Racing on the road and on the track




I don't know about you. But I still have mixed feelings about racing. On one hand, you finally will find out if your hard training work. You like the few days leading up to any race since training is more relaxed. And you like the build-up of the anticipation and the adrenalin rush of racing. On the other hand, any race to me means stress, a lot of stress. I like the butterflies in my stomach, I hate the butterflies in my stomach. It's strange.
North Carolina State Games Cary, NC 6- 12 - 05	Another hot and muggy day in Cary. I don't like events where starting times are not set in stone. The NC Games are notoriously slow and you will stand around forever.	The much delayed 100 m was very slow for everybody and 14.30 are nothing to write home about. Still, I take the second place with seven starters any day.	It rained in the 400 m and the rain had a very slight cooling effect but the humitity was extreme: 1:03.93. It was a good race because I got beaten by a good runner by just 2/100s of a second and placed third.	The200 m was the last race of the day. Again, times were rather slow: 28.94 and third place. Greg Marshall won all sprint races!
Charlotte Masters Invitational Charlotte, NC 6- 4 - 05	A very hot day in Charlotte brought out the best in almost all participants. It was a good day for the club, a good day for the individuals.	I started in the 100 m and clocked 13.86 (hand timed) and the 400 m 1:03.14. I still have a few seconds to go.	Sam Hall recently moved up to the M 60. He blasted to a 12.81 in the 100 m, to a 26.40 in the 200 m. Greg Marshall, M55 went 12.74 in the 100 m and 26.68 in the 200 m. And Jay Smith, M 55 ran his first sub-2:30 800 m when he arrived in 2:28.27!
Southeastern Masters Championships Durham, NC 5 - 6/8 - 05	Stefan Waltermann 2,484 points Pentathlon	My second Pentathlon was already hampered by a stupid injury to my right elbow. The score was 2.484 points and that is even closer to my season goal of 2,600 plus points...	I still suck in the long jump! But this time I knew what would happen and it did not face me at all. However, I knew that the second event would even put me deeper into a hole. The injury to my elbow guaranteed me a trip down agony lane and so it happened. After each throw, I found myself in agony on the ground.	Still, after a strong 200 m and an improved discus result, I ran a better 1500 m as well. Hence, the score.
USATF Southeast Regional Masters Outdoor Championships & Georgia Association Champs Savannah, GA 4 - 15/16 - 05	My very first Pentathlon turned out to be a rather enjoyable adventure. The score was 2.454 points and that is close to my season goal of 2,600 plus points...	I truly suck in the long jump! It was a bit of a problem to put the disappointment of the very first event of the day behind me.	In the javelin, my first two throws were over 30 m but both were ruled out. I switched javes and landed no. 3 at 28.45 m or so. Long delays were the rule of the day and the 200 m started much too late: 29.70 sec. with first 100 m into the wind. Not bad.	Got some scare (everybody did) in the discus: 25.40 m, not bad. The 1500 m were started late again. After 7 hours of slow competition, all concentration gone: 5:53, disappointing as well.
Charlotte Invitational 4 - 9 - 05	Started out with the 800 m as the first outdoor event of the season: 2:34.26	40 minutes later, the 400 m, already tired: 1:06.18	And the javelin, my first throwing event in any competition: 30.45 m.	And a very tired 29.97 seconds 200 m
In Boise, Idaho at the US National Indoor Championships with a bad cold. Needed medical clearance to run and competed very carefully.	M 50 to 59 world record holders Stefan Waltermann, Alston Brown, Nolan Shaheed	M 50 to 59 world record holder Stefan Waltermann, Bill Collins	Middle Butch Blake, Roger Pierce, Stefan Waltermann 200 m National Indoor Champion	M 60 Roger Pierce
	M 50 to 59 4 x 400 m relay, David Friedman, Tony Plaster, Rick Lapp, Stefan Waltermann 2nd Place and Silver Medal	M 50 to 59 Stefan Waltermann, Carroll (Butch) Blake, David Salazar	M 50 to 59 Carroll Blake	M 65: legendary Sid Howard, less legendary Stefan Waltermann
7/29-8/02/2004 European Masters Championships, Aarhus, Denmark For results, just go to the page LINKS and click on the EVAACS site link.	Well, after my forced lay-off from running due to Achilles tendonitis, I was finally back in action. The European Track & Field Masters Championships were held in Aarhus, Denmark.	And what a beautiful little city Aarhus is. First, everybody speaks English. Second, you'll find a wonderful, friendly and warm people, an intact old town, a busy harbor, a bustling downtown, great restaurant, cultural events, bars, nightlife, the whole nine yards!	I'd go back any old time, just for fun. Tell everybody but definitively all Americans to include Aarhus in their travel plans for Europe. Sure, I did some running as well. Nothing much could be expected since I just could not catch up after the long injury delay. The 62.59 seconds in the 400 m are respectable and not bad, indeed.	In the 800 m race, irony struck. I was cancelled by a Czech instead of canceling the Czech myself. He struck my right Achilles and I slowed down badly and finishes next to last. Bad luck, indeed, but what the heck. I don't dwell on stuff like this, life is too short to whine about things that went wrong.

4/17/04	Georgia Masters USATF Championships Savannah, GA	Another of those wonderful sunny Spring days in Savannah, Georgia, this time at the Savannah State University	I decided to start in the 400, the 800 and the 200 m. Bad mistake, of course. Going into the 400 m, I felt relaxed and totally ready. It was the best 400 m for me, ever. I placed second in 1:02.34! Some more speed endurance and I will go under 60.0... Now, that will have to wait. The 800 m was a totally different story. At the 600 m point, I felt a sudden pain in my achilles, slowed down dramatically and finished in 2:40.	Now, I'm in recovery. No running at all! Thank you, Dr. Johncock of Hickory and Dr. Helge Hinke of Ludwigshafen, Germany for the quick help and great advise. I'll be back soon.
4/3/04	Carolina Masters Invitational, Charlotte, NC	A beautiful day, a wonderful facility (Johnson Smith University), an extremely fast mondo track... what more can you want? Less wind, maybe.	Well, it started out with a 100 m race featuring nothing but sprint specialists. Not me, brother. I arrived last at 13.91, never felt relaxed, actually felt disjointed and slow. Nevertheless, 13.91 is pretty good for me and age graded at 81.5 %.
Next up were the 400 m. The first 200 m we ran into a very strong wind but the home stretch was shielded... the wind was much less of a help than it added to the struggle on the front 200m. Result: 1:03.91 = 79.8 % AG	Not much later, I started at the 200 m. Again, lane one assured me of running a) in the worst lane b) longer into the wind than everybody else. I felt that due to this facts my time of 28.78 was an honest effort on tired legs (AG 79.8 %)	And yes, there were some excellent results I should mention. My friend Brian Magerkurth cleared 11'10" in the M 45 pole vault, barely missing the US Masters Standards of Excellence.	Stefan Waltermann
3/27/04	US National Indoor Championships 2004, Boston, Reggie Lewis Center A total of 28 world and 46 US records were set in Boston !	This was my first National Indoor Championship, ever. Naturally, I never relaxed enough to fully enjoy it and was too tight to live up to my own expectations.	My roommate Max Hamlyn placed third in the 3000 and the 800 m (by 4/100's!).	I was fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Maxwell Springer who set a total of 6 world records in the M 90 age group!
I witnessed truly historic events when my good friend Earl Fee crushed the old records for the M 75 in the 400 = 1:06.28, 800 (2:32.47!!!) and mile 5:41.95)!	Also, Sid Howard set new M 65 US records in the 800 m and the mile (2:23.79, 5:23.05).	Rastaman Alston Brown of Jamaica set a new world record in the M 55 mile with 4:49.33.	Next year, I know much better what to expect and how to react to the very intimate atmosphere in the Reggie Lewis Center . 400 m 1:03.97 - 200 m 29.61 Stefan Waltermann	Click on the small images to see a larger format.
03/06/04	2004 Virginia Indoor Championships	800 m 2:34.7, 1st 400 m 1:04.7, 1st 200 m 29.8, 2nd, all races within 2 hours!	Stefan Waltermann
Carlolinas Track & Field Members	Brian clearing 11'6" (3.50 m), 1st Place, M45	Max Hamlyn, Godivas, placed first in 800 and 1500 m, M 60
10/25/2003 Golds Gym 5 k M 50 1st place	2/8/04 Boston Prep Meet Charlotte, NC 400 m 1:03.74 80 % age graded

In Boise, Idaho at the US National Indoor Championships with a bad cold. Needed medical clearance to run and competed very carefully.

M 50 to 59 world record holder
Stefan Waltermann, Bill Collins

Next up were the 400 m. The first 200 m we ran into a very strong wind but the home stretch was shielded... the wind was much less of a help than it added to the struggle on the front 200m. Result: 1:03.91 = 79.8 % AG

I witnessed truly historic events when my good friend Earl Fee crushed the old records for the M 75 in the 400 = 1:06.28, 800 (2:32.47!!!) and mile 5:41.95)!

Rastaman Alston Brown of Jamaica set a new world record in the M 55 mile with 4:49.33.

Next year, I know much better what to expect and how to react to the very intimate atmosphere in the Reggie Lewis Center .

400 m 1:03.97 - 200 m 29.61

Stefan Waltermann

Click on the small images to see a larger format.