Terry Parks, with his Toronto WMA regional gold, expects to add Daegu and Perth bronzes.
M50 high jumper Oleg Kramar of Ukraine competed at 2016 Perth outdoor and 2017 Daegu indoor worlds despite the IAAF having suspended him from April 2016 to April 2020 after a March 2016 drug positive. How could that be? Oleg won silver at Perth and gold at Daegu despite being on the IAAF banned list — for having Stanozolol in his system. Countless people have some ‘splaining to do. WMA President Stan Perkins is asking questions. In reply to my queries, Stan writes: “I have initiated a check in this matter to determine what the situation is and the actual date this suspension was applied by the Ukrainian Athletics Federation. I am very concerned that this has happened, but there well may have been impacting factors that we are not aware of at this time.”
Citing sanctioned athletes on an IAAF list, Bridget Cushen in UK reports on the WMA site that M50 European indoor silver medalist Oleg Kramar of Ukraine failed doping test at the 2016 Ancona, Italy, championships. She writes: “Kramar had entered the European Masters Athletics Track & Field Championships in Aarhus last July, but failed to appear to defend the title he won in Izmir (1.87m) in 2014. He got the silver medal at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Lyon in 2015 behind the Italian Marco Segatel (1.86m), Kramar (1.83m) and Steven Linsell, Great Britain (1.75m). The Frenchman Chrystophe Fontaney was 4th. That was a particularly strong competition with 23 participants. Steven Linsell said he was very surprised and shocked that he had been competing against fellow athletes who have been doping, adding that it’s encouraging to see that the systems in place do work.” Oleg can return to competition in April 2020, just in time for Toronto worlds.
Here’s a Tom Phillips photo of Oleg at Ancona. No wonder. Can’t trust a straddler.
“Run Strong, Stay Hungry” can be had for $8.89 at B&N.
I wasn’t expecting hard news in Jonathan Beverly’s new book on lifetime runners called “Run Strong, Stay Hungry: 9 Keys to Staying in the Race.” But there it is on page 108, when the former editor of Running Times notes 1984 Olympic marathon champ Joan Benoit Samuelson, “who said she has not yet formally announced her dream of running sub 3 (hours) at 60.” Joanie tells Jon: “It is a goal I have, and it’s going to be a challenge for me.” Then he returns to the chapter theme of effort-based training, which includes “ignore the clock” and “feel the wind: Enjoy being able to feel fast and fit at any age.” In any case, the listed W60 WMA world record for 26.2 miles is 3:02:50 by Claudine Marchadier of France in 2007. (But mastersathletics.net lists a W60 best of 3:01:30 by New Zealand’s Bernardine Portenski in 2010.) Joan’s W55 best, BTW, is 2:50:33 in 2013. She turned 60 in May.
George White with sports medicine trainer (and savior) Shirley Wright. Keryn Stevens photo
The president of masters athletics in South Australia is George White. Call him a pre-Christmas miracle. “White had just finished a 1000m race walk when he suffered a heart attack that nearly killed him,” reports an Adelaide newspaper. “The 72-year-old athlete does not remember much of that day last month at SA Athletics Stadium. One thing White, of Blackwood, does recall is how grateful he felt for the efforts of masters association sports medicine trainer Shirley Wright after waking up in hospital. Wright performed CPR on White 16 times to help revive him.” He said: “She was the one that basically kept me alive until the paramedics arrived. I finished the race then went over to take my duties as starter for the rest of the events and went down to start the 60m sprints (as a race official). I apparently started one without any problems and lined up the competitors for the second event, put my gun in the air and then keeled over.”
With no warning, World Masters Athletics is expanding its annual awards program. Instead of just a female and male Athlete of the Year, it’s going to honor the top male and female sprinter, thrower, jumper, middle-distancer, etc. (See details here.) The world governing body also is trying to remove the mystery of its annual WMA Best Male and Female Athlete Awards. Here’s the interesting part: Nominators don’t have to be the regions. WMA says: “Athletes may be nominated by either: The Regional Representative or a member of the WMA Council or the WMA Records Chair. Each WMA Region may use their own method of selection. The nomination form must be returned to the WMA Records Chair [Sandy Pashkin] by January 15, 2018, who will collate the nominations for the selection vote of the WMA Council.” Also a promise: “Results will be posted on the WMA webpage on February 5th, 2018.”
WMA outta start an email newsletter to spread the word of actions like this.
For the 11th year, masters track star Kay Glynn shares her inimitable Christmas greetings photo — showing off her strength and flexibility at once. Also her amazing lack of aging. Kay writes: “Looking forward to turning 65 in a few weeks!” — as well as competing at indoor hep champs in Kenosha and indoor nationals in Ladover. “I updated my second hip resurfacing… a few months ago at this YouTube video. and added an acrobatic Christmas video from last week Also, I had a great experience telling some stories on a podcast with Thomas Matt where I was actually encouraged to acknowledge a few people. Ken, I even got to mention your website at 20 minutes into the interview!” Aw shucks, Kay. Thanks for thinking of me!
Click on photo to see past iterations of the amazing Kay Christmas photo.
In a BBC video shot at Chabot (sha-BOW) College across the bay from San Francisco, Irene Obera shows her great running form at age 84 and aims to enter 2020 Toronto worlds, where she’ll dominate the W85 age group. She’s the subject of what the Brits call “ageing” research. “Her only period of ill-health was self inflicted — when she dropped a weight on her toe in the gym,” says the story by medical correspondent Fergus Walsh. “As with all the superagers I’ve met, Irene retains a positive attitude — her horizons have not narrowed as she has aged. She is socially connected; as well as all the people she meets through sport, Irene volunteers in her local community.” That’s no surprise. Rocking-chair folks shut out the world. Fergus adds: “As part of this series of reports on superagers I’ll be looking at two drugs which some scientists believe could target the ageing process.” Hope they’re not on the WADA banned list. (Click through to see video.)
Irene talks about liking being called inspirational. We can all aspire to that.
Gary’s world medals include Perth bronzes at 800, 1500 and 5000.
I’ve seen barrel-chested Gary Patton run many times, but never buttonholed him for a chat. He had a game face up or was warming down. But after he added anM70 mile indoor WR and was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame, I had no choice. I emailed him and he graciously consented to a Q&A. One of my usual questions yielded an unusual answer. I asked about his youth PRs, expecting to hear national-class marks. Nope. Gary wrote: “I was undersized (I actually grew after high school, but you wouldn’t think so looking at me) and a very late bloomer as a kid. Only athletic involvement was as a student trainer. Only memorable achievement related to high school was that I was elected to the Athletic Hall of Fame by my school, 51 years after graduating, for my achievements as a master athlete. I’ve lived in my old hometown (Rock Rapids, Iowa) all my life – I’m known in my little burg as ‘the runner.’”Now he’s known as Hall of Famer. “Induction was pretty humbling,” he said. “I honestly believed several of those in the running deserved it more than I. I still consider myself a newbie to track and field — still have a lot to learn — and now a big honor to earn.”
Some have noted a new group in the masters universe — the USATF Masters Inclusion Subcommittee. But it’s not really new, having succeeded the Masters Diversity Committee. No matter the name, its mission is still a mystery to many. So I sent questions to its chair, George Melichar. He graciously replied Wednesday. “I work in hospitality and I live in the New Orleans, French Quarter,” he wrote. On mastersrankings.com, he has marks from 400 to 10K at nationals, plus throws (even the super weight) and long jump. At the Ohio annual meeting, he filed this report. Back in 2014, he was profiled on a gay sports website (when he sported a Mohawk haircut). He said: “I have been out since I was 18 years of age. It is important that I run in the Gay Games 9 marathon because I am George Melichar and I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. I want my friends and fans to feel equally the same pride in themselves as I do in myself. We are all as one in the journey of life.”
His mile was worth an age-graded 4:00.3, but Gary Patton isn’t sweating how close he came to virtual sub-4. At last Thursday’s Armory track races in New York City, Gary at nearly 72 was the 49th of 73 male finishers when he clocked a 5:29.81 to beat the listed M70 indoor WR of 5:32.4 by American Scotty Carter in March 1987. His 200 splits: 43.145, 41.255, 42.020, 42.826 (880 at 2:49.244), 42.051, 40.164, 39.883 and 38.466. John A. Kissane of Runner’s World got the scoop, posted Tuesday night, writing: “Patton has been a top age-group runner for a decade, and he holds several American records in the middle distance events. But the indoor mile world record had been elusive— and intriguing. He first took a serious crack at it last year on the same track, but he ran 5:34.9, missing the mark by two and a half seconds.”
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...]
