About my athletic journey

I’m a sprinter, always have been, although I did try my hand at endurance running in my late 40’s.  My 'running community' was all about 5k races.  There was one almost every weekend.  So, I worked my butt off to run a 19:36 5k when I was 48.  Not bad but certainly not elite.  I hadn't yet discovered masters track.

In high school, I ran the 100 and 220 yard dash, yes… we were still running ‘yards' back then, (not meters).  I was naturally fast, especially out of the blocks, but not elite outside of my state section.  I did manage to win a sectional title in the indoor 60.  I was about an 11 flat 100m sprinter at best in those days. I probably peaked in speed as an indoor track sprinter as a freshman in college at SUNY Cortland.  I wish I could remember some of my times.  But, I do remember I long jumped 21’3”.   Longer than HS.

My first track experience post teen was at age 50 when I realized I could enter a college track meet through the Direct Athletics website as an ‘unattached athlete.’   It changed my life.  I always loved running the indoor 55/60m races. Very exhilarating and virtually no effort.   It was mostly about the start, which was alway one of my strengths.  I met a fellow masters athlete at that first indoor track meet in ‘11, and he asked if I were going to run the outdoor season, I said no.  But little did I know, I would .... because I was hooked.  My first outdoor meet was at Austin Peay State University where I ran the 100m.  I’ll never forget it.   I felt a nervous excitement when the starter said, “Gentlemen, stand ready behind your blocks.”   It was an awesome feeling lining up with a bunch of college sprinters at my age of 50.  I ran 12.56 in my first 100m race since high school.  

It was fun for a while til I tweeked my hamstring a few weeks later at a college meet at Vanderbilt.  Being new to the sport and old, I didn’t know how to train, stretch, or warm up.  But I learned.  It was then that I decided to try and run longer sprints… the dreaded 400m.  I never ran this race in high school.  I tried it once and got sick.  I never had the work ethic I have now.  400m training and racing is indeed a world of pain and requires a complex skill set, one that I’m really not physically ideally suited for as a shorter, low knee lift/ fast turnover runner.  Nevertheless, I ran the FIRST 400m race of my life on 4/23/11 at the Vanderbilt Invitational, a DI college meet.  My 56.71 time from lane one was 3rd fastest in my age group in the US at that time and I decided, this is probably my race.

So, I began my masters track career at age 50, primarily racing the 200m and 400m sprints.  Since then, I’ve won 9 USATF National Masters Championships in the 400m (4 indoor, 5 outdoor), and 4 Silvers (outdoor).  Two USATF Masters Titles in the 200m (21,23 outdoor).   In world competition, 4 individual medals including one World Masters Championship in the indoor 200m (Korea ’17).  I’ve raced in France, Canada, Australia, Korea, Spain, and around the US.   I think my most notable and unique achievement is participation:  I’ve raced in 61 NCAA track meets AFTER the age of 50.   Also, my 400m time in Korea in 2017 (55.17) was the fastest indoor 400m time by an American in 9 yrs in the M55 age group.  

And… the journey continues. 

At the Oval Office, March 2021 

At the oval office...

Questions?  email:

concertguitar@comcast.net