O.C. Senior on Medals, Record Quest to Prove Age Is Merely a Hurdle

Whether it’s business or pleasure, Bill Knocke isn’t afraid to start from scratch.

Knocke, 60, of Huntington Beach, began running the hurdles 15 years ago and has gradually developed into one of the top masters-age competitors in the world.

He is among the favorites to win gold medals in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles this weekend at the USA Track and Field National Masters Championships in Eugene, Ore. An age-group world record also appears within reach.

“I’m looking to break the world record in the [100-meter] short hurdles,” Knocke said. “It’s 14.74 seconds and I’ve run 15.45. I think I’m ready to do it.”

Knocke, seeded second in both events, will attempt the world record Friday, then come back for the 300 hurdles on Sunday. Longtime friend and fellow master Doug Smith of Laguna Hills thinks Knocke’s goals are lofty but not out of reach.

“He has his work cut out for him,” said Smith, who is entered in the 100 and 200 meters this weekend. “He has really been working hard.”

Knocke and Smith became friends while competing in masters events several years ago, but their relationship actually goes back to 1957, when both competed in the state high school track and field championships at Cal.

Knocke finished second in the half mile that year, running the second-fastest time in the nation for Harbor City Narbonne High, while Smith finished runner-up in the 100 and 200 for Taft High in Kern County.

Knocke went on to play football and run track at Fresno State, but he missed an opportunity to run the quarter mile at the 1960 Olympics because U.S. team selectors considered him too young.

“That left a terrible taste in my mouth,” Knocke said. “I was a legitimate contender, but because I was only 19, they chose someone older. That really turned me off.”

Knocke was taken in the 17th round of the 1962 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, but when pro football didn’t pan out, he made one last attempt at the 1964 Games.

“I couldn’t put it together and I dropped out,” said Knocke, who also said he lost his competitive desire after that attempt failed. “You couldn’t get me to play checkers after that.”

Knocke coached track and field at Indiana University in the late 1960s and early ‘70s but didn’t run competitively again until 1979. By then, he had moved to Fresno and decided to enter some local masters events. He initially tried distance running, but soon returned to the one- and two-lap races.

When Knocke reached his mid-40s, he decided to try the hurdles. A Peruvian track athlete on scholarship at Fresno State helped him with the technique and at age 47, Knocke won his first national championship in the 300 hurdles and set a U.S. age-group record of 57.1 seconds.

Knocke set a world record over 36-inch hurdles at age 50 (1:01), then added a few more national championships to his collection before knee surgery sidelined him in 1993.

“I was told I would never run again by the orthopedic surgeon,” Knocke said.

It was about that time Knocke decided to begin a new profession.

Knocke was working as a health and safety consultant for companies in trouble with Cal/OSHA, the state agency that oversees worker safety regulations. Knocke began writing the companies’ safety manuals and discovered he could help them even more with litigation.

“So, at 52 I went to law school and struggled with that for the next four years,” Knocke said. “When most people are 50 or 60 they can lie back and look forward to their golden years. I got up and started a new career.”

Knocke also began to run again for the first time since his surgery.

Oddly enough, the pain in his knee would lessen when he ran, so he entered the 200 at the indoor national championships in 1995 and proved to himself he hadn’t lost a step. He won another national championship in the 400 hurdles in 1996, then placed in the top five in both hurdle events at the world championships the following year.

“That’s when I knew I could handle international competition,” he said.

When Knocke turned 60 this year, he joined a different age bracket and found a new set of records to chase. Although he was disqualified for improper use of his trail leg over the hurdles in the 60-meter hurdles at the national indoor championships in Boston last March, Knocke is feeling confident heading into this weekend’s outdoor championships.

“The bottom line is, [masters competition] benefits your health and you’re going to live longer,” Knocke said. “If we can stay younger and beat the system, then that in itself is worth it.”

MORE MASTERFUL

Huntington Beach resident Sumi Onodera-Leonard, an American and world masters record-holder in the 400 and 800 meters, will start the 5K/10K run Sunday at the L.A. Koi Fun Run in Little Tokyo.

Onodera-Leonard, 72, started running at age 58 after the death of her first husband. She won national titles in the 800 in 1998 and ‘99, setting an age-group world record last year. She also set an American record and won a national championship in the 400 in 1995.

Onodera-Leonard was invited to run in an 800-meter exhibition at the U.S. Olympic trials in Sacramento last month.

SENIOR GAMES

The South Coast YMCA is hosting its own competition for seniors this weekend.

The Senior Games will be Saturday at Saddleback College. The USATF-sanctioned meet will include events ranging from the 10,000-meter run to the 50-meter dash. Field events include the long jump, high jump, javelin, shotput and discus.

Fees are $10 per event. On-site registration is accepted for $30, plus the event fees.

DISTANCE DERBY

The Huntington Beach Distance Derby 5-mile and 10-mile runs will be Saturday near the Huntington Beach Pier. The 46th annual event, the county’s longest-running road race, is laid out on an oceanfront course.

Ralph Garibaldi of Running Springs won the 10-mile race last year in 52 minutes 25 seconds. Dolly Ginter of Fullerton won the women’s division in 1:00:18.

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If you have an item or idea for the running report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at dan.arritt@latimes.com