Turnbull Leaves No Doubt in Record Run : He Shatters Mark in 800 Meters at Masters Event

When Derek Turnbull completed his 60-64 age-group heat of the 800 meters in 2:14.90 Thursday, he shattered the world record of 2:17 set by Australian John Gilmour in 1981.

A world record? Well, yes and no. Turnbull knew there was still a small matter to be cleared up. During the 1985 World Games in Rome, fellow New Zealander Frank Evans ran a 2:14.02, but it was never officially recorded because the Italian organizers never filed the required paper work.

On Sunday during the TAC/USA Masters National Championships at San Diego State, Turnbull easily outran Evans to take first place in the 800 finals with a time of 2:12.62, which effectively erases any preceding error in the record books.

“Derek’s my arch-enemy on the track,” Evans said. “And he took all doubt (about who’s the fastest 60-64-year-old 800 runner) away today.”

It should be pointed out that when Evans turned in his 2:14.02 he was just 60 years old. Turnbull is 62. In other words, Turnbull is two years past the prime record-setting age. What has made a difference for him at this meet (he has also won the 5,000 meters and set a world record in the 1,500 meters) has been preparation and increased competition.

“I thought I could do it in my condition,” Turnbull said of the records. “I’m starting to get faster all the time because of better competition.”

The fact that Turnbull preceded the meet with six weeks of running marathons up and down the West Coast also aided his efforts.

“He gave himself six weeks and this is the result,” Evans said.

There were two other record-setting 800-meter runs. In the women’s 65-69 group, Mary Story’s finish in 3:08.21 was good for a world mark, and in the women’s 40-44 group, Sue Holton set an American record at 2:21.91.

One other 800 meters of note was the men’s 40-44 race won by Nolan Smith in 1:58.25. Smith, who had not competed since he was 35, came from last place among nine runners in the final 120 yards to edge Richard Tucker (1:58.44) and Ronald Jensen (1:58.47). He did all this while fighting back asthma-related breathing problems.

“I knew if I had a chance to start slow, I could win it,” said Smith, a trumpet player who has toured with Stevie Wonder, Dianna Ross and Count Basie. “And luckily the first lap was slow. . . . I felt like a longshot until after the first lap when I saw we finished in 59 seconds. Then I knew I had it made.”

The featured events of the fourth and final day of the meet were the age-graded 100-meter dashes. All winners of the age-group 100-meter races ran against one another and were given “handicaps” in meters depending on their age.

The women’s winner was Irene Obera, 55, of Palo Alto. She completed her 78.7 meters in 10.91, beating Great Britain’s Una Gore (who ran 80.7 meters in 11.14).

The men’s winner was Bill Collins, 38. Collins had to make up a 6.3-meter stagger-start on second-place finisher, Ken Dennis, 52; and an 18.4-meter stagger on third-place finisher Payton Jordan, 72.

Collins clocked a 10.30 95.2 meters to barely defeat Dennis (10.37, 88.9 meters) and Jordan (10.41, 76.8 meters) in a photo finish.