Multi-eventers to gather for national masters championships
In “Rome 1960,” David Maraniss‘ wonderful account of the “Olympics that changed the world,” Rafer Johnson keeps telling himself: “I’ll never have to run the dang 1500 again” as he shadows UCLA teammate C.K. Yang of Taiwan. Rafer won decathlon gold, thanks to the self-chatter. He left it all on the track. But Rafer was a wimp compared with some age-groupers I know. Try doing a dec at 50 or 60. Or even 80. That’s the age of Albert Erickson of Club Northwest, the oldest entrant at the USA National Masters Combined Events Championship this weekend at King’s High School in Shoreline, Washington, north of Seattle. Again, women have the choice of hep or dec. And five are in the 10-eventer: Daphne Sluys, Joann Ellis, Nancy Cochrane, Nadine O’Connor and Sandy Anderson. A week later, really strong types meet Aug. 22-23 for the USATF Masters Weight Throw Championships at Mac Wilkins’ place in Portland, Oregon. Best of luck to all — at both venues.
My miracle medal of Lahti worlds: an M55 bronze in 4×100
I went to Lahti, my second world masters meet, with modest goals: Run the 100 and 200 with no injuries. Make a height in the high jump. Meet my Eurovet email pals and photog friends. (And cover the historic General Assembly.) Mission accomplished! But I also had a fantasy: Run a relay for Team USA. Turns out my fantasy became a reality — in incredible fashion. I was one of only four American M55 entrants to declare for the sprint relay, joining quarter-miler/javelin thrower Rick Easley of Texas and hurdlers Jim Broun of Florida and Thad Wilson of prednisone California. So come Friday afternoon, when USA team manager Phil Greenwald submitted his teams, I was grateful to be on one. But the thrills were only beginning. Thad and Jim informed me that I would be running anchor. (I would have been happy to be head cheerleader.) So here I was, a 14-flat blogger from San Diego, getting ready to race some of the fastest fiftysomethings in the world. I harbored no ambitions besides moving the stick from Point A to Point B.
YouTube video shot by Olympian Jim Barrineau shows me holding onto third.
Runner’s Oshkosh critique: ‘USATF violated its own rule’
Robert Nesbit Jr., an Army officer wounded in Iraq, eventually recovered and competed in M45
middle distances a month ago at Oshkosh, running for Club Northwest. When he got home, he dissected
the meet as if it were a military exercise. He did an
After Action Review of Wisconsin masters nationals. See it here.
Among other things, he argues that ninth-place qualifiers should have been allowed into the finals, since the track has nine lanes. But only eight advanced. “These are my opinions only,” Robert writes, “and given where I placed
in my events you may be inclined to dismiss them. You could perhaps
call this the view from the ‘middle of the pack.’ ”
More world and U.S. records! (But not at Lahti world meet)
Cherrie Sherrard, Mike Curry and Don Pellmann are world-class athletes. But when they broke world or American age-group records in recent weeks, they weren’t in Finland but Davis and Palo Alto, California. Here’s my feeble attempt at catching up with some amazing marks. Mary Woo reports that Cherrie, a 1964 Olympic hurdler, broke Edith Mendyka’s 26-year-old W70 American record in the shot put of 8.15 meters (26-9) by a foot, nailing 8.47 (27-9 1/2). And Mike Curry, 42, upped his own AR in the superweight throw (56 pounds) with a spin of 9.57 (31-4 3/4). Both were at Mary’s second annual Western States International Masters Invitational at UC Davis. See results here. Further west, 93-year-old Don Pellmann shattered two world records at the National Senior Games in Palo Alto, which conclude today. See results here. Look out for Oscar Peyton in the M55 200. He qualified for today’s final with a great 23.99 — not far off Bill Collins‘ WR of 23.36.
USA athletes in Lahti draft resolution on Senior Games ties
Anselm LeBourne, who organized and led a meeting with U.S. athletes in Lahti, has sent the following note to participants: “I want to thank you all for attending the meeting at the World Masters Championships. I want to say a special thank you to Latricia Dendy for doing all the typing of the information and to Becky Sisley for drafting the athletes resolution. . . . Please carefully review the information attached especially the 5 significant issues that we agreed on for Robert Thomas to take to certain individuals at the USATF. If you want to make any additions or deletions please do so and return to me. We have to decide how we are going to get the signatures to the petition (5 significant issues). (If) anyone (would) like to do this, please let me know. If you know of any masters athlete who are not part of this masters movement, please send me their name and email address and I will add them to the list.” Anselm might try the online petition service I used for talking about the records process.
Anselm LeBourne 1500 among first Lahti videos put online
New York’s Anselm LeBourne shadowed Great Britain’s Steven Smith at the Radiomaki (radio mast) track for all but 210 meters of their M50 1500 final track at Lahti worlds Then he kicked like crazy, winning by about 40 meters. Check out this video, one of dozens likely to appear in places like Flotrack and YouTube in coming days. One is already a classic — an impressionistic montage of action and reaction shots at the main Lahti stadium. Super-professionally done, it can be seen here. Featuring a jazzy French singer as background, it includes brief looks at Becky Sisley in the javelin, Charmaine Roberts and Renee Henderson among several Americans in the sprints, the 101-year-old Austrian thrower — and moi at the finish line, hat on backwards.
La Mesa’s Ken Stone (left) and Canada’s Doug Smith shoot a sprint race at Lahti.
David Dreyer has a dream: year-round all-comers meets
Lahti! Sydney! Palo Alto!I like to write about high-profile masters meets — just becuz. But most age-groupers are happy to attend local all-comers meets. In fact, the vast majority of USATF’s 8,000-10,000 masters tracksters will never run, jump or throw at worlds. Local meets, even unsanctioned ones, are fine by them. That’s one reason Andy Hecker of Ventura, California, began cataloging all-comers meets about eight years ago. That’s where masters compete. His 2009 schedule is here. Now David Dreyer in Southern California is gauging interest in a year-round all-comers series so athletes can “hone their skills and compete at the highest level.” He sent the following note to Andy and several dozen other masters in SoCal. Does anyone have a similar interest elsewhere in the country?
Day 9: Stunning WRs and USA titles in 400s, hurdles, throws
Where do I start? The USA short hurdles titles by M40 Mike Godbout, M55 Thad Wilson and W55 Rita Hanscom (her fourth gold medal of Lahti worlds)? The USA 400 victories by newly minted M35 Terrance Spann (48.14), W35 Latrica Dendy (55.35), M40 Robert Thomas (49.62, his best of the season) or W40 Charmaine Roberts (57.68)? Joy Upshaw-Margerum’s gutsy comeback in the W45 long jump — leaping with an injured foot and moving from fourth to second on her last jump? Carol Finsrud of Texas winning the W50 throws pentathlon by an astonishing 737 points? All were amazing and memorable. But the truly historic runs were by W55 Caroline Powell, M70 Guido Mueller and M90 Ugo Sansonetti in the 400s and Dr. Rolf Geese in the M65 100 hurdles — all world records. For more shots of some of these folks, see the last pages of my Lahti Gallery. Gotta hit the hay now and dream about flying with a baton.
John Oleski soars in the M55 triple jump, where he took 11th.
Leland McPhie chosen for SI’s ‘Faces in the Crowd’ feature
San Diego’s Leland McPhie, who set a slew of M95 world records this year and starred at Oshkosh nationals, is listed in this week’s Faces in the Crowd compilation in Sports Illustrated. Here’s the blurb. The notation says: “McPhie, 95, broke the American men’s shot put record in the 95- to 99-year-old division at the USA Masters outdoor championships. His throw of 22’6ВЅ” beat the previous mark by nearly a foot. McPhie, who competes for the So Cal Track Club, also holds Masters 95 world records in the high jump (3’1Вј”) and triple jump (13’0″).” Meanwhile, USATF’s Indy office has yet to name an Athlete of the Week. I’ve nominated Rita Hanscom, but I’m afraid the office is empty. Some meet in Berlin.
M95 Leland McPhie gathers for his jump at Oshkosh nationals in July.
U.S. athletes meet at Lahti to seek more USATF support
At least 30 Americans gathered for an “athletes-only” meeting Wednesday morning at a covered cafe patio across from the Lahti stadium, revisiting an old complaint: Why can’t USATF do more for world-class U.S. masters athletes? Anselm LeBourne, who had taken silver in the M50 800 and later would win gold in the 1500, organized and led the meeting. I wasn’t there, since the General Assembly was bigger fish to fry, but several witnesses told me that athletes discussed the need for access to cheaper (or free) U.S. uniforms for world-meet entrants and the need to prevent conflicts between national senior games and USATF nationals. (A resolution to that effect is being drawn up.) An advocacy group is being created, I’m told. Athletes also called on USATF to provide massage therapy and medical aide for Team USA at worlds — as the Brits do. One U.S. multi-eventer spent more than $400 at Lahti for such treatment. Becky Sisley, our active athletes rep, and Indiana sprinter Robert Thomas were other key speakers. There was unanimous consent to getting something done, I’m told, and an email distribution list is in the works. If you were there, share your recollections.
