Contact:  Mark Winitz
Pacific Association/USATF Communications Manager
Tel: (650) 948-0618 Direct

Joy Upshaw-Margerum (left) and sister Grace Upshaw

Photo Credit: Martha Mendenhall
Marty Krulee (center) won M50 100m
Photo Credit: Joy Upshaw-Margerum
Upshaw-Margerum captured Gold in long jump
Photo Credit: Martha Mendenhall


- UPSHAW-MARGERUM EARNS FOUR MEDALS AND U.S. RECORD AT WORLD MASTERS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- SACRAMENTO SELECTED TO HOST 2011 WMA CHAMPIONSHIPS

FOLSOM, Calif. - September 17, 2007 - Joy Upshaw-Margerum, 46, of Los 
Altos Hills, Calif. won four medals for Team USA at the World Masters 
Athletics Championships held September 4-15 in Riccione, Italy. The WMA
Championships are the world's biggest international track and field 
competition. They are reserved for masters athletes age 35 and over.
The 2007 WMA Championships hosted more than 9,000 athletes from 90 
countries.

At the event, World Masters Athletics announced that Sacramento, Calif. 
was selected to host the 201l WMA Championships, winning a bid over 
Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Upshaw-Margerum's earned her medals in the women's age 45 to 49 division 
of competition. They included a gold (long jump, 5.27 meters/17 feet 
3-1.2 inches), a silver (100 meters, 12.97 seconds), and two bronzes (200 
meters in 26.39 and 80-meter hurdles). Her mark of 12.12 seconds in the 
80-meter hurdles set a new U.S. women's age 45-49 record, eclipsing her 
own previous standard of 12.13 set last year.

Among her multiple records and honors, Upshaw-Margerum is the current 
world indoor 200-meter W45 champion. Last March, she set a W45 indoor 
60-meter hurdles record (9.13).

At the WMA Championships, many athletes competed in multiple events which 
included several rounds of qualifying heats in each event.

"The intensity was tremendous with teams from Germany, France, Russia, 
Great Britain, and other countries raring to go," Upshaw-Margerum said.
 
"Overall, I was pleased with my performances, but there were a few 
[techniques] that I evaluated and need to improve on. But, that's what 
keeps me coming back to competition."

Germany won the team competition with 315 medals, Italy was second
(219), and the U.S. was third (193).

Upshaw-Margerum comes from a family of outstanding athletes. Her 
father, Monte Upshaw, set a national high school record in the long jump in
1954 with a jump that broke the previous prep mark set by Jesse Owens. She
has coached her younger sister, Grace Upshaw, who is a world class long 
jumper and a 2004 U.S. Olympian. Upshaw-Margerum is married to Ken 
Margerum, a former professional football player and Stanford University
track and football standout. She has two daughters, ages 15 and 8, who 
also participate in athletics.

"I was really happy about my long jump gold medal," said
Upshaw-Margerum. "Grace [who will compete at the IAAF World Athletics Final in
Stuttgart, Germany, September 22-23] was in Riccione to watch me compete. We had a
coach-athlete role reversal. This time, she coached me to the win."

Upshaw-Margerum's medals haul led a contingent of Pacific Association
USA Track & Field athletes who performed superbly at the WMA Championships.
 
Additional PA/USATF medalists and top performers included:

-- Marty Krulee (Rocklin, Calif.) M50 1st 100m, 11.58 seconds; and 7th 
200m, 24.67
-- Larry Barnum (Reno, Nev.) M60 1st 400m, 57.62; and 5th 800m, 2:20.54
-- Aaron Thigpen (Brentwood, Calif.) M40 2nd 100m, 11.07; and 6th M40 
200m, 23:11
-- Stephanie Thomas (San Francisco, Calif.) W40 2nd 80m hurdles, 11.81
-- Brian Conley (Livermore, Calif.) M45 3rd 110m hurdles, 16.44
-- Steve Kemp (Campbell, Calif.) M50 4th decathlon, 6,209 points
-- Jay Bray (Greenbrae, Calif.) M70 4th 5,000m race walk, 29:10.15; and
 
4th 10,00m race walk, 1:02.25
-- Sam Hirabayashi (Greenbrae, Calif.) M80 4th 1,500m, 7:33.45; and 4th
 
10,000m, 58.18.10
-- Jonathan Akers (Clovis, Calif.) M35 7th 400m hurdles, 1:03.04
-- Suzanne Cordes (Alamo, Calif.) W45 9th 8K cross country, 30:49; and 
12th 1,500m, 5:14.58
-- Bill Kaspari (Portola Valley, Calif.) M70 4th USA 4x100m relay team 
 
Securing the bid by Sacramento to host the 2011 WMA Championships was
yet another victory for Upshaw-Margerum. As the Chair of the Pacific 
Association Masters Track & Field Committee, she helped the Sacramento 
Sports Commission make its winning bid presentation in Italy. 

For more information about the 2007 WMA Championships, visit 
http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/WorldMastersAthleticsChampionships/

The Pacific Association is the largest member association of USA Track
& Field (USATF). We serve northern California and northwestern Nevada. 
USATF is the National Governing Body for track and field, long distance
running, and race walking in the United States. For more information 
about the Pacific Association, visit our Web site at 
www.pausatf.org.

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