Coloradans Win 14 Titles At USATF Masters Outdoor Championships

Colorado Results 

The 2024 USATF Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships concluded on Sunday (21 July) in Sacramento, CA. 1379 athletes from all fifty states participated in the championships held at American River College.

Twenty-three (23) members of USATF Colorado competed in the four-day competition. Nine (9) Coloradans won a total of 14 national titles, including two relay titles won by the Boulder Road Runners. Athletes finishing in the top three in their event earned a national championship medal and a visit to the awards podium. The locals earned 30 trips to the awards podium.

On day one of the competition the Boulder Road Runners M55+ quartet of John Prineas, John Borthwick, Todd Straka, and Chris McDonald set a new American record in the 4x800m relay. Their time of 9:19.55 broke the existing record, set by another Boulder Road Runners squad in 2022, by 54.68 seconds. The Boulder Road Runners M65+ team also captured gold in the 4x800m Relay running 11:41.82. The team members were Roger Sayre, Jesse West, Bob Cottrell, and Adam Feerst.

Three locals won multiple national titles throughout the four-day competition. Christel Donley won four national titles in the women's 85-89 division as capturing the 100m, High Jump, Long Jump, and Triple Jump. She also was second in the Javelin Throw and third in the Shot Put. 

Marianne Martino (High Altitude Racewalk Team) won the women's 5000m Race Walk and 10 km Race Walk. Her time in the 10 km event was 1:07:42 which scored 89.60% on the age grading scoring tables. Scores of 80-89% are classified as national-class performances and performances over 90% as world-class performances. Her score was the best amongst the Colorado women; and tied as the highest of all of the Coloradans. Her time in the 5000m event was 33:49.40 (85.75%). In both races, Martino's High Altitude teammate, Carol Wilkinson captured the silver medals behind Martino.

Joining Donley and Martino in winning multiple national titles was Mary Smith. Smith won the women's 80-84 200m and 400m. Her time in the 200m was 38.68 (84.40%) and in the 400m, an event she holds the American record in, she stopped the clock at 1:33.84 (88.38%), missing the record she set in 2021 by three seconds.

In the men's 55-59 800m Coloradans took the top two places as John Prineas, 55, outran his Boulder Road Runners teammate Todd Straka, 57; 2:13.62 to 2:14.85.  Straka's time scored 89.60% on the age-graded tables; the best score by a Coloradan male and tied with Martino as the best overall. Prineas' time covered to a 88.95% age-graded score; the third best among all of the Colorado athletes. In the 1500m the two switched places as Straka won running 4:45.25 (86.11%) with Prineas second (4:49.77, 83.37%).

In the men's 35-39 800m, 2022 Colorado Athlete of the Year, Mark Husted ran to victory stopping the clock at 1:58.16 (87.05%).

Roger Sayre, best known for his road running accolades, claimed victory in the men's 65-69 10,000m running 39:16.74 (86.63%). Sayre (Boulder Road Runners) was the 2023 USATF Colorado LDR Athlete of the Year and won the USATF Masters National Grand Prix last year.

Sayre's Boulder Road Runners teammate, Jan Frisby won the men's 80-84 5000m title running 26:45.57. It was Frisby's third USATF title this year and his 37th dating back to 1994.

Joanne Marriott won the women's 85-89 Weight Throw with a mark of 6.00m (19-08¼). She also earned two silver medals (Shot Put and Discus Throw) and a bronze (Javelin Throw).

Anthony Kim (M50 Pole Vault), John Borthwick (M60 800m), and Robbie Genzel Jr. (M50 3000m Steeplechase, Denver Athletics) all finished second in their events to earn trips to the awards podium to receive silver medals.

Gary Ostwald (M75 5000m) and Kim Perales (M45 Triple Jump) finished third in their events and were awarded bronze medals.

The following athletes finished just off the podium but scored over 80%, indicating the strength of the competition they faced.
83.69%    Jesse Mayes (4th, M65 800m)
82.43%    Bob Cottrell (7th, M60 400m)
80.71%    Bob Cottrell (6th, M60 100m)
80.53%    John Borthwick (11th, M60 1500m)
80.26%    Adam Feerst (8th, M60 5000m)
80.26%    Bob Cottrell (10th, M60 200m)

The complete Colorado results scoreboard can be found here.

The complete Colorado results scoreboard can be found here.