In January 1975, a gentleman from Van Nuys traveled a couple hours east to a Southern California resort and triple-jumped 41 feet, 5 inches (12.62 meters). Unless you knew his age, you wouldn’t think much. But at age 57, he was hailed as a masters Bob Beamon. David Pain’s USMITT newsletter reported: “One of the top Masters performances ever occurred Jan. 18 in Palm Desert, Calif. In the light desert air, Gordon Farrell triple jumped a prodigious 41-5, easily an age-57 best. … You have to go back to age 43 to find a better effort.” It was an M55 world record that stood for 14 years — until Finland’s Olavi Niemi beat it by one centimeter. Why bring this up now? Sunday at Jacksonville nationals, Anthony Bailey of Alpharetta, Georgia, triple-jumped 12.76 (41-10 1/2) to finally displace Gordon’s American age-group record. Let that sink in. The record held for 40 years! USATF’s news release didn’t mention Anthony’s mark until 11 paragraphs into the Day 4 report.
With tailwinds topping 10 mph, sprinters at Jax nationals had a field day Saturday. Records were negated, including a stunning 14.12 by M80 Bobby Whilden Jr. (with the listed WR being Payton Jordan’s 14.35). Bobby won by an incredible 2.5 seconds! But contrary to USATF’s Day 3 news release, W75 Kathy Bergen didn’t set a WR of 15.70. (Her wind was reported as 3.6 mps — nearly twice the allowable. Besides, she had a wind-legal 15.31 at Mt. SAC in April.) Given the crazy air, it’s even more remarkable that hurdlers finished a relay. But the foursome of Anne Sluder, Melanie Blake, Lisa Edwards and Shara Coletta clocked 1:14.60 to become the first W35s to run the event. Hence an American record. Anne dropped down from W40, in fact, a couple days after raising her own AR in the pentathlon to 3746 points (from 3727 in June). We also get late word of a W50 record in the 1500 — claimed late Friday (after a rain delay) by Marisa Sutera Strange at 4:51.86. The listed AR is 4:52.55 by Kathy Martin in 2012. (The listed WR is 4:40.7 by Denmark’s Gitte Karlshöj.)
Your W35 shuttles American record-holders: Melanie, Lisa, Shara and Anne.
Sigh. I can report two hurdle records from Jax nationals Friday. But they’re not hurdle bests. M70 Ty Brown lowered his own pending world record in the 80-meter hurdles to 12.61 (from 12.69 a month ago), but James Stookey has an unrecognized 12.18 from 2000. And M45 Derek Pye ran the 110s in a sensational 14.46 — crushing the listed AR of 14.79 set 20 years ago (nearly to the day) by Tom Gilliard. But Willie Gault ran an unratified 14.41 in 2006, equal to the listed WR by Jamaican Karl Smith. So it goes in the wacky world of masters records. USATF also reports how W30 Chaunte Lowe fell short of an IAAF worlds qualifying mark in the high jump at Jax but committed to coming back: “Olympian Chaunte Lowe (Loganville, Georgia) delivered a new meet record at 1.85m/6-0.75. The seven-time USATF Outdoor champion, including her most recent 2015 title, was hesitant in her efforts due to a tender ankle, but hopes there is much more to come. “This is just the beginning,” Lowe said. “I’m looking forward to a long career in masters track & field.”
The British are paying for three masters athletes to compete at the IAAF Beijing exhibitions next month — joining several other countries but not the richest in the world. Bridget Cushen, BMAF secretary, writes: “I am very pleased to inform you thatUK Athletics are funding the travel cost to the IAAF World Track & Field Championships in Beijing of our three WMA selected Masters athletes, Sally Read-Cayton, World and European 400m Hurdler Virginia Mitchell and David Heath. Official British apparel is also included. British Masters Athletic Federation is most grateful to UKA with whom we enjoy good working relations, and to WMA for funding the hotel cost.” So I’m reminding you again to sign our petition calling on USATF to pay for air fare for Anselm LeBourne and Renee Shepherd. Let’s get to 100 signatures by July 29 — a month out from the 800/400 races in China.
Please click and sign — and share this link via social media. We can do this!
For all the great performances at Jacksonville nationals, this meet may go down as the most uncomfortable in history, rivaling Charlotte 2006. The temp is “absolutely brutal,” “ghastly,” say commenters, with a heat index of 107 Thursday. Then the thunderstorms came in the afternoon, and a transformer blew at a hotel where one entrant was staying. Backup power came on. Throwers are still being inconvenienced. Says one: “Tried to get my shot weighed for tomorrow and they said I had to bring it back after 2:30 or tomorrow morning. Not sure I’m going back today. It’s hot!!!! They only had 1 hammer cage. They promised 2, so the hammer was running about 2-3 hours behind.” At least efforts are being immortalized on USATF.TV, with 34 videos posted so far. As they say incessantly: Stay hydrated.
I’m not in Jacksonville for masters nationals, but my moles are. Here’s a “Day 0” report Wednesday from Masters Mole 2668g: “Heavy rain and lightning started about 3:45. Packet pickup was supposed to start at 4 p.m. at the track, but at the appointed time, no packets. About 4:30, truck pulled up and boxes were brought in, and pickup started. However, at least one box of packets was missing. Oh well. Also, implement weigh-in was supposed to start at 4 p.m. Nothing. I heard that there was a problem with the weights and measures official canceling. I guess that we will have to show up in the morning with implements. Maybe someone with equipment will be here? Hopefully the “two-hour beforehand” edict will be relaxed, since we were there on Wednesday and they weren’t. Schedule has not been updated from the schedule of July 13th. Nothing in the packets except for numbers and a Jacksonville promotional magazine Most of us took this in stride, USATF-FL at its finest. Hopefully things run better starting tomorrow.”
Sub-4 man Anthony Whiteman shouldn’t be so hard on himself. After taking third in a British Milers Club 800 on Saturday, he tweeted: “Bit flat today, should have toughed it out down the straight as Elliott & Sam were running strong races! Still don’t like Oxford track!” His time was 1:48.81. Not bad at age 43. A week earlier, he ran a hard 400 and asked: “Wonder if 50.27 is an age 43 World Best for 400m!? And to think I was labeled as having no speed as a youngster!” Pete Mundle’s last single-age records booklet in 2006 listed a 48.4 at age 43 for Roger Hagues of France, so no record, Tony. But nice speed!
Sir Roger, meet Lady Angela. Britain’s Angela Copson — already the owner of the listed W65 WRs for 3000 (11:48.2), 5000 (20:10.09) and 10,000 (41:40.27) — dropped down to the mile Sunday and added global outdoor best No. 4. She clocked an incredible 5:54.59 at the EAMA Inter-Area Match in Solihull.(See meet results.) That’s a mighty 12 seconds faster than the recent WR 6:06.58 by countrywoman Rosalind Tabor.Tom Phillips, who shared the shot at left, writes: “This was in a race specifically for W60 and W65 women at the British Masters Inter-Area match. No younger pacemakers!” At 68, Angela is easily the oldest sub-6 miler among women. (Kathy Martin ran 5:47 indoors in 2014 at age 62.) On the Age-Graded Tables, Angela’s mile is worth an open time of 3:50.1. Astounding! And she’s not done yet. Angela is entered in the Lyon 1500, 5000, 10K and 8K cross country races.
Allan Tissenbaum won the M55 100 at the two-day Canadian masters nationals that wrapped up Saturday in St. Catharines, Ontario, one of six or seven Americans who took part. Allan, a USATF national champion, clocked 12.11 seconds into a 1.2 mps wind. Not bad, Doc. The meet saw a rare upset of world champ Karla del Grande, when new W60 rival Wendy Alexis won the 100, 14.22 to 14.95 (also into a wind). In W70 sprints, veteran champ Carol LaFayette-Boyd recorded sensational marks of 15.40 and 32.41. Doug “Shaggy” Smith, the steepler and big-time official, posted photos, as did Dan Slovitt. Meet results (with Canadian records noted) are posted here.
Shaggy Smith’s shot of tight sprint finish should give all short runners hope.
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...]
