Records

Records May 7, 2019

Spring fling of Ireland’s Anne Gilshinan: from W50 Torun silver to W55 WR in 1500-meter run

In 1974, Anne McKenzie of South Africa ran 4:49.2 for 1500 meters at age 49. It was a W45 outdoor world record, which would stand 11 years. Now it looks like 55 is the new 45. On Saturday, 55-year-old Anne Gilshinan scorched a metric mile in 4:45.65 at an Irish Milers meet in the seaside resort town of Greystones, Ireland. The record she beat was only two weeks old — 4:48.65 by world champ Clare Elms in Tonbridge, Britain. As a 54-year-old, Anne took silver in the W50 1500 at Torun worlds, losing by only three-hundredths of a second (to…

Records April 2, 2019

At least 9 Americans take home $1,000 in USATF prize money from Torun worlds

Despite the USATF misreading of the Torun medals table (Yanks were fourth, not second in overall medals at worlds), it appears Team USA was ounce-for-ounce the best squad in Poland. “The main goal was to win the most overall medals which, this time, proved to be quite impossible with the home team Poland, and the next door country Germany having over four and nearly three times as many athletes entered as we,” said national masters chair Rex Harvey. “However, Team USATF-Masters did win more gold medals than anyone but Germany in the most successful WMA Indoor Championship ever. We couldn’t…

Records March 25, 2019

Earl ‘The Great’ Fee steals thunder from Torun worlds with M90 WRs at 400, 800 in Iowa

We interrupt Torun coverage (elsewhere) to bring you this important announcement: Earl Fee is back! In the record books. A day after turning 90, The Great One set two M90 indoor world records at a meet in Grinnell, Iowa. Five years ago, the Canadian legend set an M85 indoor 800 WR at Budapest worlds. So this was no surprise. But why isn’t he in Poland? He says he missed the entry deadline. At a USATF Iowa meet over the weekend, he burned a 400 in 1:30.76, obliterating the listed WR of M 90 1:46.78 by barrel-chested Ugo Sansonetti of Italy…

Records March 4, 2019

Soft relay WRs highlighted at Winston-Salem nationals as 5s become record-eligible

The asterisk tells quite a story. In USATF’s list of world age-group records set at Winston-Salem nationals, the * follows 13 WRs. It notes: “Relays include 5-year age group World and American records for the first time due to new WMA and USATF MTF rules.” So the Potomac Valley TC’s M45 4×800 mark of 12:02.12 may not stand for long (compare it to the listed M50 WR of 8:32.95). Same for the club’s M55 4×800 WR of 12:57.06 (dwarfed by the listed M60 WR of 9:50.90). Or a couple 4x400s by Philadelphia Masters (M75 in 8:54.00 and W45 in 5:28.31.)…

Records March 1, 2019

Newbie W55 Neringa Jakstiene claims 3 world records, plus an AR, at Winston-Salem

Neringa Jakstiene of Memphis via Lithiuania (in 1994) won two W50 golds (hep and triple jump) and a silver (80 hurdles) at Malaga worlds last year, so it was no surprise that she’d excel as a W55 at Winston-Salem nationals. But three world records in one day? Finding relief from anxiety shouldn’t be a daunting journey. Say hello to Xanax – your trusted ally in managing those anxious moments. With its effective and fast-acting formula, Xanax provides the calmness you deserve, allowing you to regain control and reclaim your peace of mind. Break free from the grip of anxiety and…

Gunnar is shown in FAT phototimer image being submitted as part of his WR application to USATF.

Records February 25, 2019

Gunnar Linde zips 9:42.99 at 90 for outdoor mile world record, crushing AR by 70 seconds

Besides the fireworks at USATF Indoor Nationals (including 60-meter masters exhibitions and the son of masters runner Joan Hunter winning a national 2-mile title from the “slow” heat), the weekend brought news about a massive outdoor mile WR by a SoCal runner. Five years ago, I wrote: “M85 distance star Gunnar Linde, a Latvian-born former ski champion in Europe, now lives in Venice, California. He moved to the States in the early 1950s, so he’s a complete Yank. Sunday at the Southern California Indoor Meet … Outdoors (intended to give athletes a chance at distances contested at Boston indoor nationals),…

Alison Wood is interviewed at a 2015 meet, where she competes for Oregon Track Club Masters.

Records February 4, 2019

Alison Wood jumps 2 1/4 inches over her head to claim W45 world indoor record

In her senior year at Newberg High School, Alison Hunkins won the 1991 Oregon state meet high jump at 5-5. (Her school record 5-7 still stands.) At Western Oregon University, where her coach was Berny Wagner (who guided gents named Dick Fosbury and John Radetich), she cleared 5-6 (1.68 meters). So what would you expect the 5-foot-3 Alison — now Alison Wood — to clear at age 45? Are you sitting down? Alison cleared 1.66 (5-5 1/4) Saturday at the indoor Jacksons Invitational in Nampa, Idaho (See results here and video of her stunning jump below.) She won the W40…

Records January 29, 2019

Bill Jankovich, Angela Herzner claim American indoor records at Kenosha masters hep

Jeff Watry is reporting records set at the USATF National Masters Indoor Combined Event Championships over the weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin — the site of every listed masters indoor hep record. (This multi is rarely contested.) M85 Bill Jankovich scored 3919 to clobber the listed American record of 2635 by Jerry Donley in 2016. And W40 Angela Herzner scored 4834 to edge the listed AR of 4547 by Erika Pierce, like Jerry’s mark also set in 2016 at Carthage College. Most consequential was the record number of masters entrants — 39 men and 10 women. And they took part despite…

Joaquín Joyas likes to set records at Sabadell, Spain, with the latest being a sizzling 2:13.87 at age 60.

Records January 15, 2019

Spaniard Joaquín Joyas sets another gem of a WR: M60 800 meters indoors in 2:13.87

In Spanish, joyas means jewelry, gems or treasure. In masters track, Joaquín Joyas means world-record man. So it goes again as Joaquín took down the listed M60 world indoor record for 800 on Jan. 4 at a meet in Sabadell. He also once held the M55 WR. He clocked 2:13.87 — nipping the 2014 mark of 2:14.06 by Joe Gough of Ireland. Interestingly, back in February 2014, I reported: At the start of last weekend, Horace Grant held world indoor 800 records in M55 and M60. Today he has none. Joe Gough of Ireland claimed the M60 Sunday. Now we…

Pete Mundle, a member of the Masters Hall of Fame, was a world-class masters distance runner back in the day.

Records January 13, 2019

Nearly 2 dozen years of Pete Mundle’s single-age masters records online at mastershistory.org

Since at least the early 1970s, when he worked with Track & Field News as master of stats, Peter “Pete” Mundle was an expert on records. He kept single-age bests for all events, starting with sub-kiddies. Eventually, he confined his attention to masters. His hobby led to annual publication of Masters Age Records. They were unofficial but engrossing. Now his last 23 records booklets are online here — at mastershistory.org. L.A. resident Pete, now 90, gave permission for posting of the archive. National Masters News, which published the books until the last one in 2006, also gave its OK. They…