I often wonder what makes some of our top senior athletes carry on competing once they reach the Masters age groups, and others to call it a day.  Top Australian marathon runner, Steve Moneghetti, a four time Olympian, recently returned as a M60 to run a world record 15.52 in the 5000 metres.  Will Keely Hodkinson still be running 800 metre races in 2042 as a F40 I wonder?

Jed Turner and myself travelled down to Lee Valley in London for the British Masters indoor championships and were given the chance to see a couple of our senior stars from the past in action. Firstly, James Thie, a top Welsh 800/1500m runner whose finest moment was finishing 4th in the 1500m at the World Indoor Championships in 2004.  He showed great tactical awareness to win both the 800m and 1500m M45 races at Lee Valley.  Secondly,  the much medaled Dwain Chambers who won gold, silver and bronze in consecutive World indoor Championships over 60 metres, plus multiple 4 x 100m medals.  His career was somewhat tainted by a 2 year drug ban in 2003 which resulted in a lifetime ban from the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.   His powerful, high knee style proved much too strong for his competitors at Lee Valley in the M45 60 metres as he finished in a blistering 7.03 seconds, just outside his own M45 world record.  Apparently he was injured!

Jed and I are keen to take advantage of our relative youth in our new M65 age group so we also took on the 800m/1500m double.  The 800m on Saturday evening was a close affair with four athletes covered by just two seconds at the bell.  Jed put in an impressive last 200m lap of 35 seconds to take the gold and I moved into third place in the final 100 metres to take bronze.

The 800m podium with Colin Bates from Dartford Harriers

We were both back the following morning for the 1500 metre race,  which was run jointly with the M60 age group.  Jed again showed his speed over the last couple of laps to win the M65 race in an excellent 5.05 and I held on for the silver medal ahead of Steve Taylor from Wirral AC.

A Northern Masters clean sweep in the 1500m with Steve Taylor

Next up for Jed and a few other Striders will be the European Masters Indoor championships in Poland at the end of March.

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