Dave Hunter joins my pantheon of great track writers. He basically did the interview with Eamonn Coghlan that NOBODY has done until now. Dave asked Eamonn about the run-up to his legendary sub-4 mile of 1994, which stood as the M40 indoor record until Bernard Lagat ran 3:54.91 this year at Millrose. Dave writes: “Had Coghlan decided then to call it a career, his legacy as one of the best middle distance racers would have been secured. But the Irishman had one more trick up his sleeve. ‘I had given up running pretty much for about a year – from 37 to about 38 and half. But there was a lot of talk around the first master to run a 4:00 minute mile. Would it be a Coe? Ovett? Wesssinghage? John Walker? Particularly John Walker – there was a lot of talk that he would get it. So I decided that I would go back and do a marathon in New York,’ explains Coghlan.”
On Facebook late Wednesday, all-around champion Rex Harvey, 69, posted an update on his cancer fight: “Just finished a CAT scan and got good news and bad. The good news was that there has been no change in the spot of cancer in my abdomen lining (in the area of my heart and a smaller spot in the lining below the liver). The bad news is that the four chemo treatments with the extra chemicals that I have just finished did not knock it out. So next step is to consult with a gastro-oncologist surgeon in Houston (at MD Anderson) who has worked with appendix cancer before. (It’s so rare that most doctors have never heard of it. He also is a HiPec (heated chemicals pumped through the entire abdominal cavity) expert. http://levgrossman.com/tramadol-online/ is a very powerful painkiller. Therefore, it is available only on prescription. So far the doctors have said they would never do another HiPec (they did one with my original surgery July 1, 2014), but they have now seen some success with a second surgery and HiPec, and may want to do that. I will try to let everyone know what is going on, but promise not to bore you with more medical news than you want to hear.” Never boring, Rex. We are pulling for you in every way!
Two months ago, M50 Tony Echeandia of Queens, New York, thought his chance at worlds was toast. Not long after running the 36-inch 400 hurdles in 56.93, he reported on Facebook that he’d pulled his left hamstring in training “and must withdraw from Lyon meet.” My take was: “Such a shame! A lock for gold and possible WR gone in a blink.” But not so fast. Tony went to Lyon and won the long hurdles (57.53) and took bronze in the 400 (52.98). I recently asked him how he managed that comeback, and he graciously replied: “My pull was more of a cramp pull between the middle of the hamstring and the knee,” he said. “For the first three days, it was sore and I went to see about getting a Cortisone or PRP injection. The doctor told me that it wouldn’t be a good idea because there wasn’t enough time to recover from the injection and that the injury could be recovered enough just to run the 400 hurdle race because of its location.”
Tony leads Thierry Zapha of France and fellow Yank Damon Blakemore at Lyon.
Adam Nelson, the veteran world-champion thrower, told Track & Field News recently that he’s shooting for the M40 world record in the shot put: “I checked and saw the masters world record is only 21.41 (70-3),” he said of the 30-year-old mark by Brian Oldfield. “That’s not too far off what I think I’m capable of doing. … I still think there’s an opportunity to be strong and fit and healthy at 40. So I figured I’d start off by breaking the world record for 40-year-olds.” Adam, who supposedly retired three years ago, also hopes to be in shape for a run at the 2016 Rio Games. If anyone has a shot at Brian’s legendary mark, it’s Adam. He says he’s in 68-foot shape now, having started training a few months ago. But 70-3 won’t be easy.
Sid Howard (orange) ran all the way with M95 Bill Benson (yellow), also paced by Kathy Martin.
Several sources are reporting here (in the comments) and on letsrun.com that Kathy Martin’s reported loss to a Jean Vernon was a clerical error. My original report mistakenly referred to an impostor. My deepest apologies for jumping the gun. But had the race been on the track, Kathy Martin would have smashed her own W60 world record in the mile Sunday in New York. But her 5:39 — equivalent to a 3:58 open mile — came at the 5th Avenue Mile. (See results here.) Even more incredible: She was reported beaten in her age group by 61-year-old Jean Vernon of Brooklyn, who had a net time of 5:33, age-graded at 104.5 percent. [But maybe not. A man is wearing Jean’s bib number, I learned after photos were posted.] The listed track mile record is Kathy’s 5:42.65 from 2013. Among the men, the best masters-age mark was M40 Bernard Lagat’s 4:00 in the elite race, where he took 12th. (Also notable were 40-year-old Meb Keflezighi, the Boston Marathon winner who jogged the course in 4:58, and Sean Wade, 49, who won his age group in 4:25.) The oldest man running Sunday was 96-year-old William Benson (21:43 net time) and the oldest woman was 85-year-old Joan Fisher (15:32). Again this year, M50 best-selling authorMalcolm Gladwell ran well, clocking a 5:03 at age 52. Congrats to all who motored down the Museum Mile.
Kathy beat Jean in the age-graded race, but lost by 6 seconds on the road.
In any other year, Ray Knerr would be the toast of the M55 middle distances. He barely lost to a 45-year-old at Mt. SAC in April (800 in 2:04.75). He ran a 2:03.79 at Occidental in May. Going into this season, the M55 world record was 2:03.7 by South Africa’s Stan Immelman in 2001. But Ray had to contend with Anselm LeBourne, who went record-crazy indoors and out. At Lyon, Anselm had to work for his golds in the 800 and 1500. Ray was a close second in both races, clocking 2:05.29 and 4:22.49 (after heats and heat, of course.) I met Ray at Mt. SAC, and my wife got great shots of him battling Mike Smith. But I was unaware of an even greater battle in his life. Diane, his wife of 32 years, was in hospice care. She died June 3 — two months ahead of worlds. I wasn’t aware of this until recently. So I screwed up my courage to ask about this, and Ray graciously replied — answering questions for a National Masters News article I was preparing.
Ray shows extent of his exertions at finish of Mt. SAC 800. Chris Stone photo
If you ever get contacted by Marc Bloom for a story, jump at it! He’s one of the savviest track and running writers in history — a prolific journalist and author. On Thursday, he did a great piece on Tom Hartshorne, a long-overdue look at the middle-distance star and Hartshorne Masters Mile meet director. I’ve known Tom for years, but didn’t really hang with him until 2009 Lahti worlds, when we traipsed around town on a meet off day with another athlete. Now 61 (same age as me!), Tom offered up great tidbits and quotes, such as: “My theory about masters running is that we try to recreate the feeling we had in our 20s when you ask your body to do something, and it actually does it. When that happens, … it’s awesome.” We also learn that he once was a barefoot runner and his high school PRs included a 4:19 mile and 9:28 two mile, “and [he] once found himself dueling future Olympian Matt Centrowitz (father of the current world-class miler Matthew) on the home straight of a cross-country race. Centrowitz outleaned him.” Classic yarns.
USATF Masters T&F Records chair Jeff Brower lists 18 marks at this summer’s National Senior Games as potential American records, according tothis Google Doc. The only mark rejected outright is W80 Flo Meiler’s triple jump of 5.89 (19-4) for lack of a wind guage. The July meet in Minnesota was especially fruitful for the older age groups, with W95 Hollyce Kirkland hoping to get ARs in the 400 (5:04.16) and 1500 (20:27.85). W95 Mary Kay ran a 100 in 35.13, making her the oldest American lady sprinter on record. (She’s listed as 97 but might be 96 in reality.) The listed WR is 35.48 by Katsuko Iwaki of Japan. M95 Harold Bach burned a 200 in 58.25, better than the listed AR of 62.28 by Herb Kirk in 1991. M90 Curt Davison has javelin and hammer marks up for review. And W90 Dottie Gray ran the 15 in 14:34.32, which would be an automatic WR, since no mark is currently listed. Here are complete results from the National Senior Games.
Amy Acuffturned 40 in mid-July, and I forgot to send greetings. So hi, Amy! Happy birthday! To make up for my delay, here’s a great ESPN profile of the six-time Olympian, where we learn: “Acuff set her lifetime best in 2003, when she jumped 2.01 meters in Zurich, Switzerland. In Rio, at 41, she believes she could break that mark. ‘Maybe I’m nuts,’ she says, ‘but I feel like it’s just a function of getting into meets and getting polished. Maybe that’s complete fantasy. But it would be amazing to do better than I ever have before. More than that, I just want to feel the thrill of running down there, applying as much force as I can, hitting all my positions, and just connecting with the earth and being flung so high in the air. Time slows down as you go over the bar. It’s a tremendous feeling of power and control — but also [of being] out of control because you’re at the max of what you can handle. When you’re jumping your best like that, there’s nothing like it. It’s so cool.” Here’s an interview from 2015 Eugene nationals.
Our old friend Don Pellmann has entered six events at the San Diego Senior Olympics. If he gets a mark in three of them, they are automatic world records. He turned 100 in mid-August. WMA lists no marks in the vault, high jump and long jump for his age group. My impression is that 91-year-old William Bell (Earl’s dad) is the oldest vaulter on record — at 91. He jumped at Olathe nationals in 2013. Don also could rewrite the record books in the 100, shot and discus. He’s done this before (seven WRs at a Colorado meet in 2005, when he was a pup of 90.) For more details on Don and his goals, see my story at Times of San Diego. Join me in wishing him godspeed!
Don Pellmann vaulted at age 90 in 2005. Any height would be an M100 record.
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...]
September 17, 2015
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USATF Masters T&F Records chair Jeff Brower lists 18 marks at this summer’s National Senior Games as potential American records, according to this Google Doc. The only mark rejected outright is W80 Flo Meiler’s triple jump of 5.89 (19-4) for lack of a wind guage. The July meet in Minnesota was especially fruitful for the older age groups, with W95 Hollyce Kirkland hoping to get ARs in the 400 (5:04.16) and 1500 (20:27.85). W95 Mary Kay ran a 100 in 35.13, making her the oldest American lady sprinter on record. (She’s listed as 97 but might be 96 in reality.) The listed WR is 35.48 by Katsuko Iwaki of Japan. M95 Harold Bach burned a 200 in 58.25, better than the listed AR of 62.28 by Herb Kirk in 1991. M90 Curt Davison has javelin and hammer marks up for review. And W90 Dottie Gray ran the 15 in 14:34.32, which would be an automatic WR, since no mark is currently listed. Here are complete results from the National Senior Games.
