 Shore AC throwers and friends gather before shot put event at NJ-NY-Ct USATF Championship Meet at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island.
This was first section....Many teammates competed in other sections of SP, as well as weight and super weight events. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bischof
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BY ELLIOTT DENMAN On a brilliant LIX Super Bowl weekend, XXIV Shore Athletic Club athletes
performed Superb-ly, too, at the CXVII edition of the classic Millrose Games at the famed Nike Armory Track Center, CLXVIII Street and Broadway in the upper reaches of The Big Apple. A day before Philadelphia’s Eagles stunned Kansas City’s Chiefs, XL-XXIV, in the Big Game in New Orleans, our guys displayed plenty of gusto, as well. The Millrose festivities actually began on the Thursday before the Saturday main events, and the Shore AC delegation – just as the Eagles, a franchise that once played at Franklin Field, home of many a Shore AC triumph over the years – got off to a great start, too. It beganwith Elisia Lancaster’s rousing toss of 21.97 meters/ 72 feet, 1 inch - that won the women’s weight throw by a decisive margin. It continued with Paul Brennan’s PR throw of 20.10/64-11 1/2 (for Manhattan University, where in graduate school he’s extendng his college career after h isgreat years at Princeton) which was good for third place in the men’s weight event. And then the Millrose Games really got going with Saturday’s full slate of action. We’ll now take things in order as things unfolded. Kicking it off was a solid fourth place in the mne’s distance medley – just seconds out of medal range - as the quartet of Brian Hill (3:03.58 1200 split), Michael Twist ( 51.12 400), Kyle Spector (1:57.76 800 ) and Jack Shay (4:09 ??1600 anchor) checked in at 10:02.32 a club all-time record clocking. How’s this for dedication to the club cause? Brian Hill came in from Ann Arbor, Michigan and Jack Shay from Flagstaff, Arizona for the privilege of carrying the club’s colors in the biggest invitation indoor meet in the world. And then our master-ful Masters delegation came through with a series of great races. The quartet of Steve Guillen, Scott McGhee, Greg Calhoun and Ron Brock carried the baton around in 4:09.87 to win the men’s 50-up 4x400 title. SAC’s Kerry Gillespie, Harry Nolan, Spider Rossiter and Ivan Black raced their eight legs in 5:47.87 for an excellent second place in the M70 category. Shore AC really did “win” the M60 4x400 title,too, as Bill Hughes, Rich Alexander, Rick Lee and Matt Wallack finished far ahead of for what appeared as a solid win. (For amazing Rick, it was a little speed work for his upcoming schedule of major marathon and ultra-maraton races!!) Moments later, the controversy began. Did leadoff man Bill Hughes, running in lane one, actually cut in too early, as some thought. Or was he perfectly fine – and as his teammate felt, “how can you have a “cutting in” violation when you’re already running from lane one? Well, the apparent “win” stayed as official for about 48 hourss, before it was rescinded – by that mystery DQ verdict – and the win given to the Greater Philadelphia AC – who actually finished a lot farher back in 4:32.48. Yes, it’s likely that this one will be debated for years and years and years. Next, it was Shore AC’s turn to run the men’s 4x200 relay. Remember, this is an event that a Shore AC quartet had run the meet record time of 1:27.01 back in 2014. Back in fine form for SAC was the terrific Kelly Fisher – now a member of the SAC varsity unit coaching staff – and he anchored the team home with a 22,3 split for a team clocking of 1:34.87 in fifth place. Preceding him were Brian Dominguez, George Alexandris (a few years back the NCAA Division III long jump champion for Montclair State, and Anthony DiMaulo.) The Millrose show, of course, raged on until 6 pm, and the featured segment (4 to 6 pm) was seen by a nation-wide (NBC and Peacock) audience and a global viewership (supplied by Wordl Athletics.) When all results were in, just past 6pm, spectators filing out of the Armory knew they’d seen one of history’s greatest indoor meets, by a cast of magnificent athletes, many just half a year from glories at the Paris Olympic Games. Consider these: Notre Dame grad Yared Nuguse (third placer in the Paris 1500 final), lowered the world indoor mile record to a sizzling 3:46.63 over Hobbs Kessler (3:46.90) and Cam Myers ( 3:47.48 for a world junior record. ) Get this: seventh place Andrew Coscoran (3:49.26) even bested the classic then-world record 3:49.78 in 1983 by Eamonn Coghlan, to set an all-time Irish record. And Coghlan –the famed Villanovan and Chairman of the boards- was there to see it happen. The top eight broke 3:50 and three more ran sub-3:56. Two-event (5,000/10,000) Paris medalist Grant Fisher came through with a WR 7:22.9 in the men’s 3000, outdueling Olympic 1500 champion Cole Hocker (7:23.14.) Josh Hoey – the standout of the Shore AC-hosted Monmouth Mile at CBA last August – delivered a brilliant American 800 record of 1:43.90, fighting off Olympic furth-placer Bryce Hoppel (1:44.19). Hours earlier, Ever Palma of Mexico steamrollered an all-star global pack of rivals in the men’s William Pollinger one-mile racewalk, with a world best-ever clocking of 5:24.50 (and passed the muster of the closely-watching panel of judges). Perseus Karlstrom of Sweden (5:32.34) was also under the world mark (5:33.53 by USA’s Tim Lewis at Millrosein 1983). The Millrose mile walk, of course, is an event near and dear to all Shore AC fans, Todd Scully won it three times (and his 5:55.,8 in 1979 made him the Roger Bannister of racewalking as first man under 6 minutes) and SAC teammate Jonathan Hallman then followed with four wins of his own – 2013,2015-2016-2017. Said four-time racewalk Olympian Ron Laird, based in Buchanan, Michigan, when the results were in: "Holy Cow.” (Ron is a happy man these days, knowing that his glittering, record-size display of 65 National AAU gold medals) has found a winter home at the Armory-based National Track and Field Hall of Fame, and a rest-of-the-year base at the NY Athletic Club. (The medal-display handover was made, Laird to Curt Clausen / now president of USA Track and Field) at the Shore AC-hosted “90’s Gala” at McLoone’s Pier Village, Long Branch, on Nov.24.) Lots of dear Shore AC friends competed superbly at Millrose, too. NCAA pole vault champion Chloe Timberg of Rutgers placed fourth in the women’s PV at the Armory. Josette Andrews (beloved wife of famed Shore AC Olympic star/national 1500 champion Robby Andrew ) ran a quick 8:29.77 for second place in the women’s 3000 meters. Toms River High School North’s blazing quartet of Mordecai Ford, Camryn Thomas, Tayshaun Winslow and Amadia Diawara ran a brilliant 3:14.91 for second place in the Invitation HS 4x400 relay, just back of IMG/Florida’s 3:14.39, but ahead of top squads from North Carolina, Michigan and Maryland. And there was lots and lots and lots more. Just check your local listings (Track and Field News, Runblogrun.com, MillroseGames.org, NJMilesplit.com, ete etc) for full details. And a day later it was the Philadelpia Eagles turn to monoplize the headlines . Jumping off to a XXIV-to-zero lead on the KC Chiefs, they coasted in for the XL-XXIV win. For sure, there was glory in it for all this Super weekend. A group of Shore A.C. runners excelled on Sunday, September 8th at the running of
the Annual 5th Avenue Mile in NYC. Led by master’s stars Hugh Sweeny and Suzann La Bert, club runners accounted for six of the medals awarded to the top three finishers in the various masters age group categories. Sweeney, a newly minted eighty year old ran away with the 80-84 age group race in a quick 7:31, winning by almost a minute over the second place runner in his age group. La Bert stepped down from her usual LDR events to claim first in the women 60-64 age group also in a quick 5:44. Two seventy plus runners also ran well with each picking up second place medals in their age groups. Ken Wilson, 71, ran head to head with the eventual winner of the 70-74 age group placing second in 6:28. Dr. Harry Nolan, 77, running in the 75-79 age group, was unable to duplicate his 2023 winning title, but did place second in his age group in 7:08. Running in the 60-64 age group, the two time defending 5th Avenue champion Rick Lee landed a fourth place this year in 5:19. Lee was hampered by a hamstring issue which developed while competing in the 2000 steeplechase event at the World Masters Championships in Sweden in August, and is still on the mend. In the open elite professional mile, involving some of the best milers in the world, Brian Hill Jr. ran a very credible race, clocking in with a quick 4:11. Another shore area runner who did very well was Joan Totora of Toms River, who claimed the 50-54 women’s title in 5:42. Over 8,000 runners competed in a variety of age group and special title races which began at 7:30 am and lasting into the early afternoon. By ELLIOTT DENMAN
As four-time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs told her audience, “to me this is just a dream come true.” And her dream is just perfectly located. It was “Joetta’s Day” at the gala gathering recently held at the all-new and sparklingly-inviting New Jersey Hall of Fame Entertainment and Learning Center. Just where exactly is this new attraction located? At The American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, of course. For far too long, “New Jersey jokes,” have been material for entertainers seeking an easy target. The American Dream Mall tells them “you’re all so very wrong.” It’s a short hop, step and jump away from the stadium that is home to the New York Football Giants, the racetrack that has been site of an array of top-line thoroughbred and standardbred racing events, and the former arena where she delighted crowds with her middle-distance track and field racing feats. In her long and brilliant track and field career, at Columbia High School, the University of Tennessee, and far beyond, she was a 1988-92-96-2000 800-meter USA Olympian, 12-time USA champion and, most amazingly, a star competitor for 28 consecutive years. Joetta and the Clark family are track and field royalty. Dad Joe Clark was a distance runner at Montclair State, then the famed educator of tough-love “Lean on Me” film fame. Sister Hazel Clark and sister-in law Jearl Miles-Clark were multi-Olympians and record-breakers, too. Famously, the trio comprised the full USA 800-meter team at the 2000 Olympic Games. Brother J.J. Clark, now head coach at Stanford and one of the most honored mentors in college track, is a Villanova grad and 3:41.5 1500-meter runner (3:59 mile pace.) They have been inducting – the finest of the fine in sports, enterprise, arts/entertainment, historical and general categories – into the New Jersey Hall of Fame since 2008 – but at last/at last their talents and achievements have a permanent home. Joetta Clark Diggs’s class of 2013, was saluted that year along with President Grover Cleveland, and the music world’s Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Mobile Hall of Fame exhibits had toured the state for years before “this dream came true.” The American Dream Mall is an enterprise that its developers, the Triple Five Group, tell you is “ an unparalleled mix of world-class entertainment, retail and dining,” a three million-square foot home to such leading attractions as DreamWorks Water Park, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, The Gameroom Powered by Hasbro, Sesame Street Learn & Play, The Dream Wheel 300-foot observation wheel overlooking the New York City skyline, and an array of leading shopping and dining opportunities. And, oh yes, The Big Snow indoor skiing hill. Itching to slalom in mid-August? Here’s your spot. Now the New Jersey Hall of Fame joins that roster of attractions. A few questions: Where exactly is the New Jersey Hall of Fame located at American Dream? It’s on the third floor, near the the Nicelodeon theme park, the new Toys R Us, and DreamWorks Water Park. What’s one of the the first items you see on arrival? The historic Model T. Ford car that charter Hall of Fame inductee Thomas Alva Edison received from Henry Ford in 1933. Stepping inside, you see that the spacious New Jersey Hall of Fame, termed the first such state-focused facility in the nation, is fully inter-active, and loaded with immersive activities and virtual-reality tours. Governor Phil Murphy said he was “incredibly excited” at recent Grand Opening Ceremonies. Thomas Alva Edison, of course, had to be a charter-class inductee back in 2008. So many basics of 2024 electro-life were first turned to realities at his West Orange and Menlo Park laboratories. That brilliant Class of 2008 also included Albert Einstein, Clara Barton, Buzz Aldrin, Malcolm Forbes, Robert Wood Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, Toni Morrison, Norman Schwartzkopf and Harriet Tubman. Beyond those immortals of “the real world,” they were joined by the sports world’s Bill Bradley, Yogi Berra and Bill Bradley. The very first USA Olympic Team (1896 at Athens) primarily consisted of New Jersey guys – Princeton trackmen recruited by Professor William Milligan Sloane. So it’s totally appropriate that the state’s fastest and mightiest track people have found their Hall of Fame niches. That list now includes Carl Lewis (2010), Milton Campbell (2012) and Joetta Clark Diggs (2013.) Oh…and such famed Olympians (of other sports) as Christie Pearce, Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd (soccer), Anne Donovan and Patrick Ewing (basketball), Dick Button (figure skating) and Laurie Hernandez (gymnastics.) There’s some “over-lapping” here, too. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin had been a West Point pole vaulter. Baseball Hall of Famers Larry Doby and Monte Irvin had been high school trackmen, Entrepreneur Peter Cancro (of Jersey Mike’s fame) is well known for his lifetime dedication to track and field. And 2018 enterprise category honoree Tim McLoone is well recognized as a Seton Hall Prep/Harvard University/Shore Athletic Club distance running great. The non-stop, forever multi-tasking McLoone still finds time today to coach the champion track and cross country athletes of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. Wisely, the Hall of Fame creators at American Dream have left plenty of room for further expansion. Ladies and gentlemen of the selection committee may I thus nominate for the future honors list such thoroughly qualified fellow Garden Staters as: Renaldo Nehemiah, Johnny Hayes, Horace Ashenfelter, Tom Flemlng, Andy Stanfield, Dave Sime, Ron Freeman, Marty Liquori, current superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone…and some more. So stay tuned. As Hall of Famer Joetta Clark Diggs reminds, the American Dream and its hallowed Hall of Fame "did not happen overnight." And only the best of the best of the best have “made the cut.” #### I am incredibly honored to be the 2024 winner of the Bob Hersh Memorial award for "a llifetime of service to the sport of track and field.”
Sincere thanks to the Track and Field Writers of America and President Jack Pfeifer for the award and the handsome certificate. It will surely occupy a place of special honor here in the West Long Branch, NJ residence of the Denmans. We all know that esteemed colleague Mr. Bob Hersh did incredible things in his lifetime devotion to the sport we all cherish and I guess I've done my share of things, too. The extreme honor I had of being a member of the 1956 USA, Olympic team and the many doors that have opened in the years since then, have been major motivators for me in "giving back" to the sport for going on to seven – plus decades. Of course, dear Jo (my wonderful bride of 62.3 years) and family have stood by me every kilometer of the journey and the many –many great colleagues/teammates/track folks encountered along the route have been a big part of it, too. So let me again say "thanks/thanks/thanks" to one and all. The many starting guns I've heard over the years, still resound in my ears and I hope to hear a lot more. And to Mr. Bob Hersh, let me say, "Hi Bob, hope all is well 'up there.' and congrats again on your dossier of distinguished deeds. Subject to ratification, of course, you’ll always be atop our podium." BEST WISHES TO ALL FROM ELLIOTT DENMAN BY ELLIOTT DENMAN
Maria Paul is my clubmate. She’s the tall, always-smiling pride and joy of the Shore AC Masters team, a state champion on the track, and occasional shot putter, too. So when Maria’s smiling over the latest round of Olympic events, I’m smiling, too. Monday’s conversation went this way: Said Maria: “They’re always asking me, ‘why don’t I talk Spanish?’ “So I ask them back, ‘why should I?’ “And they say, ‘but I thought everybody from the Dominican Republic spoke Spanish.’ “And I tell them I’m from Dominica, not the Dominican Republic, and they speak English in Dominica. “And they say, ‘are you telling me they’re different places?’ “And I tell them ‘yes-yes-yes, they certainly are different places, very different.’ “And they say, ‘well I never knew.’ “ My friend Maria will have to enlighten the world a lot more from here on out. One more of the Olympic Games’ most enduring values is this: There’s nothing better than an Olympic gold medal to teach a geography lesson. And triple jumper Thea LaFond, representing Dominica, turned herself into a world-class teacher at Stade de France last Saturday night. By triple-bounding meters 15.02 meters/49 feet, 3 ½ inches, the 30- year-old LaFond, not only inscribed her name in the golden list of super Olympic achievers, but put the name of her home island-nation into those archives forever and ever, too. “Oh, I am sure there will be a big parade for her when she gets back home,” said my teammate Maria. “People on Dominica always like parades. “Any time they have a happy occasion, they have a parade.” Actually, Maria wasn’t born on Dominica. She first saw the light of day in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She then spent many of her growing-up days in Dominica, before coming to the U.S., which doesn’t make her any less of a Dominica ambassador. Thea LaFond had some similar travels. She came to the U.S. as a kid to build a better life, too. The LaFonds settled into Maryland and she attended John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, DC, and then the University of Maryland in College Park. She’d been a promising young dancer until lessons became too costly. But all that classical footwork would pay off – big-big time – once she discovered track and field – and the horizontal jumping arts. Under the coaching tutelage of Aaron Goodson – who is now her husband - she improved by leaps and bounds, but incrementally. She’d been a star collegian for the Maryland Terps and made her debut on the global stage at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She didn’t make it out of the Rio qualifying rounds, but upped to 12th at the 2021 Tokyo Games. And when she hopped-stepped-jumped to the gold medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, it was clear she was ready for much bigger things in Paris. She spanned 14.32/46-11 ¾ in the opening round of the finals and improved to 15.02 second time down the runway. With heavy rains in the offing, Gadson, nearby in the stands, told her, “you have to do something big now.” It went down that way exactly. The 15.02 would stand as the gold medal mark. And so there was simultaneously joy in Roseau, her home town in Dominica; College Park, home of the Terps, and Long Branch, NJ, Maria’s hometown. The U. of Maryland track program – underfunded compared to its Big 10 rivals – once had to be rescued by an alumni appeal. There coulda-woulda-shoulda have been big Olympic news for Terp track 44 years ago – until then-President Jimmy Carter’s boycott edict kept Renaldo Nehemiah, the world record-breaking 110 high hurdler, out of the Moscow Games. But Marylanders’ Olympic track ties continue. Terp head coach Andrew Valmon, perhaps the greatest 4x400 relay leadoff man in track history, collected gold medals in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games. And in 2012, at London, Valmon made more history as the first gold medalist to return to the Games as head coach of the USA men’s team. Back in New Jersey, ambassador/teacher Maria was being called up for more geography lessons: “Dominica is a very small place in the Caribbean. We don’t even have an international airport. They’ve been talking about building one since I was a kid and they still haven’t done it. “I want to tell you, though, it’s a beautiful place. So they call it ‘The Nature Island.’ “After this gold medal, I think a lot more people will find out about it, and want to visit.” Dominica lacks a proper track, too. As the new Olympic champion put it, “I’m really hoping this medal lights a fire under all the government officials to get that done.” And sometime soon. Maybe, just maybe. By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Are these the gloriest of track and field’s glory days ? Just ask the “yes” voters. They point to: The whole sport gone truly global. Top stars earning (well, relatively, speaking) good money, on the track and off it. Huge crowds (well, Europe, anyway.) TV cameras everywhere. The whole planet wired. Results to the 100th of a second available within 100th of a second in 100s of nations. Super shoes. Super tracks. Lots more. And a cast of global celebrities. Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Femke Bol, Mondo DuPlantis, Ryan Crouser, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon, Rai Benjmin. Karsten Warholm. Grant Holloway. Gabby Thomas, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Valarie Allman. And a wealth more. But it still goes far beyond all that. Specially so to those of a deca-bent. Not very long ago – and certainly in my earlier days – track and field’s decathletes were forever – and rightfully – saluted as “the world’s greatest athletes.” The American deca-guys most certainly so: Bob Mathias, Milton Campbell, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bryan Clay, Ashton Eaton. They ranked above and beyond the best of the best of all those other sports out there. They had the speed and the strength and the skills that would have made them all-stars in all those other athletic activities. Now fast forward. Sad to say, these deca-greats are mostly an afterthought in 2024. Specially so despite the obvious: They’ve risen to the top 10 different ways – at an Olympic Games designed to determine the kings and queens of all athletic realms. There’s only so much NBC/Peacock time for Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Leon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, Novak Djokovic, Ariarne Titmus, Xander Schauffele – or track’s own Lyles, McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol, DuPlantis, and Crouser, et al, - to monopolize. Getting straight to the point, there’s not much of the media spotlight left out there to shine ona man named Markus Rooth. He’s a solid 6-2. He’s 22, he’s the first Norwegian to win the Olympic decathlon title since Helge Lovland in 1920, and he’s going to get a lot better. The 8,796 deca-points he rolled up over two days of action at Stade de France may be just the beginning. “Altius, Citius, Fortius?” Yes, for sure. In the years ahead, he’s destined to get faster, jump higher, and strong-arm his favorite implements some really prodigious distances. He opened Friday by dashing the 100 in 10.71; long jumping 25-7 ¼; putting the shot 50-0 ½; high jumping 6-6 ¼, and dashing a lap in 47.69 seconds. That still left him in seventh place, behind early leader Leo Neugebauer, the University of Texas NCAA champion and record-breaker competing for Germany. But just wait. His best was just ahead. Rooth really got into gear Saturday, leapfrogging over six men by running the 110 high hurdles in 14.25; flipping the disc 163-5; pole vaulting 17-4 ½; spearing it 219-4 and having enough zip to run 1,500 meters in 4:39.56. Give a big assist to Norwegian teammate Sander Skotheim, who’d no heighted in the PV, but came back to help Rooth get through the 1,500. Said Rooth: "I'm so lucky that I had my friend to run with me. “I was exhausted. It's mentally hard. I just ran as hard as I could. It was great." As Neugebauer began to fade (to an eventual silver medal) and Grenada’s Lindon Victor (a Texas A&M grad and ex-NCAA king, too) was snaring bronze, the applause for the Norwegian – understandably – got louder and louder, Euro-fans have no trouble expressing their emotions in this sport. They rooted home all three medalists and every one of their pursuers. Would Rooth still have climbed to the top of the podium if French super-hero, Kevin Mayer, the world record-holder for the last six years with his 9,126 total, had not bailed out beforehand with injury? Or if Canadian Pierce LePage, the 2023 world champion, hadn’t taken a similar exit? Or if Canada’s defending Oly champion Damian Warner, or Norweigan buddy Skotheim, hadn’t no-heighted in the PV? Didn’t matter. Do it on the day or don’t do it at all. And Rooth sure did it. He woke up Saturday morning “feeling great.” And the zip in his legs and oomph in his arms reached golden heights by early evening. The Oslonian –“is that the word?” – who trains with the IK Tjalve club - has some terrific athletic genes. His mom is a champion at team handball. His sister and cousins run the hurdles. Two uncles were Norwegian international runners. He ranked 8th at the Budapest World Champoinships just a year ago, so top of the world just a year after represents amazing deca-progress. Will he soon be racking ‘em up at over 9,000 points and chasing Mayer’s world record sometime soon? Will he be planning – by LA2028 - to join Mathias (1948-52), Britain’s Daley Thompson (1980-84) and Eaton (2012-16) on the very brief list of men who’ve ever been Oly deca-doublers? Yes-yes. But the parallel question remains: Will he be properly recognized as “the world’s greatest athlete?” In Norway? For sure. Elsewhere in Europe? Quite probably. In the USA? Don’t risk the rent money on it. The 50,000 World Athletics bucks he collected for these two days of heavy lifting may help him acquire improved residential quarters. Of course/of course/of course, that would be “The House That Rooth Built.” PARIS OLYMPIC RACEWALKERS DRAW BIG CROWDS TO TROCADERO AREA; THEIR SENIORITY DESEVES MORE RESPECT.8/11/2024 By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Fact: Men’s racewalking has been in the Olympic Games since 1904. That means it’s been on the Games track and field program, in one form or another, longer than the javelin throw (which joined the card in 1906), and the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, decathlon and both 4x100 and 4x400 relays (which all commenced in 1912). And, of course/of course, long before every women’s event. You’d think that form of seniority would have accumulated heaps of respect all these years, wouldn’t you? You’d think that the rest of Olympic sport would have learned to appreciate its elders. You’d think that the great champions of racewalking all those years would be occupying pedestals as high as their immortal running-jumping-throwing colleagues. You’d think that, in this day and age of Olympic “urban” inclusion, walking would be embraced as the most “urban” activity of them all. Heck, there are 'interval training devices' in every big city's downtown. You know, those signs that say "walk now" and "don't walk." Well, keep on pondering. The first two racewalking events of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are already in the books. The men’s 20K and the women’s 20K were staged on the first day of August over anL-shaped one-kilometer loop course in the Trocadero area of Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. They were huge successes, great shows, attracting thickly-packed crowds on the sidelines, generating great TV coverage, and good racing news that was quickly dispatched to some of the far corners of the planet. But too many allegedly close followers of this sport – the one called athletics in virtually nation but our own – chose to look the other way. The first of August? Great day for them to do some sightseeing. In some other arrondisement. And Paris surely has so many sights to see. Or to catch up on their laundry. To these folks, the Olympic track and field slate began on the second of August. What a show they skipped. Listen to two-time (1992-96) USA Olympic racewalker Allen James: “Day one represented the most globally competitive event in the Olympic program….and that’s not just track and field. “Look at the men’s 20 km. walk. “All six areas (of World Athletics’ geo-categories) were represented in the top 11 finishers. “The separation between 9th to 11th was less than 1 second. “The race had constant lead changes and negative splits throughout the course of the race. “It was beautifully negotiated by Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado. (1:18:55) with Brazil’s Caio Bonfim second (1:19:09.). That meant a great day for South America. “Then came Europe, 3,4 and 9 – Spain’s Alvaro Martin, Italy’s Massimo Stano, and Aurelien Quinon of France, the home team. “A North American was fifth (Canada’s Evan Dunfee, ) “An African walker was sixth (Misgana Wakuyama of Ethiopia.) “Then Asia 7-8-10 ( Japan’s Koki Ikeda and Yuta Koga; China’s Jun Zhang) “Then Oceania 11th ( Declan Tingay, Australia).” The women’s 20K immediately followed the men’s race – and get this – was even more global. Said James: “We had five areas in the top five.” It was Asia (China’s Jaiyu Yang 1:25:54), Europe (Spain’s Maria Perez 1:26:19) and Oceania (Australia’s Jemima Montag 1:26:25) on the podium, with South America (Lorena Arenas of Colombia) and North America ( Alekna Gonzalez of Mexico ) fourth and fifth. “When does that happen other than the walks?” asked James. His answer, of course, was “never.” As James saw it, “Yang was phenomenal breaking the field very early as she set off on her own. The chase pack did everything they could to pull her back, but Yang was technically flawless and executed her solo journey to perfection. “Perez and Montag made it much closer at the end, but it was all Yang. “If anyone can find another event in any Olympic sport that comes close to this sort of high quality representation from across the globe, please take up my challenge. “ They’d fall short, by eons, by kilometers, by any measure. Other observers chimed in (electronically.) Sandi Lake: “Racewalking is hard.” Jim McFadden: “We saw some great racing under tough conditions.” Milton Brents Witty: “Awesome sport.” Monica Zaragoza: “I need to learn how to do this.” And this one aimed at racewalking’s critics: Saul Richardson: “Yet people see nothing peculiar about swimming breaststroke or even swimming backwards.” Bottom lines: These global ambassadors of the racewalking game are the truest of sportsmen. Their event is underappreciated but they would never want to detract from any other’s specialty, either. They just don’t like being kicked around by some of the folks in their sport’s hierarchy. Are you listening, you moguls of the media? Are we getting through to you, Lord Coe? Et al. PARIS OLYMPIC RACEWALKERS DRAW BIG CROWDS TO TROCADERO AREA; THEIR SENIORITY DESEVES MORE RESPECT.8/7/2024 By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Fact: Men’s racewalking has been in the Olympic Games since 1904. That means it’s been on the Games track and field program, in one form or another, longer than the javelin throw (which joined the card in 1906), and the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, decathlon and both 4x100 and 4x400 relays (which all commenced in 1912). And, of course/of course, long before every women’s event. You’d think that form of seniority would have accumulated heaps of respect all these years, wouldn’t you? You’d think that the rest of Olympic sport would have learned to appreciate its elders. You’d think that the great champions of racewalking all those years would be occupying pedestals as high as their immortal running-jumping-throwing colleagues. You’d think that, in this day and age of Olympic “urban” inclusion, walking would be embraced as the most “urban” activity of them all. Heck, there are 'interval training devices' in every big city's downtown. You know, those signs that say "walk now" and "don't walk." Well, keep on pondering. The first two racewalking events of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are already in the books. The men’s 20K and the women’s 20K were staged on the first day of August over anL-shaped one-kilometer loop course in the Trocadero area of Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. They were huge successes, great shows, attracting thickly-packed crowds on the sidelines, generating great TV coverage, and good racing news that was quickly dispatched to some of the far corners of the planet. But too many allegedly close followers of this sport – the one called athletics in virtually nation but our own – chose to look the other way. The first of August? Great day for them to do some sightseeing. In some other arrondisement. And Paris surely has so many sights to see. Or to catch up on their laundry. To these folks, the Olympic track and field slate began on the second of August. What a show they skipped. Listen to two-time (1992-96) USA Olympic racewalker Allen James: “Day one represented the most globally competitive event in the Olympic program….and that’s not just track and field. “Look at the men’s 20 km. walk. “All six areas (of World Athletics’ geo-categories) were represented in the top 11 finishers. “The separation between 9th to 11th was less than 1 second. “The race had constant lead changes and negative splits throughout the course of the race. “It was beautifully negotiated by Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado. (1:18:55) with Brazil’s Caio Bonfim second (1:19:09.). That meant a great day for South America. “Then came Europe, 3,4 and 9 – Spain’s Alvaro Martin, Italy’s Massimo Stano, and Aurelien Quinon of France, the home team. “A North American was fifth (Canada’s Evan Dunfee, ) “An African walker was sixth (Misgana Wakuyama of Ethiopia.) “Then Asia 7-8-10 ( Japan’s Koki Ikeda and Yuta Koga; China’s Jun Zhang) “Then Oceania 11th ( Declan Tingay, Australia).” The women’s 20K immediately followed the men’s race – and get this – was even more global. Said James: “We had five areas in the top five.” It was Asia (China’s Jaiyu Yang 1:25:54), Europe (Spain’s Maria Perez 1:26:19) and Oceania (Australia’s Jemima Montag 1:26:25) on the podium, with South America (Lorena Arenas of Colombia) and North America ( Alekna Gonzalez of Mexico ) fourth and fifth. “When does that happen other than the walks?” asked James. His answer, of course, was “never.” As James saw it, “Yang was phenomenal breaking the field very early as she set off on her own. The chase pack did everything they could to pull her back, but Yang was technically flawless and executed her solo journey to perfection. “Perez and Montag made it much closer at the end, but it was all Yang. “If anyone can find another event in any Olympic sport that comes close to this sort of high quality representation from across the globe, please take up my challenge. “ They’d fall short, by eons, by kilometers, by any measure. Other observers chimed in (electronically.) Sandi Lake: “Racewalking is hard.” Jim McFadden: “We saw some great racing under tough conditions.” Milton Brents Witty: “Awesome sport.” Monica Zaragoza: “I need to learn how to do this.” And this one aimed at racewalking’s critics: Saul Richardson: “Yet people see nothing peculiar about swimming breaststroke or even swimming backwards.” Bottom lines: These global ambassadors of the racewalking game are the truest of sportsmen. Their event is underappreciated but they would never want to detract from any other’s specialty, either. They just don’t like being kicked around by some of the folks in their sport’s hierarchy. Are you listening, you moguls of the media? Are we getting through to you, Lord Coe? Et al. Rick Lee, the 62 year old masters distance ace for the Shore A.C. claimed four gold medals
at this year’s Pan American Masters Track & Field Champions which were held in Cleveland, Ohio, July 13-21. Top athletes from North American, South America, Canada and a variety of 70 other countries participated in this year’s event. Lee ran in four events, winning the 1500 meters in 4:38.48, the 2000 meter Steeplechase in 7:27.38, the 5k in 17:49.60 and the half marathon in 1:22:25.66. In addition to winning the 60-64 title, he also finished third overall in the half marathon. He won by large margins in each of his 60-64 races, and his time in the Steeplechase was just seconds short of the American record in the 60-64 age group set by the great Nolan Shaheed of California a number of years ago. Dr. Ivan Black, the club’s masters great sprinter/jumper specialist, 76, cruised to wins in the 80 medal hurdles (18:49), The long jump (11’ 5”), and the triple jump (25’ 83/4”), as well as winning a close silver medal in the 100 meter meters in 16.78 all in the 75-79 age group. Another runner in the 75-79 age group who did well was Dr. Harry Nolan. He led wire to wire to win the 800 meter run in 3:15.94. Over the two previous days, the 77 year old, who was coming off a minor case of pneumonia a few weeks before, had landed second places in both the 1500 meter (7:06.53) and the 2000 meter Steeplechase (10:52.60). The clubs top octogenarian, Rob O’Rourke, 81, who was recovering from a minor hamstring issue, limited his running to the 800 meter. Despite limited training over the last few weeks, he came through by winning the 80-84 race in a quick 3:18.64. Former Shore A.C. runner Christie Patla, running in the 50-54 age group landed a fifth place in the 5k race in 24:15.07, a day after placing in the triathlon event. |
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March 2025
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