EUGENE, Ore., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At famed
Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon (University of Oregon), the Olympic Trials Masters
Men's & Women's 1500 Meter Exhibition Races will be
held Sunday, July 3, at 5:07 pm
(Women's Race) & 5:16 pm (Men's
Race) These races feature several American & World Record
holders, & National Champions.
In the Men's race, top seed and six time National Champion, as
well as 2011 World Masters Champion, Randy Wassinger (Age 40) of
Kansas City (Kansas City Smoke)
has run 3:55.29. He will be challenged
by Neville
Davey (Age 45) of California (West Valley Track
Club). John
Gardiner (Age 44) of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (Cal Coast Track
Club) also has a sub 4 minute time of 3:58.82. The other top
competitors in the field include Brad Barton of Orem, UT, the current American Record Holder
for (M50-54) Age Group in the 1500, and the 3,000 Meter
Steeplechase. Christian
Cushing-Murray (Age 48) of California, recently set the (M45-49) American
Record for the 1500. He was a UCLA stand-out, and was a sub 4 minute miler for
Santa Monica Track Club in his Open Career. All
12 athletes in the Men's Field are between 3:55.29 and
4:08.20.
"This should produce the strongest over 40 field ever held
anywhere in history," asserts Mark
Cleary, USATF Masters Invitational Program Chair.
Other National Champions in this race
include: Peter
Brady (Age 44) of New
York (Central Park Track Club) who was the 2013,
2014, and the 2015 Masters 800 Meter Outdoor National
Champion, Mark
Williams (Age 43) of New
Jersey (Garmin Runners) who is the reigning two-time
1500 Meter National Outdoor Champion for 2014 & 2015,
and Lance
Elliot (Age 45) of Minnesota (Run MN) who finished 2nd in the
Masters Invitational Program 1500 in 2011, at Hayward Field,
Eugene, Oregon.
***"Not to be overshadowed by the Men, the Women's Race
may be an even stronger field," says Cleary.
Top seed Kris
Paaso (Age 45) of Menlo
Park, California (Strava Track Club) has run 4:34.50 this
year, and has the pending (W45-49) American Record in the Mile,
& the 3,000 Meter. Kris was also on the 1992 Stanford
Volleyball Team that won the NCAA Championship. Kris will
have competition from Jennifer St.
Jean (Age 41) of Darien,
CT (Westchester Track Club/Oiselle Volee), who was the
(W40-44) Silver Medalist at the World Masters Championships in
Lyon, France last
year. Janet
McDevitt (Age 42) of Brainbridge Island, WA (Club Northwest) also looks to be a
challenger. Grace
Padilla (Age 45) of Los
Angeles, CA (So Cal Roadrunners) has almost the identical
time as McDevitt. The rest of the field of
eight have qualifying times separated by only five
seconds. Close behind is Amory
Rowe Salem, Renee Tolan, and
Sylvia Mosqueda.
Sylvia Mosqueda (Age
50) of Los Angeles, CA
(TeaMosqueeda/Sketchers in her first race back, set a pending
American Record in the (W50-54) 1500 Meters, with a time of
4:49.9. Other notables in the field are Tania Fischer (Age 50) of Santa Monica, CA (The Janes Elite Racing), who
is currently ranked #2 in the US (W50-54) 1500
Meters. Followed by Donna
Mills-Honarvar (Age 41) of Mountain Center, CA, and Kim Chula-Maguire (Age 41) of
Cumberland, RI (Ronald McDonald House of Providence Running
Club), was the 2010 and 2014 National Champion in the 800 and the
Mile. Christine Gentile (Age 46) of
Castle Rock, Colorado (The Janes
Elite Racing), was the Bronze Medalist in the (W45-49) 800 Meters
at the World Masters Championships, Lyon, France. She was also a
semi-finalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 800 and the 1500
Meters, as well as a two-time All-American at Villanova
University.
Cleary concluded, "In the 16 years of the Masters
Invitational Program, this looks to be the highest quality
field yet."
Contacts: Bob Weiner,
USA Track & Field Masters
Media Chair
301-283-0821, cell 2092-306-1200 weinerpublic@comcast.net ;
Mark Cleary, Masters Invitation
Program Chair 949-589-0242 runnermark@cox.net
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/olympic-trials-masters-1500-races-feature-men-and-women-record-holders--hayward-field-eugene-5pm-sunday-july-3-300293146.html
SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates and USATF Masters Media
Committee