Sprinters training with distance runners a fine tradition
Pete Magill, noting the wonderful interview with W55 sprinter Sharon Warren at Carmel’s site, was impressed with Sharon’s willingness to train with distance great Marie-Louise Michelsohn. (See his blog post.) Pete recalls how his old USC sprint teammate James Sanford once tried running mile repeats with the Trojan distance crew. (He survived just one.) That gives me permission to recall my mile story. In the early 1970s, the Kansas sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers would challenge Kansas swimmers to a mile time trial at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence (site of the Kansas Relays). We would score it like a cross-country meet. On Oct. 1, 1973, I ran a 5:11 mile — behind a fish (5:02), high jumper Randy Johnson (5:03) and long jumper Danny Seay (5:09). Glad I kept my training diary. (Geeze, I weighed 144 pounds at 6-4.) Two years later, I ran a 4:56 mile indoors. No swimmers needed for pacing.
False-start rules for masters: Forget what you see on TV!
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Being a starter — how hard can that be? Raise a gun and say, “Runners to your marks. Set. Bang!” Well, the latest monograph on the art is circulating within USATF, and you won’t believe how much you don’t know. Check out this PDF. It’s 33 pages and 21,000 words long. But it contains some revealing nuggets, and contradicts what you may think from watching track on ESPN or NBC. For example, masters operate under the “Two to the individual” rule — which means you get DQ’d only if you’re caught jumping twice. This contrasts with the elite USATF/IAAF rule, whereby the first false start is charged to the field, and the next person to jump is bounced. So if a starter at Oshkosh DQ’s you after someone else leaves the blocks early, you have an argument to make.
Becky Sisley makes history as first American 200m hurdler
Check out these results from the June 27-28 Portland Masters Classic (actually held in Gresham, Oregon). They apparently contested the first 200-meter hurdles for masters women in America — an event ordained by World Masters Athletics for ladies 70 and older. Becky Sisley ran the race solo, apparently, so her time of 42.42 could be considered the American record. So now we have a baseline. Who will be the first to go sub-40? Of course, Becky isn’t he first to run a half-lap hurdle race. Guys like Jesse Owens did it up through the 1930s. So it’s back to the future for Becky and her fellow W70s-pluses.
National Senior Olympics or bust: Debi Lurie follows dream
Debi Lurie is not a track star. No matter. But her story shines as bright as Usain Bolt — and is typical of our tribe. How a mom in her
early 50s defied societal norms to become a sprinter. I saw her run at
the Pasadena Senior Games in June, and she contacted me for a photo a
few weeks later. But what really stands out is her drive toward next month’s National Senior Olympics. Debi writes:
“I am going to nationals in Palo Alto to run the women’s 100, my only
event. I am lower middle in time of the 36 participants in the 50-54
age group. . . I think I saw my son’s mouth drop open when he saw me run. He had never seen me do anything athletic.” She also was a candidate some time back
for a PBS documentary on the National Senior Olympics (which I haven’t seen made). She wrote about
herself but wasn’t one of the 10 (among 1,000 entrants) picked for
filming. But her story deserves airing here. You’re a
superstar in our book, Debi!
Debi, in Lakers shirt, ran the 50 and 100 at Pasadena for practice in block starts.
Oshkosh-goers Sisley, Altendorf tune up with world records
W70 Becky Sisley and M60 John Altendorf broke their own age-group world records in the vault last weekend in Gresham, Oregon, Becca’s Peter’s message board reports. The local paper says: Eugene’s Becky Sisley set two world records in the 70-74 age group at the Portland Masters Classic on Sunday at Mount Hood Community College. Sisley set records in the pole vault (7-8 3/4) and javelin (92-8) and also won the 80-meter hurdles and the 200-meter hurdles.” Another post adds: “John cleared 4.02 (13-2 1/4) on his second attempt . . . to break his own world and American record.” Sisley went 2.20 (7-2 1/2) in May. John is the listed WMA record holder with 4.00 (13-1 1/2) in 2007. Both are entered at Oshkosh nationals. In other vault news, Max Babits, nephew of M45 vault star Paul Babits, is on Team USA for the IAAF youth worlds this month in Bressanone, Italy.
Lahti organizers promise posting of entrant lists in mid-July
According to the official Web site for WMA worlds in Lahti, entrant lists will go online in mid-July, possibly by July 16. “Competition Managers Raimo Kallioniemi and Pekka Saarenpää and Competition Director Hannu Nurminen have started to sort out the challenging puzzle,” the site says. “This hardworking trio is building a timetable for the Championships that is both athlete – and official friendly, when there would be as little back and forth movement between the venues as possible. The entry lists for the World Championships in Masters Athletics in Lahti will be published in age groups and event groups at our websites in mid July, around the 16th of July.” I’ll try to cobble up the Team USA roster as well.
Earl Fee skipping Oshkosh to nurse injury, prep for Lahti
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Canadian masters legend Earl Fee has opted out of Oshkosh, he’s informed meet organizers. He won’t compete in the 200, 400, 800 and long hurdles (or set M80 world records therein) because he tweaked a leg in practice recently and wants to rest up for the real prize later this summer: Lahti worlds. Although this list of athletes shows 972 entrants at Oshkosh, some will be no-shows, including M45 cross country specialist and blogger deluxe Pete Magill of South Pasadena. He’s not flying to Wisconsin, he tells me. Meanwhile, Bob Weiner has put out his annual press release, highlighting some of the stars coming to nationals. Have a happy Fourth, y’all, and see you in a few days.
Guido’s latest WR: 200 in 26.48; and W90 discus WR to Italian
Germany’s Guido Müller on Wednesday warmed up with 100 meters in 13.24 and then blasted the deuce in 26.48 (into a slight wind) to lower his own M70 world record from 26.55 in May. The meet (see results here) was a mixed-ages event in Munich, and Guido’s race was won by a kid born in 1989. Guido, born in 1938, appears to be in shape for another record assult in Lahti. In March, Guido set an indoor WR in the 200 and apparently set his first outdoor WR in May. The listed WR is 26.71 by fellow German Horst Schruder in 2005. We also got word today of a W90 world record in the discus by Italian Olympian Gabre Gabric-Calvesi, who threw the discus 12.14 (39-10) at the Italian masters nationals a few days ago. That beat the listed WR of 12.10 (39-8 1/2) by Australia’s Ruth Frith in 2000.
Gabre Gabric-Calvesi isn’t a mere senior Olympian; she’s the real thing.
I’m daring Track & Field News to silence Phil Shinnick again
About a week ago, National Masters News publisher Randy Sturgeon sent me a copy of a letter he printed in his July edition. It was from Phil Shinnick, an Olympic long jumper who in 1963 went 27-4 at the Modesto Relays and thought he had a world record. Not quite. For the next 40-plus years, Phil fought track’s major powers to get his record recognized. It lasted only 16 months, but he demanded justice. I posted the letter on a Track & Field News message board thread that dealt with Phil’s lost WR in great detail. Within hours, it was deleted. Well, I’ve posted it again — on a board devoted to free speech for the Fourth of July weekend. If this link is dead, you’ll know it has been zapped anew. What for? Probably because Phil defames Bob Hersh, a longtime T&FN correspondent and IAAF bigwig.
No free airport shuttles for Oshkosh? Then share taxi ride
It’s apparent that Oshkosh meet organizers aren’t offering a free shuttle for athletes to and from the nearest airport — in Appleton. So here’s my suggestion: Post your arrival info and arrange to share a taxi with a fellow masters trackster. I’ve started this share the ride” message board on our Forum. Or you can post your needs on this blog. I’ve gotten rides this way in the past, and it drives down expenses appreciably. (Taxis cost upward of $50, I’ve been told.) So save your money for beer afterward.
