SUNDAY

Men's records take a dive; Morton gives it all at Masters Indoor Champs

BOSTON - Septuagenarian and older sprinters stole the records spotlight, while a Springfield, MA, resident might have made the biggest mark of all Sunday afternoon at the 2007 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships.

In the final event of the meet, Sprint Force America's men's 70-74 age group 4x400m relay ran 4:37.28 to obliterate the existing world record of 5:35.93. Larry Colbert, Richard Rizzo, Robert Cozens and Robert Lida teamed up for the new record. The same club, with Rev. Dick Camp running third leg, had broken the M70 4x200m world record on March 3 (1:54.05).

Moving up a few age groups, New England's own Bob Matteson of Bennington, VT., shattered the men's 90-94 American record in the 200 meters by more than 6 seconds, running 42.10 to break Max Springer's previous mark of 48.24 by more than six seconds.

Making a mark on society was James Morton of Springfield, MA, who won the men's 50-54 800 meters in a brilliant time of 2:04.67. Even more astounding is that Morton in October of 2005 gave part of his liver to his best friend in order to expedite a transplant for the friend, who was in immediate need of a new liver. The president and CEO of YMCA of Greater Springfield, Morton had returned competing just six months after the surgery, last spring. On Sunday he won his first national title. Notes the father of a teen-age son, "I ran a faster 400 after the surgery than I ran when I was in high school."

More world records

Nadine O'Connor, Phil Raschker and Kathryn Martin kept up their world-record ways as O'Connor (Del Mar, CA) broke the W65 200m record (30.63), Raschker (Marietta, GA) bettered the W60 record at the distance (38.94), and Martin (Northport, NY) blistered the 800m in a W55 record time of 2:31.73. Also in the 800, Earl Fee of Ontario broke the M75 world record with a stunning 2:32.47.

World records fell in the women's 4x400m relays as well. The Athena Track Club team of Joan Hunter, Terri Rath, Carrie Sherburne and Carla Kehoe broke the W40-49 WR in 4:19.21, and unattached team of Rebecca Connolly, Dionne Bruff, Lisa Daley and Renee Henderson ran 4:11.11 to break the overall WR for W35-39. Athena's 35-39 team of Charmaine Roberts, Julie Hayden, Michaeli Smith and Terri Cassel broke the club record in 4:27.24.

Rashker kept the American records coming the W60 age group, with a new mark in the 8.88m/29-1.75.

Single-lap competition provided a trio of American records in the men's 200 meters, all coming at age 75 or over. In the M75 age group, Harry Brown of Wheaton, IL, ran 30.49; John Means of Cleveland ran 37.09 in M85, and Matteson set the M90 record.

Ralph Maxwell (Alamo, TX) posted his second and third American records of the meet by jumping 6.81m/22-4.25 in the triple jump and 1.09m/3-6.75 in the high jump. In the super weight throw, Carol Young broke the W65 American record with a throw of 8.03m/26-4, and Mary Roman of Mass Velocity broke with W70 American record 7.04m/23-1.

Catching up

The men's shot put on Saturday was full of American records. Leland McPhie of San Diego, CA, had a best throw of 7.34m/24-1 for M90; Richard Mulkern of Sheffield, FL, threw 9.50m/31-2 in M80, and David Schlothauer threw 7.27m/23-10.25 to set American records. Also in Saturday competition, the Athena Track Club team of Julie Hayden, Joan Hunter, Carrie Sherburne and Carmaine Roberts broke the listed AR in the W35 4x800m relay with their time of 10:09.15.

In masters competition elsewhere, Alisa ran the 800 in 2:08.05 Saturday at the Fred Hardy Invitational, held at the University of Richmond (VA), to lower the listed American W40 outdoor record by nearly 2 seconds. The previous record of 2:09.85 was set by Rose Monday in 2000.

For complete results from the 2007 USA Masters Indoor Championships, visit the Events section of www.usatf.org

SATURDAY

Leading ladies shine at USA Masters Indoor Champs

BOSTON - Breaking records has become routine for Nadine O'Connor, Kathryn Martin and Phil Raschker, but continuing to rewrite the record books never gets "old" for these three masters legends. They proved that Saturday afternoon at the 2007 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, while Joy Upshaw Margerum proved that records - even those of Raschker - are made to be broken.

O'Connor (Del Mar, CA) broke her second listed world record in as many days on Saturday, leaping 4.16m/13-6.75 in the W65 long jump to follow up on the pole vault world record she set Friday.

Martin, of Northport, NY, set her second American record of the meet on Saturday by running 5:27.89 to win the W55 mile. The recently minted 55-year-old and 2004 USATF masters athlete of the year also broke the W55 American record in the 3,000m on Friday night (10:35.76).

Margerum, whose family includes world-class long jumpers in her father Monte (who in 1954 broke Jesse Owens' high school LJ record) and 2004 Olympian sister Grace, has made a name for herself in just a few years competing as a masters athlete. Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center, the 46-year-old track coach from Palo Alto, CA, ran 8.13 in the 60m hurdles, breaking the W45 American record of 9.18 set by Raschker in 1995. Two years ago, at age 44, Upshaw-Margerum set the W40 record (9.08). In the 60m sprint on Saturday, she just missed another Raschker AR when she ran 8.06 seconds, just .04 off of Raschker's record, and she also won the long jump (5.22m/17-1.5).

That Raschker's records are no longer untouchable is a testament to the rapidly growing strength of women's masters competition, according to Upshaw-Margerum: "It used to be just the girls in Europe competing," she said. "But now, with the fitness craze, things are getting a lot more serious." As for breaking Raschker's records, "It adds something to shoot for. I have a good relationship with Phil. She likes that she put it out there for us to go for, and I've gotten a few or her records."

Raschker, of Marietta, GA, continued her W60 record march on Saturday with American records in the 60 meters (8.87) and long jump (4.37m/14-4), where all six of her attempts were well past the American record. She also won the 60m hurdles (10.16). She had broken two world records and four American records during Friday's competition.

More records came from Pay Carstensen of Spring Hill, FL, who posted a mark of 14.00m/45-11.25 in the weight throw for an M75 American record. Betty Jarvis of Aberdeen, NC, set her second record of the meet with an American record in the W91 shot put (3.77m/12-4.5). Milan Jamrich of Houston broke the American record in the M55 high jump with a clearance of 1.73m/5-8, and 57-year-old Nolan Shaheed of Pasadena, CA, ran a 4:26.7 hand-timed 1,500m during his mile race to break the American record in M55.

Alamo, TX, resident Ralph Maxwell improved the listed long jump American record in the M85 age group to 3.25m/10-8 - a remarkable leap for the 87-year-old.

More Friday-night records

Friday night's 3,000-meter races turned up a host of records that were submitted on Saturday. They included American records by M35 Eric Green (Pontiac, MI, 9:00.06); M55 Nolan Shaheed (Pasadena, CA, 9:10.27); W55 Kathryn Martin (Northport, NY, 10:35); W65 Marie-Louise Michelsohn (New York, NY, 12:034.78). Also in Friday action, M60 John Altendorf set a pending AR in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 3.93m/12-10.75).

For results from the 2007 USA Masters Indoor Championships, visit www.usatf.org

FRIDAY

Raschker, Bell lead record assault at USA Masters Indoor Champs

BOSTON - Two of the most recognizable names in track & field - Raschker and Bell - were among several athletes shattering records, and traditional barriers, Friday night at the 2007 USA Masters Track & Field Championships.

Debuting in championship competition in the women's 60-64 age group, Philippa "Phil" Raschker (Marietta, GA) got the meet off to a momentous start with two world records and four American records during pentathlon competition. Raschker's overall score of 4,844 points was a world and American record, as was her 60m hurdles time, run during the pentathlon, of 10.04. She also jumped 4.27m/14-0.25 in the long jump and 1.33m/4-4.25 in the high jump for American records. She ran 3:00.96 in the 800 to complete the pentathlon.

In the field, one of America's most renowned vaulting names broke a world record nearly every time he jumped. William Bell, the father of National Track & Field Hall of Famer Earl Bell, kept jaws dropping every time he upped the bar. In 16 jumps, he set an announced 10 world records. His final clearance at a world and American record height of 2.44m/8-0 featured technique and a "friendly bar" as the bar shook and stirred, but did not fall.

"This indoor meet was made for me," said Bell, referring to the fact that he turned 85 on April 19, just four days before the Championships. "This is my first real competition I've had since I was 82. I didn't think I'd jump this high, but my oldest son said I would."

Bell's youngest son, Earl, now coaches his father, was on hand for the competition and admitted he had "hoped for about 7-8." William Bell trains at Earl's facility in Jonesboro, Ark., three times a week, where other vaulters in training include American record holder Jeff Hartwig. When not working out, William Bell says he also serves as "part-time janitor."

The pentathlon was full of records as Gregory Foster (Lumberton, NJ) broke the M45 world and American record with 4.962 points; Christel Donley (Colorado Springs, CO) broke the W70 AR with her score of 4,196 points; and Kevin Bosma of Portsmouth, NH, broke the M35record with 3,535 points.

Also setting pending world and American records were 91-year-old Betty Jarvis (Aberdeen, NC) in the women's weight throw (5.45m/17-10.75) and Nadine O'Connor (Del Mar, CA) in the W65 pole vault with a clearance of 2.89m/9-5.75. Jodie Hawkins (Frisco, TX) broke the listed AR in the W40 3,000m with her time of 9:58.88.

The 2007 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships continue Saturday at Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center. For complete results, visit www.usatf.org