Posted: September 20, 2007

Athletics: Pell And Hirabayashi Dynamic Duo At World Masters Athletics Championships

FOLSOM, Calif. - September 19, 2007 - Longtime distance runners Eve Pell, 70, and Sam Hirabayashi, 80, both of Greenbrae, Calif. like to do things together, especially running. The fast couple, who are engaged to be married, traveled together to the World Masters Athletics Championships held September 4-15 in Riccione, Italy. Together, the standout Pacific Association USA Track & Field athletes earned five medals in top-notch competition. Pell, who competes in the women's age 70 to 74 division, won a gold medal in the W70 1,500-meter event with a time of 6 minutes, 34.44 seconds. She earned a second gold competing on Team USA's winning W70 4x400m relay team, which finished in 6:26.99 and bettered the listed U.S. W70-79 age group record (6:33.91). Pell added a silver medal in the W70 division of the 5,000m race, finishing in 24:00.32, and placed fourth in her division in the 8K cross country race. "The 1,500 is not my normal event," said Pell who has recently focused on the distance. "But the race went perfectly. There was a pack of three of us [including Irma Tomczak of Poland and USA's Jeanne Daprano] at the front. When it came down to the final 100 [meters], I had something left and was able to go by them. It was a great feeling. There were so many people from so many countries." Pell is known as a perennial top contender and 1989 champion at the 7.1-mile Dipsea Race over the rugged flanks of Mt. Tamalpais. She competes for the San Francisco-based Impala Racing Team. Hirabayashi competed on Team USA's M80 division 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. The 4x100m squad won a silver medal in 1:06.12, topping the listed American record of 1:17.37 set in 1985. Hirabayashi's 4x400 team won a gold medal in 6:41.73, which eclipsed the previous AR of 7:34.9, also set in 1985. He just missed the medals podium in the M80 1,500m and 10,00m, placing fourth in both events with times of 7:33.45 (1,500m) and 58:48.10 (10,000m). "Until this meet, Sam really hadn't run a step since July 5 when he strained a hamstring. He was carefully rehabbing and staying off it," Pell said. "I was surprised at the number of 80-year-olds that were there," said Hirabayashi, who competes for the Marin County-based Tamalpa Runners club. "It was interesting to see how quick some of these guys are. I was impressed. I've never run a 4x100 relay before, or a 1,500 or 10,000 on the track. It was a great experience." The World Masters Athletics 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. For more information about the 2007 WMA Championships, visit USATF.org. 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 PAUSATF.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest