Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

[Guest]

Regina turns 40 today!
What is the world masters record? She'll probably break it tomorrow in the semis.

You're career has been, and still is, fantastic. You go girl!
-from a fan in Oakland

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

She is the world's best master miler. To run at that level at 40 is amazing. She should be competitive in the finals.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

I bet she gets the bronze in 4:01. But I have no idea what shape she is in. I recall she does real well early every year and then ...injuries, illness, etc.

Then Suzy FH gets revenge (sort of).

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

"Regina turns 40 today!
What is the world masters record? She'll probably break it tomorrow in the semis."

The record is 3:59.78, set by Yekaterina Podkopayeva (Russia) at the age of 42 in 1994.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

I almost forgot: She beat Sonia O'Sullivan (who was 24) 3 times in 5 head-to-head matchups to rank number 1 in the 1,500 that year.

Can history repeat itself? Regina will have to be within 2 seconds of Süreyya Ahyan at the 800 mark, if she even wants to take a shot at her. Ayhan will almost certainly run 2:05 at that point. Anything under 2:08, and Mary Decker-Slaney's U.S. record (3:57.12) is in jeopardy. But she'll have to stay VERY close to Ayhan if she wants it.

Just don't get bumped or shoved in the semis, Regina.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

"I almost forgot: She beat Sonia O'Sullivan (who was 24) 3 times in 5 head-to-head matchups to rank number 1 in the 1,500 that year."

That's Podkopayeva I'm referring to, who ranked number 1 in 1994. Regina just missed making the top 10 that year.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

Regina! What happened? 4:06.92???!
I give up. It's a life on the couch for me.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

"Just don't get bumped or shoved in the semis, Regina."

Damn!

Somehow, I knew it was coming. When the bumping started, Regina moved out to lane 2, and ran most of the race there to keep from getting tripped up. At one point, she was out the outer part of the second lane.

When the time came to kick, she had already run more distance than just about anyone else beside the stragglers behind her. I thought she'd make a bigger move with 300 to go to stretch it out. But when she didn't, and the field started to close up on her, I knew it didn't look good.

I thought that, by staying off the European circuit, she'd escape injury and be in better shape for this event. Unfortunately, slowly but surely, time is catching up with those 40-year-old legs of hers. Dirty shame it had to come at the World Championships, but 4:06.92 is a masters' American record anyway. She'll have to run the rest of the European season if she wants to rank higher in the top 10 in this event.

I'd love to see her run a marathon before she completely packs it in.

[Guest]

Re: Happy Birthday Regina Jacobs!

ERRATA

"At one point, she was out the outer part of the second lane."

should read

"At one point, she was ON the outer part of the second lane"