Disappointment was mixed with celebrations this week as a world relay record attempt was unsuccessful while a state record was broken.
Victorian Masters Athletics Geelong’s Men’s 75+ 4×800 metre relay team attempted to beat the current world record time of 12.27 on Wednesday, May 7, but a calf injury to John Lamb put a stop to their efforts in the first lap.
Geelong venue manager Alan Jenkins said he felt bad for Lamb and his team, which consisted of Allan Mayfield, Kevin Solomon, and Dave Elward, but he suspected the men would be up for a second attempt.
“Calf injuries take some time unfortunately, but I suspect the team will reconsider having another attempt down the track,” he said.
“I really feel for John Lamb. Not only do you have to deal with the disappointment of an injury, but there’s also the disappointment for the rest of his teammates.”
The 40+ 4×800 metre women’s relay team, with Jaime Bell, Joanne Grimsey, Sharon Pedersen and Melissa Foot, broke the state’s record for their category with a 12.12 time.
Pedersen was the fourth runner in the relay and said everyone was excited to come together and be part of the event on the newly re-surfaced Landy Field track.
“One of my greatest passions is helping people see that being active and mobile while joining in community active events is such a great way to stay fit, happy and healthy,” she said.
“It was exciting, but a bit anticlimactic because we were just devastated for the Men’s 75+ team missing out on the world record opportunity because they were in shape to break it.”
Jena Carr
