Macdonald wins Masters 5,000
By Leila Wai
Jeff Widener | The Honolulu Advertiser USA MASTERS TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS WHAT: U.S. National Championship for athletes 30 and older WHERE: The University of Hawai'i Cooke Field, UH's soccer practice field (across the baseball stadium), and Punahou Schools' track (for javelin). SCHEDULE: Today Tomorrow Sunday ADMISSION: Free PARKING: $3
Macdonald won the 5,000-meter run for men ages 55 to 59 on the opening day of the USA Masters Track & Field Championship, the national championships for athletes 30 and older, at the University of Hawai'i's Cooke Field.
Approximately 800 athletes from around the world are participating in track events ranging from the 100-meter dash to the 10,000-meter run, and field events including jumps and throws.
Nearly 60 Hawai'i athletes are competing in the meet, which began yesterday and runs through Sunday.
Macdonald, 56, who competed in the 5,000 at the 1976 Olympics, said "the first mile went exactly according to plan, and then I got tired, really tired.
"I didn't expect to win it."
He finished in 18 minutes, 10.61 seconds.
But even one of the best runners in Hawai'i history — in 1976, he became the first runner to break Steve Prefontaine's American 5,000-meter record, and he won three Honolulu Marathons — Macdonald said, "I don't think it gives me the edge at all."
He had been running one race per year, and it usually was a road race, and said he decided to return to the track because the Masters Championships was being held here.
"I wouldn't have packed my bags to go to the Mainland," Macdonald said. "That's the reason I'm here."
Because of bursitis, "the main thing was getting uninjured," he said of his preparation.
Macdonald, who coaches cross country and track and field at Punahou, said the demands of his family and job affect his training, which he acknowledged a lot of athletes in the Masters program deal with.
"If you love track and field, you are going to find a way to do it," Macdonald said.
Trent Lane, 95, of Baton Rouge, La., is the oldest entrant. He participated in the shot put (20 feet, 1.75 inches) yesterday — winning his age group as its lone competitor — and has the javelin, discus and hammer to go.
"I should have done better, I have done much better in practice," said Lane, who did break his personal shot put record twice yesterday. "I feel OK."
"It is my first trip to Hawai'i," said Lane, who holds National Senior Games age-group records in the shot put, javelin and discus. "It was my opportunity. It's a beautiful island and I love to see it."
Advertiser Staff Writer
Duncan Macdonald, one of the most storied names in Hawai'i running, added to his list of accomplishments by capturing a national title yesterday.
Runners in the 60 to 94 age-group division circle the track at the University of Hawai'i's Cooke Field during the 5,000-meter run.
