Posted: July 28, 2007

Athletics: Seven Olympians, 32 current world champions to compete at USA Masters Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - In what looms as one of the largest national masters track and field championships ever held outside of the West Coast, the University of Maine eagerly awaits some 1,100 competitors, ages 30 to 95, for the 2007 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships August 2-5 in Orono, Maine. The USA Masters Outdoor Championships annually showcases extraordinary demonstrations of speed, power, skill and endurance by many of the world's finest masters track and field athletes, proving that age is no barrier to lifetime fitness. Athletes compete in five-year age divisions, beginning at age 30. In 2007, the meet will be webcast live at USATF.org. Many of the athletes competing in Orono will look to show their readiness for the 17th World Masters Athletic Championships, September 4-15, in Riccione, Italy. Olympians competing in Orono include (Name, Olympiad, masters age group, hometown and event): * Franklin "Bud" Held (1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne javelin) M75, of Del Mar, Calif, will compete in the pole vault and discus. * James Barrineau (1976 Montreal high jump), M50, Burke, Va.., high jump. * Patricia "Trish" Porter (formerly Trish King), (1988 Seoul high jump) W40, Albuquerque, N.M., high jump. * Bernice Robinson Holland, W80, Cleveland Heights, Ohio (1948 London hurdles and high jump) shot put, discus and javelin. * Jan Merrill-Morin (1976 Montreal as Jan Merrill) W50, Holmdel, N.J., 5,000 and 1,500. * Bob Mimm (Rome 1960), M80, Willingboro, N.J., race walk. * Cherrie Sherrard (Tokyo 1964), W65, Vallejo, Calif., shot put and discus. Among those expected to stand out at the meet is women's all-time masters great Philippa Raschker, who was a finalist for the 2004 AAU Sullivan Award, presented annually to America's top amateur athlete. Raschker turned 60 on February 21, which likely opened the door for her to set a whole new set of world and U.S. records in her new age group. Raschker, who has set more than 200 U.S. and world track and field records during her career, is entered in 11 events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 80m hurdles, 300m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, javelin and the pentathlon, which is an additional five events combined. Other likely standouts include 2007 USATF Masters Athletes of the Year Nolan Shaheed of Pasadena, Calif., 57, a jazz musician who played with Count Basie and Marvin Gaye. The owner of world and U.S. running records, Shaheed is entered in the M55 400m, 800m, 1500m and steeplechase. Also look for Alisa Harvey, 41, from Manassas, Va., in the W40 800m and 1500m. Harvey set a new indoor world masters mile record in January (4:47.26) and an American outdoor record in the 800m (2:07.57) in March. Over-90 excellence: Six competitors are over 90 years of age. Likely meet's oldest, 93 year-old Frank Levine (in 800m, 1500m, 5,000m) of Norristown, Pa., has set a variety of distance-running records. The M90 sprints will feature torrid battles between Bob Matteson, 90, of Bennington, Vt., and Reverend Champion Goldy of Haddonfield, N.J. Matteson is the world indoor record holder in the M90 800m at 4:50.81, though he can run any distance. Matteson is entered in five events in Orono. Both he and Reverend Goldy (six events) are distinguished in many ways, not the least of which is that both are still working professionally - Matteson as a management consultant, Goldy as a minister. Also over 90: Betty Jarvis, oldest female at 92, of Aberdeen, N.C., who will compete in five events, Dan Bulkley of the Southern Oregon Sizzlers in five events, and Max Springer, 92, of Knoxville Tenn., in six events. Current world champions competing prepared by Ken Stone of MastersTrack.com. 2006 World Indoor Champions entered in 2007 USA Masters Outdoor Champs; (Lists current age group, name, world championship events, hometown, events contested in Orono) M35 Don Drummond, 60H (Fresno, Texas): 400, 110mH, 400mH M45 Kevin Paulk, 800 (Portland, Ore.): 800 and 1500 M45 Greg Foster, TJ (Lumberton, N.J.): 100, 200, 110H, Long jump, Triple Jump M45 Bruce McBarnette HJ (Sterling, Va.) High Jump M50 James Barrineau, HJ (Burke, Va.): High Jump M55 Bill Collins, 60m, 200m, 400m (Houston, Texas): 100m, 200m, 400m M55 James Broun, 60mH (Sarasota, Fla.): 100mH M60 Roger Pierce, 4x200 relay (Essex, Mass.): 100m, 200m, 400m M65 Emil Pawlik, pentathlon (Jackson, Miss.): 100mH, 300mH, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus M65 Sid Howard, 800m, 1500m (Plainfield, N.J.): 800m, 1,500m M75 John Starr, 3,000m walk (Newark, Del.): 5 km, 10 km race walks W45 Joy Upshaw Margerum (Los Altos, Calif.) 100m, 200m, 80mH, Long Jump W45 Lesley Chaplin-Swann, 800 (McDonough, Ga.): 400m, 1500m, 10 km W45 Patricia Porter, HJ (Albuquerque, NM): HJ 2005 World Outdoor Champions entered in 2007 USA Masters Outdoor Championships; (Lists current age group, name, world championship events, hometown, events contested in Orono) M35 Don Drummond, 110mH (Fresno, Texas): 400m, 110mH, 400mH M40 Robert Thomas, 400m (Indianapolis, Ind.): 100m, 200m, 400m M40 David Ashford, 110mH (Wheeling, Ill.): 110mH M40 Brian Pope, 5,000m (Oxford, Miss.): 5 km, 10 km M45 James Chinn, 400m (San Marcos, Calif.): 100m, 200m, 400m M45 Darnell Gatling, 400mH (Freeport, N.Y.): 400m, 400mH M45 Bruce McBarnette, HJ (Sterling, Va.): High Jump M50 John Nespoli, SP (Collierville, Tenn.): shot put, discus M55 Marion McCoy Jr., 100m (Lawrenceville, Ga.): 100m, 200m M60 Charles Allie, 200m, 400m (Pittsburgh, Pa.): 100m, 200m, 400m M60 Roger Pierce, 400m (Essex, Mass.): 100m, 200m, 400m M60 Larry Barnum, 800m (Reno, NV): 200m, 400m, 800m M60 Norman Frable, 5 km, 20 km race-walks (McKinney, Texas): 5 km & 10 km walks, High Jump M65 Emil Pawlik, 100mH, decathlon (Jackson, Miss.): 100mH, 300mH, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, 60, Pentathlon M75 Jerry Donley, PV (Colorado Springs, Colo.): High Jump, Pole Vault M90 Dan "Lucius" Bulkley, 2000m steeplechase, decathlon (Phoenix, Ore.): 200m, 400m, 800m, 300mH, 2 km steeplechase, Pentathlon M90 Max Springer, 800m, 1500m, LJ, TJ (Knoxville, Tenn.): 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, Long Jump, Triple Jump W35 Lisa Daley, 200m, 400m (White Plains, N.Y.): 200m, 400m W40 Mary Grene, 1500 (Andover, Kan.): 1500m W45 Patricia Porter, HJ (Albuquerque, NM): High Jump W45 Carol Finsrud, shot, discus, weight pentathlon (Lockhart, Texas): Shot Put, Discus, Hammer, Weight, Javelin W65 Marie-Louise Michelson 1,500 (Stony Brook, N.Y.): 800m, 1500m, 5000m, steeplechase W80 Miriam Gordon, 5 km & 10 km race walks (Hollywood, Fla.): 5 km & 10 km race walks Media are invited for coverage and athlete interviews. For media interviews onsite, see Bob Weiner, National Masters Media Chair at Trackside or call Bob's cell at 202-329-1700. Additional contacts: Rebecca Vander Linde at 301-283-0821; and George Manlove of the University of Maine public affairs office at 207-581-3756. Peter Taylor and Ken Stone contributed to this release. The meet schedule and current list of athletes entered are available at the Championships web site: USAMastersOutdoorTFChampionships. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest