Masters News and Muse

Willis Kleinsasser was 40 in July 1968 when he won the "Masters Six" sextathlon and the outstanding athlete award at the first USA masters national championships at San Diego's fabled Balboa Stadium, which even Sports Illustrated covered. He was the top scorer in a two-day challenge, winning five events: the 220 in 24.0, 440 in 53.1, 880 in 2:09, long jump with 18-10 and shot (40-10¼). He was third in the mile -- the final event on Day 2. Today he turns 80, and his daughter, Olympian Ruth Wysocki, graciously brought us up to date on her dad.

Continue reading "Happy birthday to Willis Kleinsasser, masters pioneer" »

Jack Tregurtha

Continue reading "Jack Tregurtha, racewalking guru, dies in New Zealand" »

Will Summers has sent me info on a series of meets in Missouri and Illinois open to masters. Called the St. Louis Summer Series, the first event -- which is throws only -- is Saturday and has a deadline of 11 a.m. today. Sorry. But the others are well into June, so you have plenty of time to mull your entries. For a PDF that tells all about the series, check out this file. (And the price is nice: $5 per event. Gotta love it!)

Continue reading "Midwest meet series open to masters, starting Saturday" »

The Koops in Germany report that German vault superstar Wolfgang Ritte has cleared 4.27 outdoors, or 14-0. They headline their entry "4.27 m! Wolfgang Ritte (M55) begins outdoor season with pole vault world record." The listed world age-group record is 4.26 by Sweden's Hans Lagerqvist in 1996. However, Wolfie has gone higher indoors. He cleared an M55 WR of 4.30 (14-1 1/4) last January. Here's the video of the indoor jump.

Continue reading "Wolfgang Ritte tops M55 world record in vault: 14 feet" »

Don Doxsie of the Quad City Times in Iowa has written a marvelous story on Bud Smith, a pioneering barefoot high jumper who became a masters record holder and world star. Bud was one of the first in history to clear 7 feet -- but never got the credit he deserved. The story tells why Bud, now 72, is no longer jumping: "Two years ago, plagued by arthritis, he had both hips replaced. He still goes to the Senior Olympics at Augustana College every year, but now he just does the shot put."

Continue reading "Bud Smith, who outjumped Wilt, profiled in Iowa paper" »

In late February, I shared the story about M55 multi-eventer Carter Holmes and his heart scare at the University of Minnesota. Yesterday I got a note from longtime masters jumper Tom Langenfeld with a status report on Carter. It's very encouraging. Tom writes: " I talked to Carter last week. He's been home for a little over a month now following rehab at the Sister Kenney Institute in Minneapolis. Says he's frustrated by the slowness of his recovery, but I understand that he's done much, much better than the medics expected. Says his problems are more like those of a stroke victim -- speech, balance and short-term memory problems."

Continue reading "Update on Carter Holmes: He's hoping to make Florida" »

John Hinton of North Carolina ran another great 1500 at Duke over the weekend, clocking 3:58.13 just three days after turning 46 on May 1. This mark beats the listed single-age record of 3:58.3 by Britain's Peter Molloy in 1995. John already holds the M45 American record of 3:56.39 (still listed as "p" for pending), which he clocked a year ago at the same track in Durham, North Carolina. Ironically, while USATF lists John's 3:56.39 as pending, World Masters Athletics has no doubts -- calling his time a world age-group record. Go figure.

Continue reading "John Hinton's birthday present to self: M46 record 1500" »

Tom Holliday of the Modesto Bee has a nice little writeup on Jeff Hartwig, an entrant in the elite vault at Modesto this weekend, reporting: "Why is that 40-year-old man still flying upside down 20 feet in the air? Well, it's an Olympic year, for one thing. And pole vaulter Jeff Hartwig hasn't seen Beijing. Not upside down, not right side up. And no one else that age has done what he's doing. Think Nolan Ryan. Think George Blanda. Think Peter Pan."

Continue reading "Hartwig also focusing attention on masters at Modesto" »

They call it the California Invitational Relays, but many of us older folks know it as just Modesto. And after this year, it surely could be known for masters races as well. Joy Upshaw-Margerum and meet director Gregg Miller have assembled some incredible fields for Saturday's masters 100 and 110 hurdles. (It helped that they're providing lodging for out-of-towners.) Joy writes: "This is a good exposure for USA Masters sprints/hurdles. Flotrack may be covering this meet, too. So in that case, there will be some good airtime :-)" Perhaps two 100s will be contested.

Continue reading "Modesto Relays may boast fastest masters races of year" »

In the May issue of National Masters News, buried in a story on page 15, is some monumental news -- worthy of Page One: "For the women on the track (at the Bay Area Senior Games at Stanford), Irene Obera, 75, ran a 16.79 into a headwind to win the W75 100." That's it. One sentence. But what a revelation! Back in August 2005, Irene told a newspaper reporter up in the San Francisco Bay Area that San Sebastian worlds would be her final meet. In fact, her last listing on mastersrankings.com was for worlds, when she ran 15.12 and 33.65 to top the W70 lists. Guess she's stoked by the 2009 National Senior Games coming to the Bay Area. She couldn't stay away from the sport that gave her national fame (in SI's Faces in the Crowd) as long ago as 1962. Welcome back, Irene!

Continue reading "Hall of Famer Irene Obera comes out of retirement at 75!" »

World throws champion George Mathews in his latest column for National Masters News suggested that usatf.org host a "Sharing Bulletin Board" for athletes who could use a roommate or a ride to a meet. I thought it was a great idea, and immediately added a category to our masterstrack.com Forum. Even if only one pair of athletes got together through this message board, I would deem it a success. Heck, it's free. And who wants to wait six years for a dozen people (and lawyers) at USATF to sign off on such a venture? So check out my introduction to this service and take advantage of it! Permission granted to save money!

Henry Rono, 56, whose training and running we've been following for several years, says he graduated from college yesterday -- three decades after setting a bunch of distance world records while competing for Washington State University. Good for him! Apparently, he earned a master's degree in special education from Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque. But on the letsrun.com message board thread devoted to his goal of breaking the M55 WR in the mile of 4:40.4. Henry mentions a series of mile runs he's running this month, called RonoRun Mobile One.

Continue reading "Henry Rono Watch: Legend still targeting WR in M55 mile" »

Last week, we noted how indoor marks attributed to M40 sprinter Steve Bunn were faster than what official results showed. Those false indoor marks on mastersrankings.com have now been corrected, rankings chairman John Seto reports. In addition, a 10.98 time in the 100-meter dash claimed by Steve in 2006 has been changed to 11.0 hand-time, since it wasn't fully electronic (FAT) to begin with.

Continue reading "Steve Bunn sprint marks on mastersrankings.com fixed" »

Julia Ann Dudley, producer of the T.R.A.C.K. Live reality TV show gearing up for production, says the deadline for entry is now May 10. Today she wrote current entrants: "We were in Mt. Sac in April where many people were excited about being a part of T.R.A.C.K. Live! So what we have done is taken off the deadline for the trial meet in Las Vegas. Instead we are charging an immediate fee of $20 for those who still want to sign up online until May 10th to be a part of the show." Her note also hints that age-grading will help pick winners.

Continue reading "Deadline for track reality TV show delayed until May 10" »

Masters athletes are risk-takers by nature. Now they can take chances with their money as well. The Spokane masters nationals will hold the traditional athletes dinner at the Northern Quest casino, an arm of the Kalispel tribe. This isn't a first, however. Gambling could be had at 2003 Puerto Rico worlds as well. The Friday night athletes banquet at Spokane has a limit of 600, so you might take care of that soon. (They'll serve steak and salmon for $28. Chips are extra.)

Continue reading "Gambling casino to be site of Spokane athletes dinner" »

Track historian Louise Mead Tricard, a masters sprinter in her early 70s who also has run the New York City Marathon, is hospitalized in Florida and battling cancer. She has Internet access but has been very brief in her notes. Sunday morning, after I alerted her to a women's decathlon debate on the Track & Field News message board, she wrote me: "in hospital/cancer surgery." Later, I asked for a status report, and she replied today to the effect that she's still in the hospital after having spent 14 days in a New York City hospital for "major surgery." She said she came home to Cape Canaveral, "blood wacko -- electrolytes not capable of sustaining life." She required 4 units of blood, magnesium, potassium, etc and "things (are) better. Won't be out of here for a few more days at least."

Continue reading "Masters sprinter/marathoner Louise Tricard hospitalized" »

Barbara Jordan: longtime hurdles champion

Masters Hall of Famer Barbara Jordan is such a regular winner at masters nationals and worlds, people take her for granted. Fortunately, she's properly prized in her native Vermont, where she recently was named Athlete of the Month. She was chosen (along with a male winner) by the Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. The 12 sets of monthly winners will be honored June 1 at the annual Vermont Athlete of the Year Banquet. Besides being a 2005 inductee into the USATF Masters HofF, she's in three other halls of fame: her alma mater's, Springfield College in Massachusetts; the Green Mountain Senior Games Hall of Fame; and the New England 65-Plus Runner's Club.

Continue reading "W70 superstar Barbara Jordan wins Vermont recognition" »