General February 6, 2019

Peter Brady debuts Masters Milers podcast on iTunes with John Trautmann, Nick Berra

In the beginning was the masters mile — exhibition events at indoor meets for middle-age men. David Pain of San Diego organized these races and found them popular enough to start a sport — masters track and field. (Older athletes had run track, but David’s role was being the Johnny Appleseed of age-group athletics.) More than 50 years later, M45 middle-distance star Peter Brady is continuing the Pain legacy. First he helped found the Masters Milers group on Facebook (with 1,000 members). This month he’s launched a podcast — free audio interviews on Apple iTunes. (A related website is a…

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…

Obituaries February 2, 2019

Gookinaid inventor Bill Gookin of San Diego dies at 86; ran distances into his 40s

Friday afternoon, I was decompressing after a busy week by checking Facebook. Then I came across a post by Olympian Ruth Wysocki, who replied to a sad note about the death of Bill Gookin, a San Diegan famed for inventing the Gookinaid fluid-replacement drink. I jumped into action, contacting Gookin’s first wife Donna (a masters track and LDR star) and Bill’s daughter Debra. I wrote several San Diego running gurus and did a ton of Googling for my story in Times of San Diego. I didn’t finish writing, tweaking and formatting until 5 a.m. I’m proud of the result. (I…

A month after sharing Malaga survey results with affiliates (or selected folks), WMA shared a censored version for public consumption.

Rants January 30, 2019

WMA responds to questions about differing Malaga athletes surveys

A week ago, I made a stink about WMA posting results of a Malaga athlete survey that differed from one leaked to me. On Wednesday, former WMA Secretary Winston Thomas of Britain sent me a statement that doesn’t address all my concerns. But as coordinator of the Marketing and Communications Committee (chaired by ex-Prez Stan Perkins), Winston at least tackles some issues. Winston writes: I will not comment on your differences of the surveys as I do not know where the initial one you had came from, for the document had not been completed. Let me say that as the…

Stanislaw Kowalski returns to a favorite venue — 4 1/2 hours from his home of Swidnica near the Czech border.

International January 30, 2019

History’s oldest trackster entered at Toruń worlds: Stanislaw Kowalski is almost 109

Entry deadline for Toruń indoor worlds closed this week, and I’m excited to see Poland’s Stanislaw Kowalski, born in April 1910, down for the 60, shot and discus. At almost 109, he’s likely the oldest competitive athlete in history — even older than Japan’s Hidekichi Miyazaki, aka “Golden Bolt,” who often was credited as being the fastest M105 sprinter. Sadly, Hidekichi died last week at age 108. (I wrote about Miyazaki Mania in 2015.) WMA now lists outdoor world records for M105 (by Stan and Hidekichi), so anything Stan does at Torun will qualify as an indoor M105 world record….

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…

A month after sharing Malaga survey results with affiliates (or selected folks), WMA shared a censored version for public consumption.

Rants January 22, 2019

Why is WMA hiding responses to Malaga survey? Page of critical comments left out

Nearly a month ago, I posted results of a WMA survey taken after Malaga worlds. (I got it from Masters Mole 3443b.) In my summary, I estimated that 115 people took part, which I called an “atrocious” 1.4 percent participation rate. But WMA revealed Tuesday that “over 500” answered the survey. So it’s only a pathetic 6.2 percent response rate. My apologies. (Yet a new page 2 of the survey response says 14.6 percent of 8,191 athletes “responded the survey.” That equates to close to 1,200. Go figure.) Anyway: WMA cherrypicks — and bats away — two complaints: locations and…

Carmen Jackinsky of Aloha, Oregon, wants to say hello and goodbye to the W55 race walk record over 50 kilometers.

General January 18, 2019

W55 race walker Carmen Jackinsky preps for 50K nationals, has Olympic Trials in mind

Carmen Jackinsky of suburban Portland, Oregon, is an inventor, coach and W55 race walker. Not sure which order she would use. But proving again that masters are far more interesting than kiddies, I point to my profile of Carmen in Times of San Diego. She walked funny as a child, she recalls, and was put in dancing. Then she wouldn’t stop hanging from a bar upside down and became a gymnast. Then she injured her back and was told she’d never be an athlete again. So she took up race walking. And then she decided to improve the design of…

Men's elite field may not challenge meet record 4:17:98 bu Jim Sorensen 10 years ago.

General January 17, 2019

Prize money returns, team competition added at Saturday’s Hartshorne Masters Miles

I love seeing heat sheets for the Hartshorne Masters Miles — the 52nd edition is Saturday at Cornell University in Ithaca, Snow York. That’s where I learn who submitted 4:56 as a seed time. This year, it’s Brian Lazzaro of Ithaca. Why 4:56? That’s my all-time PR — set indoors at Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas as a 20-year-old senior. (The dirt track is gone, subsumed by a museum beneath the basketball arena.) Brian, 44, will wear Hip No. 7 in the men’s elite race, where Stefan Lingmerth, 41, is top seed at 4:25. (Defending champ Mark Williams…

Lesley Hinz (left) hugs her friend Sue McDonald after Sue lowered her own W50 American record for the 800.

International January 16, 2019

7 Americans, led by M70 sprint sensation Charles Allie, among nominees for WMA annual awards

As expected, Charles Allie is being considered for World Masters Athletics Athlete of the Year — both in the overall and sprint-group categories, WMA has announced. His M70 records at Malaga and elsewhere should make him a shoo-in for the top male prize. No American women are up for the overall Athlete of Year honors, but three Yanks have good shots at event awards — W60 middle-distancer Lesley Hinz, W65 distance great Sabra Harvey and W60 throws legend Carol Finsrud. Besides Charlie, American men in the finals for event awards are M50 middle-distancer Charles Novak, M75 thrower George Mathews and…