The region’s biggest, and arguably the most important, sporting event is only a couple of weeks away, and good tickets are still available!
Sac State’s Hornet Stadium will be host to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, June 22 – 25.
The Sacramento Sports Commission has a pretty good website with event details and useful information for visitors.
Will I see you there?
Earlier today, I found myself in the midst of a mild Facebook debate regarding whether known dopers should be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Nothin’ you can do about it. Dopers always one step ahead of detection,” I was told.
I am not willing to go along with that line of reasoning, because it pretty much means the end of competitive sports.
Also, the history of state-sponsored doping programs shows that turning a blind eye toward chemical cheating leads to a growing pool of victims: the clean athletes who can’t compete with the doped ones, and the children run through dope-fueled, government-operated sports programs.
Starting before sunrise, runners make their way up the hill from Squaw Valley in the 2010 race. (Photo courtesy of Kerina Blue)
I woke up this morning at 7:30 and thought to myself, “The guys running Western States have already been running for two-and-a-half hours!”
I do this every year I’m not running. Then I turn on the computer and check out the live webcast.
Dave Mackey was the first into Talbot Creek (13 miles), but now Kilian Jornet is the first into the Poppy Trailhead aid station! Exciting isn’t it?
It’s a little less thrilling than when ABC’s Wide World of Sports covered the event wire-to-wire and had cameramen in helicopters capturing the race. Those were the good old days.
Of course, by the time it was aired, the race was long over and the result was well known by all who cared.
USA Track and Field Champs:
If you are sitting at home with the computer, you should also be checking out the US National Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The live feed can be watched here.
The sad thing is that USATF sold the rights to broadcast many of the premium events to ESPN, so they aren’t being broadcast live. Fortunately, these events seem to be available for viewing on-line after ESPN has had it’s way with them.
Day two, and the world records continue to fall like rain. This time, it was the steeplechase. The USATF reports:
Lisa Valle set the W40 world masters 2,000m steeplechase record when she crossed the finish line in 6:51.92, after setting the previous world record two weeks ago of 6:52.6. “I had it stuck in my head that I wanted to break my record, so I guess I barely made it,” she said. “I just tried to stick to my pace and it worked out. I thought I could’ve broken 6:50, but I’m happy with it here in the heat. It was a good run.”
And it was also the 400 meters! Again, from USATF:
In women’s 400m finals action, Suzy MacLeod won the W75 age group with her world record time of 1:25.40, which is faster than the previous listed world record of 1:27.17 set last year by Margaret Peters of New Zealand. Her time also bested the previous W75 American record of 1:27.41 set by Audrey Lary at the 2009 USA Masters Outdoor Championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The USA Track & Field 2010 Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships kicked off this morning and already we have a new world record! Oneithea “Neni” Lewis set a new world age-group record in the women’s hammer throw, getting 55.46 meters (181′ 11″) on her final throw to win the competition easily. Amazingly, after fouling the first throw, her next five all bested the existing American Record and her final throw sailed well beyond the eight-year old world record of 51.73 meters (169′ 8″)!
In the 5,000 meters, Rick Blecker of Club Northwest set a new American record with his win in the M55 age group with his time of 16:14.55, and Mary Harada of West Newbury, Massachusetts, set the American W75 age-group record when she finished first in 26:55.11. Her performance bettered the previous American Record of 27:10.76 set by Algene Williams in 1991. Look for more, because Harada, who lowered the W75 mile American Record twice last month, is also entered in the 800m and 1,500m!
While no locals set any records, many did earn bragging rights.
Women line up for the start of the mile at the Western States Masters International Invitational. Photo by Abe Underwood
Don’t forget the USA Track & Field 2010 Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships start tomorrow morning at Sacramento State’s A.G. Spanos Sports Complex at 7:00 AM.
The day kicks off with one of my favorite track events: the 5,000 meters. The women’s (age 30 to 49) 5,000 meters in particular will showcase some of the area’s top women road racers.
The photo (right), taken at the Western States Masters International Invitational track meet in Davis two weeks ago, shows some of these women testing and honing their track skills in the lead-up to the Masters Championships. Tomorrow’s 5000 meters includes locals: Mike Gottardi, Michael Fadling, Mason Myers, Randy Anderson, Iain Mickle, John Nichols, James Young, and Jeffrey Adkins for the men; and Jaymee Marty, Midori Sperandeo, Kirsten Schneider, Rae Whitten, Jenny Hitchings, and Desiree Love for the women. Who will come out on top? Be sure to check it out!
