Masters Track News and Muse

Press is skimpy on nationals, but Nearman adds his 2 cents

Steve Nearman, whose day job involves keeping folks on the fast track toward financial security, also is a national-class runner. And if the IRS questions any of his work-related receipts in Idaho, he can point to the column he wrote for The Washington Times on his visit to masters nationals over the weekend.

Steve doesn't mention it in his Washington Times column (a regular running commentary he's been doing for years), but he took third in the M45 800-meter run in his debut in the age group:

M45 800 Meter Run
1, Lindsay, Jeff, Oklahoma Ath, 2:05.77.
2, Burgess, Steve, Central Park TC, 2:05.78.
3, Nearman, Steven, Unattached, 2:06.85.
4, Patton, Russell, Unattached, 2:09.49.
5, Podolski, Lance, Oregon Track, 2:10.62.
6, Lucas, David, So Cal Track, 2:12.82.
7, Albo, David, RIC Rojas Ru, 2:15.16.
8, Hershberger, Jim, Strapped Jock Ra, 2:18.76.
9, Hipple, Ben, Unattached, 2:26.12.
10, Sovocool, Jonathan, Unattached, 2:27.67.

Of course, he ran in a "slow" age group, since the M50s saw a world record:

M50 800 Meter Run
1, Gallegos, Steve, Unattached, 1:59.99*.

Steve also gives us a needed geography lesson:

The actual location of the championship is not in Boise but 20 minutes west in Nampa, Idaho's second most populous city. Nampa is where Boise State's track team competes in the Idaho Sports Center on a six-lane banked blue track with a Mondo synthetic surface.
Jacksons Track opened in 2002 and looks strikingly similar to the banked indoor facility used for the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at Atlanta's Georgia Dome. No wonder: It is the same track, taken apart after the 2001 meet and rebuilt here.
According to track officials, Idaho has the only championship-suitable, world-class indoor track and field facility west of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Both the NCAA and USA Track & Field stipulate that only 200-meter, six-lane banked synthetic surfaces tracks be used for championship purposes.
Obviously, this was a huge consideration in awarding Idaho the 2005 USA Track & Field National Masters Indoor Championships for men and women 35 and older. These athletes compete in all the track and field events not as professional athletes but against their contemporaries in five-year age groups.

I spotted Steve's column during a keyword search of Google News in which I plugged in "Boise masters track" and also just "masters track."

A few other news articles popped up:

A story in the Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage runner Will Kimball never won anything as big as he did Thursday afternoon at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho.

A profile of racewalker and WAVA co-founder Bob Fine.

Not much else outside the local paper's spot mention.

So unless folks go home and get featured as conquering heroes, not much press was generated from nationals. Bob Weiner and his Masters Media Subcommittee have their work cut out.

Posted by kenstone at March 14, 2005 9:40 PM