Karla Del Grande ON broke the W55 60m World Record with a spectacular time of 8.30 at the USATF Masters Championships on Saturday, March 5th. The previous mark was 8.46 by Helen Godsell GBR in 2009. Karla held the previous CAN record of 8.49 that she ran in Kamloops at the World’s last year. After review of the photo, her original time of 8.40 was identified as 8.295 and adjusted to 8.30 – even faster!
Karla writes;
“I’m totally stunned! World Record in the 60 metres of 8.40! Here’s the recipe — warming up since 8 in the morning because you don’t know if you have a heat then a final or not, wait around 3 hours because of that and then timing problems, have your 2 strongest competitors in lanes 1 and 8 so that you can totally focus in lane 4, and then just run fast as you can because you want the whole thing over with.
My friend Helen, from Great Britain, whose record this was, would say “godsmacked!” I think that’s how she described her 8.46.”
Karla went on to win the 200m in 3/1oths off her World and CAN record (set last year in Boston) and complete the Sprinting Triple Crown by winning the 400m as well.
Her Coach Bruce Mitchell commented, “She has been sick all winter but rarely missed a workout or complained”.
W70 Christa Bortignon BC
had a spectacular meet – breaking SIX CAN RECORDS !
She broke the CAN Record in the Pent Long Jump with a 3.19m mark.
Elga Meri ON held the 3.03m mark since 1992.
Christa also broke the CAN Record with a 14.45 in the Pent 60m Hurdles.
She finished with 3379 points in the Pentathlon – establishing a new CAN Record (that’s 3892 points under the old system)
The next day, Christa broke the CAN with a 9.86 in the 60m.
The previous record was Mary McCarron-Egner’s 10.62 set in 2008.
Then she broke Diane Palmason’s 36.39 CAN record in the 200m with a time of 35.74
Switching to the jumps, Christa bettered her CAN in the Long Jump with a 3.36m mark
and then broke Helgi Pedal’s 17 year old record of 6.37m in the Triple Jump by over a metre in 7.41m
Christa is the new CMA Director representing British Columbia.
W35 Dena Birade (L) a Canadian who lives in the USA, broke the CAN Record in the 60M with a first place finish in 7.83 The record of 8.16 was held by Caren Reindl SK set in 1994. Dena also broke the USATF record of 7.86 held by Alethea Morris (2002).
Dena (nee Burrows) is 13th on the all-time Canadian Open 100m list with a 11.39 that she ran in 1997. Photo courtesy Steve Burger.
W55 Kathryn Martin, who lives on Long Island NY, won the 800m, the Mile, and the 3000m. She holds the CAN records in all of those distances. Kathryn enters the w60’s later this year.
Check the RESULTS page for all Canadian results from the meet.
All CAN records listed may still be pending CMA ratification.
