Masters Hall of Famer Robert Thomas Jr. of Indiana, a world-class age-group quarter-miler until a few years ago, is poised to succeed Jerry Bookin-Weiner as USATF Masters T&F chairman at this week’s annual meeting in Orlando. In a frank Q&A, he says Mt. SAC withdrew as 2025 outdoor nationals host because of pricey per diems for Southern California Association officials. He also supports more masters drug-testing if the budget allows. And he reveals that USATF annual meetings will be remotely viewable beginning in 2025.

Below Robert’s responses is a reply to some of my questions from incumbent USATF Masters T&F Treasurer Mike Travers, running unopposed as well.

For those curious about some of my questions, I insert [ME: Explanation of the query] in the course of the Q&A.

Masterstrack.blog: How would you grow masters track — both in USATF membership and major meet participation?

Robert Thomas: Based on the numbers we’ve seen over the last three years, masters track and field is currently experiencing a growth spurt in participation. Prior to COVID-19, we averaged just under 1,000 athletes at our indoor championship and just over 1,000 for our outdoor championships.

Currently, our outdoor championships have seen an average increase to 1,300 athletes with a record number of registrations in Greensboro, N.C., two years ago at 1,583. We also saw an increase in participation over all the seven region meets in 2024.

At last count, we have over 12,000 members nationwide. Why are we only seeing 10 percent participate in our national championships? I believe the next step is to start at the association level and encourage those members that only compete at that level to come and experience at least one national championship. They won’t be disappointed.

What changes, if any, would you make in national masters budget allocations? What would you cut? What would you boost?

Seeing as I am the current vice chair and very involved in the budget, I don’t see a need to make any changes in the budget allocations. Several years ago, I presented the seven regional coordinators as well as the combined events and throws championship subcommittee chairs a budget spreadsheet to show the difference in cost to host their respective championships in the various regions.

Then M50 Robert (third from left) helped organize Southwest Sprinters relay teams at the 2015 Millrose Games.

This gives all the coordinators the opportunity each year to review their respective budgets and let the officers know if we need to allocate more funding for their specific championships.

Is USATF Indy HQ supporting masters track sufficiently in funds and support? What changes would you like to see?

Yes, this current administration supports masters track and field better than all of the previous administrations combined.

If elected, would you commit to posting your annual budget and all meeting, officer and committee minutes on usatfmasters.org?

I have no problem posting the meeting minutes on our website. When I read your question, I had to actually go to our website to learn that they were not posted. I have no problem posting our budget, if USATF allows it, but I believe it is not allowed or one of the previous chairs would have posted it. [ME: I requested, and was sent, masters budgets several times, including in 2014 and 2016.]

Would you also commit to making available upon request of any USATF member the applications for USATF masters age-group records? If not, why not?

I don’t understand the purpose of seeing a record application. On our USATFmasters.org website, everyone can see every records submitted and the status of that record. [ME: In 2021, when Julia Hawkins was cheered for setting a W105 record in the 100-meter dash, I noted the absence of key elements of a record application. I later was told that all requisites were met, but USATF refused to share proof.]

Does USATF masters do enough drug testing? If not, what would you support — beyond the current testing at outdoor and indoor nationals? Would you like to see out-of-competition testing? Should masters drug-testing be limited to certain age groups?

In my opinion, based on the number of positive tests we see, we do not do enough testing. Testing is very cost prohibitive, but we have had two positive tests and two refusals in the last two years. We know that we at least have to continue at the level we are currently conducting testing.

If the budget permits, I would be in favor of increasing testing. I also believe masters drug testing should not be limited to any certain age group — one of the athletes who refused to be tested in the last several years was a 70-year-old male.

Drug-testing at masters nationals is officially random. But testing sometimes appears targeted at certain individuals and age groups. Do you commit to guaranteeing that tests are randomly executed? Would you commit to announcing the number of tests made at any given meet? If not, why not?

A large percentage of testing is completely random, and the masters committee has the authority to request a specific athlete be tested if we have reason to believe the athlete’s current performances do not track with their history of performances. But that request has rarely been made in all the years I have been a part of the administration.

If I commented on the number of test currently conducted, athletes could start to calculate the probability of being tested on a specific day of competition. I see no need to share the number of tests being conducted.

Mt. SAC opted out of hosting 2025 outdoor nationals, saying it feared losing money on the event. What changes in meet selection are needed to avoid a repeat? Can USATF masters lower its financial demands of LOCs?

Masters track and field has excellent data to determine what LOCs need to charge to make a profit when given their budget needs. When Mt. SAC stated they were pulling out due to fear of a financial loss, that was news to us.

The losses that Mt. SAC were concerned about were because the USATF Southern California Association officials charge $75 per day for five hours and $25 an hour for each additional hour. At 120 officials times four days at a 8-hour day, that’s $72,000, which equates to a large percentage of the revenue collected from entries. That doesn’t leave a lot of funding for venue rental, shuttle services, accommodations and meals.

In 2023, Robert Thomas received the Presidents Award from USATF prez Vin Lananna at the annual meeting.

USATF masters makes zero revenue on our national championship and has very few if any financials demands on LOCs They receive 100% of all the entry fees, which can be a very large sum.

I am still hopeful we will come to a resolution and find a way to host an outdoor national championship at Mt. SAC in the near future — it’s a great facility.

USATF.TV does a great job of airing masters nationals, but the cost is prohibitive to many. Would you support a lower cost for accessing masters events and archives via USATF.TV?

Masters track and field has nothing to do with the pricing for USATF.TV. To my knowledge, the cost to watch events barely breaks even to offer the service. Members wanted their families and loved ones to see them compete without having to travel.

Many conventions air and archive their sessions via Zoom or similar tools. Would you commit to making available live and recorded video of your general sessions and executive committee meetings?

This is actually happening starting in 2025. USATF is planning on going to a new format every other year where the odd years will be via Zoom.

Based on my experience with Zoomlike technology in large rooms, those watching online will either not be able to hear very well and or may lose their connection, so they will be more frustrated than informed.

Should National Masters News be made free to USATF masters members, since it’s used as an official communications mechanism? Or at least be made available at reduced cost to USATF masters athletes?

National Masters News is a privately owned magazine. It is not the official communication mechanism for masters track and field. We have a website, Facebook and Instagram account as well as our own newsletter, which all serve as our official communications. A discount for the magazine would have to be made from the generosity of the editor, who also has operation costs to run the publication. [ME: For many years, National Masters News called itself “the only official world and U.S. publication for Masters track & field, long distance running, and race walking.” It routinely received $5,000 annual grants from USATF Masters T&F.]

NMN once branded itself as the “official” publication of U.S. and world masters track.

Would you support a physical presence for USATF Masters at the National Track & Field Hall of Fame at The Armory in NYC?

I believe this has been tried on several occasions in the past, only to be turned down by the Armory Hall of Fame. [ME: I once reported that the Armory wanted our money to renovate its Hall of Fame, and the late David Pain told me that the old San Diego Hall of Champions also wanted to be paid to add a masters track element — San Diego hosted the first few masters nationals.]

Anything else masters athletes should know about your candidacy, qualifications or plans?

This is my second term as vice chair. I was chair from 2010 to 2016, and have been in my current position from 2019 to the present. On both occasions, I was either asked by the sitting chair or the outgoing chair to take on this position and the responsibilities that goes along with the position.

Over the last three years, we have increased our participation across our region, nationals and international championship. As I mentioned earlier, I attribute some of that growth to improvements to our website and our increased presence on social media.

You will find that I often answer questions from athletes on a variety of different Facebook pages, not just the USATF page, because I want to ensure that all athletes have the proper information.

I also attribute part of the increase to the improved partnership with our sister organization, Masters LDR, which is currently chaired by Perry Jenkins of the Niagara Association, with whom I have developed a close working relationship over the last several years.

I have continually tried to keep our cost down for the athletes while providing a first-class experience.

We have a 3-to-1 ratio of men to women that compete at our national championships, while women outnumber men over 40 in the United States. I would like to see an increase in the number of women we have competing in our championships and participation in our 25-34 age groups as well as across both genders.

I would also like to see us add a relay-only national championship as well as convince the NCCMA to host an indoor regional championship.

M65 sprinter Mike Travers of Massachusetts writes:

My term will be spent supporting our stakeholders as they perform their duties and responsibilities. As treasurer, I am tasked with managing reimbursements to the various committee members, regional coordinators and other officials.

While this sounds rather dry, it can be a complicated process as USATF navigates challenging financial headwaters. USATF has been very generous in supporting our overall budget. I will continue to support our Chair in managing said budget to the best of my ability.

Mike Travers sprints at 2019 Ames masters nationals. Image via Facebook

I will use my experience in hosting national championships here in Boston to help direct and guide potential bidders when they come forward. Bidders can often be intimidated by the bureaucracy, and I see my role as a guide to ease them in the process.

Lastly, as a former regional coordinator, I want to support our regions. This is where I feel we can best affect change in our sport. Grass-roots support in regions and associations can increase participation in nationals. I believe this factor is often overlooked. So providing our regional coordinators with the financial support, knowledge and hands-on support will ultimately pay dividends at the national level.

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