World Masters Athletics Day 10 Pacific Association Athletes'

Top Performances; List of World Records Set at 2011 WMA

by Bob Burns

Link to All WMA Articles and Photos

From the quality of officiating to the logistical organization of the cross country and marathon events, the Pacific Association played a prominent role in the success of the World Masters Athletics (WMA) Championships.

And the July 6-17 event finished up Sunday the way it began 12 days earlier – with PAUSATF athletes matching up quite well against the world’s best.

Sunday’s final day of competition began bright and early along the American River Parkway with a 5 a.m. start for the marathon. Chad Worthen of Sacramento won the men’s 35-39 age group and finished second overall with a time of 2 hours, 35 minutes and 54 seconds.

In the W55 marathon Christine Kennedy of Los Gatos covered the five-loop course in 3:00:48 to claim her second individual gold medal of the WMA Championships.

Kennedy earlier won the 5,000 meters on the track and added a third gold as a member of the victorious U.S. team in the W55 marathon.

Sunday’s track action at Hornet Stadium was limited to steeplechases and relays – lots of them. On the adjacent throwing area outside the main stadium, Ed Burke of Los Gatos won his third gold medal of the meet by edging Czeslaw Rosznak in the M70 weight pentathlon.

Roszniak threw farther than Burke in three of the five events, but Burke’s superiority in his specialties, the weight throw and the hammer, gave him a winning score of 4508 points. Roszniak was second with 4476 points.

The 4x100 and 4x400 relays featured no fewer than 12 Pacific Association gold medalists.

Three PAUSATF athletes represented the United States in the women’s 50-to-54 sprint relay and came away with gold medals and an American record of 51.88.

Kathleen Shook of Zionsville, Indiana led off for the U.S. women. The next two legs were handled by Liz Palmer and Amanda Scotti, training partners in Folsom. Joy Upshaw of Lafayette brought the baton across the finish line more a full second ahead of Puerto Rico.

Upshaw won four gold medals and one silver medal at the WMA event, sweeping the 100- and 200-meter sprints and 80-meter hurdles and finishing second in the long jump.

In the W75 sprint relay, Irene Obera anchored the U.S. team to a world-record victory in 1:10.19. Obera, a 77-year-old masters legend who lives in Fremont, also won the 100 and 200 in Sacramento. Her tally of WMA outdoor gold medals is now an incredible 27.

Ralph Peterson of Oakland contributed a leg to the world-record 4x100 relay team in the M60 age group. The United States foursome clocked 47.93. Similarly, James Lawson of El Sobrante earned a gold medal and world record of 3:24.83 n the M45 4x400 relay.

Other Pacific Association sprinters who won gold medals in the Sunday’s relays were Bill Kaspari of Portola Valley Valley (M74 4x100), Kevin Mourning of Roseville (M55 4x100), Kathleen Raske of Sacramento (W45 4x100), Aaron Thigpen of Brentwood (M45 4x100), Demitrius Snaer of Manteca and Thachvu Ho of San Jose in the M35 4x100 relay, Gary Sims of Paradise in the M70 4x400, Larry Barnum of Reno (M65 4x400) and Steve Hardison of Fresno in the M60 4x400.

A total of 38 WMA world records were either broken or tied in Sacramento. Four relay teams from the United States set new world standards Sunday, as did a pair of Australian relay teams and three steeplechasers.

Ron Robertson, a 70-year-old from New Zealand, set three individual records over the course of the WMA Championships, including a new mark in Sunday’s 2,000-meter steeplechase of 7 minutes, 10.03 seconds. Robertson’s steeplechase time broke the previous M70 world record by a preposterous 50 seconds and was faster than the winners of the M65 and M60 age groups on Sunday. Robertson also set M70 records in the 5,000 meters (18:15.53) and 1,500 meters (4:52.95).

On Sunday, Lisa Ryan, of Sioux City, Iowa, and Lisa Valle, of Albuquerque, N.M., set back-to-back records in the 2,000-meter steeplechase. Valle set a W45 mark of 6:58.89, then watched Ryan break her W40 record with a time of 6:49.89.

The United States contingent, numbering nearly 2,000 athletes, collected 389 medals overall, including 138 gold.

Also winning team gold medals in the marathon were Edward Randolph of Sacramento (M40), Michael Fadling of Roseville (M40), Jean Pommier of Cupertino (M45), Jim Howard of Sacramento (M55), David Ruvalcaba of Manteca (M55), Lisa Balestrini of Roseville (W45) and Janet Cain of Sonoma (W60). They helped the U.S. to a marathon medal total of 9 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze.

For complete results, visit wma2011.com.

World Masters Athletics records set during the 2011 WMA Championships, Sacramento

July 7

• M90 80-meter hurdles – Ralph Maxwell, United States, 21.62 seconds
• W50 heptathlon – Marie Kay, Australia, 6202 points
• M90 decathlon – Ralph Maxwell, United States, 7069 points
• W70 heptathlon – Erika Sauer, Germany, 5352 points

July 8

• W90 hammer throw – Olga Kotelko, Canada, 54 feet, 10 inches
• W85 pole vault – Johnye Valien, United States, 4 feet, 1¼ inches
• W95 100 meters – Man Kaur, Indonesia, 1:01.87
• M80 5,000 meters – Ed Whitlock, Canada, 42:39.95 (surpasses existing WMA-approved record; Whitlock has a faster pending time)

July 9

• M80 10,000 meters – Ed Whitlock, Canada, 42:39.95
• W65 300 hurdles – Marge Allison, Australia, 54.06
• M70 5,000 meters – Ron Robertson, New Zealand, 18:15.53

July 11

• W75 200 hurdles – Barbara Jordan, United States, 41.71
• M85 200 hurdles – Hugo Delgado, Peru, 45.13
• W50 weight throw – Oneithea Lewis, United States, 61 feet, 6½ inches
• M75 javelin – Vladimir Porokhin, Russia, 146 feet, 1 inch

July 12

• M65 10-kilometer race walk – Andrew Jamieson, Australia, 50:11.38
• M70 javelin – Gary Stenlund, United States, 171 feet, 4 inches
• M80 200 meters – Hiroo Tanaka, Japan, 30.78 (surpasses existing WMA-approved world record; Tanaka has a faster pending time)

July 13

• M95 hammer – Antonio Fonseca, Brazil, 72 feet, 2½ inches

July 15

• M55 1,500 meters – Keith Bateman, Australia, 4:12.35
• M70 1,500 meters – Ron Robertson, New Zealand, 4:52.95
• M80 1,500 meters – Ed Whitlock, Canada, 5:48.93
• W80 throws pentathlon – Rachel Hanssens, Belgium, 4788 points

July 16

• M60 20-kilometer race walk – Andrew Jamieson, Australia, 1:42:56.80
• W50 20-kilometer race walk – Lynette Ventris, Australia, 1:42:19.35
• W70 400 meters – Anne Stobaus, Australia, 1:16.63
• W85 400 meters – Patricia Peterson, United States, 2:07.79
• M65 pole vault – John Altendorf, United States, 12 feet, 71⁄4 inches
• W50 throws pentathlon – Elrike Engelhardt, Germany, 4563 points

July 17

• W40 2,000-meter steeplechase – Lisa Ryan, United States, 6:49:58
• W45 2,000-meter steeplechase – Lisa Valle, United States, 6:58.89
• M70 2,000-meter steeplechase – Ron Robertson, New Zealand, 7:10.03
• W75 4x100 relay – United States, 1:10.19
• M60 4x100 relay – United States, 47.93
• W60 4x400 relay – Australia, 4:55.53
• M50 4x400 relay – United States, 3:31.76
• W45 4x400 relay – Australia, 4:08.32 (equals world record)
• M45 4x400 relay – United States, 3:24.84

For complete results and meet schedule, see wma2011.com.