “We are not going to the meet because it is two days unnecessarily and because the scheduling is ridiculous. How many prelims will be run for the 100 and 200 in ‘one of the most competitive meets in the country?’ Doesn’t look like the women or men will need any.”
Ron Lee cleared 1.75 (5-8 3/4) to win the M45 title at West Region -- not long after 9 a.m. Sunday. (Photo by Ken Stone)
Special treat at Texas masters meet: Olympian as guest starter
Thane Baker is a Midwest sprint legend. At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, he won gold in the 4×1, silver in the 100 (behind Bobby Joe Morrow) and bronze in the 200. On Saturday, at age 78, he showed up for the Texas Masters Championships at Coppell High School. Meet director Wayne Bennett sent these results. He also wrote: “Our starter for this meet was former Olympian Thane Baker. Also this was our 30th annual meet and we have had only one rainout of the running events and have never canceled the throwing events. Weather was humid, about 88 degrees most of the day, with very light breezes. Was probably only low 80s when running events started at 6 p.m.” How cool is that? Having an Olympic legend as your starter! (He’s also a member of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.) Here’s the Melbourne 100 final:
France, Germany split team victories in international dual meet
On a hot day in northern France, Saturday saw a cool masters meet: a dual between French and German teams in the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups. The Eurovets site reports that Germany won the M/W40 dual and France won the M/W50. Here are results. According to the Koops’ site, the W40 French team edged Germany 41-40, while M40 Germans beat France 85-76. In the W50 scoring, Germany won 45-36 and in M50 it was France prevailing 82-79. Close meet! Blogger Annette Koop of Germany and W50 teammates ran a fast 4×4 in 4:26.30. The meet was held in Yutz, France, near the German border, where the temps hit 98.6 in the shade.
The dual meet in Yutz featured close competitions among 40s and 50s.
Details, entry form posted for WMA regional meet in Puerto Rico
Information and entry forms for the XIX Masters Athletics Regional Championship “to be celebrated in the autonomous city of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, from the 2nd to the 6th of September, 2010,” are now posted. Here is the website. The home page, built on a free Google platform rather than its own domain, says: “This page will be guide you and inform about the rules of registration, accommodations, visa rules, sporting facilities, schedule for matches and other activities. Our organization committee is realizing tremendous work for the athletes benefit and to achieve to have the best regional championship even with the short time lapse. We would greatly desire that everyone would join us in the city of Mayaguez, to celebrate the encounter of our fellow master athletes and to participate with the gallantry that characterizes our region.”
Sacramento train wreck in the offing? Heat is on to fix schedule
Logistics are a bitch. A four-day masters championships with hundreds of heats is always a bear to schedule. But add temps in the high 90s, and you have a potential disaster in Sacramento. After the exact time schedule was posted Monday, many of you noted problems. One athlete wrote me: “My 5K and 1500 start at 7 a.m. I am at the meet hotel and the info says the shuttle to the track starts at 6:30 — (with) check-in 15 minutes before the start of the race. Well, I don’t know about other folks, but a 5-minute period to warm up does not do it for me. Starting events early is great, but will they start the hotel shuttle early?”
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Love them Lisas! Valle and Daley lead record assault in California
Lisa Daley
Lisa Valle got hugs in Lahti after her 4x4 relay bronze. (Photo by Ken Stone)
‘Minimum’ heights announced for Sacramento — a masters first?
According to this info sheet about Sacramento masters nationals, the opening height for one of my events, the M55 high jump, will be 1.33 meters (4-4 1/4). That happens to be my 2009 season best — achieved at Lahti worlds (where I heeded rhythmic clapping from my rivals and cleared the bar). So unless the entire field agrees to lower this “minimum height,” I’m toast this year. Of course, that’s pathetically easy for most people. But it might doom some jumpers to NH status. Have such opening heights been promulgated at outdoor nationals before? Not in my memory. Even Lahti let me start about 6 inches lower. Also: Here’s a vague schedule of events. Still awaiting specific times.
About 6 dozen foreign athletes entered in Sacramento nationals
Karla will be a favorite in the W55 sprints at Sacto.
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