MT. SAC TRACK AND FIELD RELAYS : OPEN DIVISION : Reprieve Brings Victory, but Not World Record, for Santa Monica Relay

Having just returned from a trip to Japan, where they did some charity work and scoured Asia for sponsors, the Santa Monica Track Club 400-meter relay team arrived at the 33rd annual Mt. SAC relays Saturday ready to go.

Well, three of the four team members were there. Missing was leadoff runner Mike Marsh. The race was scheduled to go off at 1:35 and meet officials were vexed. Not only did many of the 8,144 people in the stands come to see the world’s best sprint relay team attempt to set a world record, but TBS, televising the meet, really wanted the team to run.

So, rather than disqualify Santa Monica Track Club, the race was rescheduled to about an hour later.

Such is its clout, and so eager was everyone to see the team make a run at the 400-meter relay record of 37.79 seconds, held by the French national team. On the Santa Monica team were, in running order: Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Carl Lewis and Mark Witherspoon.

As always, Santa Monica was entertaining. But Saturday the runners were as engaging for their mistakes as their efficiency. The record remains safe, but the team’s 38.33 seconds with muffed handoffs and legs dull from jet lag bodes well for an attempt later in the season.

The meet at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut was the first outdoors for the runners this year and one of the few times the team had run on a track.

The University of Houston’s track--home base--is being resurfaced. The loss of their training track left the team scrambling. On the recent trip to Japan, the team practiced handoffs in its hotel.

Just about everything about Santa Monica’s relay was new, from the running order (Lewis usually runs anchor) to new-fangled handoffs.

The running order was changed to accommodate Witherspoon and Burrell, who are accustomed to running on straightaways. Marsh is the usual starter and Lewis is an excellent curve runner.

Lewis called the third leg “new and different” and said the reorganization would produce the fastest time.

Lewis wouldn’t elaborate on the new handoff technique, saying it was still in the experimental stage. There was nothing apparently unusual about the team’s handoffs, other than the bobbles attributable to rustiness.

In other events on a cool and breezy day, Larry Myricks returned to the long jump after a year’s drug suspension and placed third in spirited competition.

Mike Powell took the lead from Myricks on his fourth jump, 27 feet 5 1/2 inches. That held up to win, but Myricks’ 27-2 3/4 was bettered by Joe Green on his last jump. Green’s 27-4 1/2 was second.

UC Irvine sophomore Shelly Tochluk, a former standout at Westminster High School, won the women’s open 400 in 55.77. Irvine’s Doug Nichols, Dustin James, Fili Arizemdi and Mike Nielsen combined for a second place in the distance medley in 10:03.89 and Will Stolpe was third in the men’s 200 (21.54).

Annette Peters won the 3,000 meters in Saturday night’s ‘Distance Carnival” portion of the meet, which was held in intermittent rain and ran about an hour behind schedule. She blew past Shelly Steely on the final stretch to win, 8:52.28 to 8:54.34

Frank O’Mara pulled a similar tactic in the men’s 10,000 meters, surging out of the pack at the bell lap to win in 27:58.01.