USA Track & Field: More great chances to compete

By Tom Rewolinski
 
You’re all familiar with the Senior Games, and you may have heard of USA Track & Field. If you’re looking for competitive opportunities, USATF could be your new frontier.
 
USATF is the national governing body for track and field, cross-country, road running and racewalking. It hosts multiple events locally and nationally.
 
Of most interest to our club members would be USATF Masters Track & Field, which offers local, regional, and national competition opportunities in track & field and racewalking for athletes age 25 and older, and international competitions for athletes 35 and older. USATF also sponsors indoor track and field meets.
 
More events, greater variety
 
Besides the usual sprints and middle distances, a USATF meet offers the following events that you won’t find at the Senior Games: short and long hurdle races, 5,000m, 10,000m, steeplechase, 4x400M relay, 4x800M relay, hammer throw, weight throw, pentathlon, and 10,000M racewalk. However, USATF doesn’t hold a 50m dash, 1,500m racewalk, or power walk.
 
Another difference between a USATF Masters meet and a Senior Games meet is how the host organization determines your age division. USATF uses your age on the first day of the meet, but the Senior Games uses your age on December 31 of the year of the meet. So let’s say you’re 69 years old when competing at a Senior Games meet in July, and you won’t turn 70 until December. The Senior Games requires you to compete in the 70-74 age group. This can create confusion over age division records, as USATF won’t recognize a 70-74 record if you were actually 69 when you competed.
 
You must be a USATF member to enter one of its meets. Annual membership costs $55. There are no qualifying standards to enter a championship meet as there are with the State and National Senior Games.
 
I have competed in many national indoor and outdoor USATF Masters meets. They were all well-run and  held at excellent facilities. I made lots of friendships, since many guys would travel to all the meets and we got to know each other over the years. A large contingent of local athletes would be competing also. The only disappointment compared to a Senior Games was that the number of female participants was relatively small.
 
If you’d like to see how you compare with other competitors in your age group, check USATF’s posts of national and world best performances:
https://mastersrankings.com/rankings/
 
They also post All-American standards by age group:
https://nationalmastersnews.com/all-american/track-and-field-standards/
 
Here are some upcoming meets:
USATF Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships
Louisville, KY  March 10-12, 2023
 
USATF Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Greensboro, NC   July 20-23, 2023