In the early years of running, the sport was like most others; it was primarily for the young and the strong. Maybe it was not as bad as tennis when you are washed up in your early twenties or gymnastics when you plump out to ninety-five pounds. Still, you were supposed to get out of the way when you got to be thirty, even if you were Carl Lewis.

Ed Barron decided there was a need for a club for age-challenged runners. In 1967, he started the Potomac Valley Seniors Track Club. For the non-cognoscenti, running is divided into age categories. The open division includes everyone under the age of thirty-five, followed by sub-masters (35-39), masters, or "veterans" in international competitions (forty and over), and seniors, or grand-masters (fifty and over).

PVTC has close ties with the DC Road Runners. A number of their events are run with volunteers from both clubs. In this age of diversity, many runners belong to more than one club. Many runners gravitate toward Potomac Valley because they specialize in some of the more exotic and hard to find types of races. When I first heard about the club I was about to turn forty and interested in competing with runners closer to my age. Potomac Valley had just recently dropped the seniors tag. Their motto is now "A club for all ages, all paces and all ways."

Through the early '90s, each year started with the DCRRC/PVTC Ed Barron's Hangover Classic 8K. January 1 at noon, runners, many in costume or tied together as centipedes, twisted up and down, back and forth, around the Reflecting Pool under the watchful eye of Abraham Lincoln. That race ended when the Park Police decided that race entry fees could not be collected on site. Probably ninety percent of PVTC race entry fees are collected race day. The club is very professionally run. They are more concerned with putting on a good event, adhering to strict race standards, and record keeping than pushing and promoting quantity. You do not see many race fliers for their events.

During the year, they have a holiday series of 5K/10K races. In the past two years, the traditional Hains Point site has been unavailable so they moved to Belle Haven and changed to an 8K. The four races are the By George in February, the Easter Classic in late March, the Cranberry Crawl in November, and the Christmas Caper in December. Runners and swivel-hipped race walkers vie for prizes. Belle Haven is also the site for a Fourth of July 8K. None of the races have ad-laden T-shirts, but there are refreshments and holiday-themed food awards such as cherry pies for George Washington's Birthday. Still, it is a major bargain for the five-dollar entry fee.

Their only other "road" event is actually a cross-country race the first week of March. The Potomac Overlook 4K/8K/12K is a true test of off-road capabilities. I thought I was flying when I set the master's record for the 8K in 34:20, eight minutes slower than I had run on the roads. That year we had a dry day although on a few sharp turns and a bouncing plank crossing a stream, I thought I would end up in the drink. Shortly after turning away from the creek, I was on my hands and knees scrabbling up the hill, jumping over railroad ties, and dodging out-of-control runners flying through the intersection of this figure eight, three loopy-de-loop course.

But, to get back on track, the winter brings us three Indoor track meets in Arlington. Spaced two weeks apart, runners can try their stuff at nearly every distance between 60 3000 meters. There are also field events such as the high jump. Entry is just five dollars and you can run as many events as you like. The mile is divided into different categories and for many years, the masters mile was a qualifier for the esteemed Mobil Track invitational meet at George Mason University. I treasure the video of Eamon Coughlan lapping me as he hurdled towards the masters world record in 4:05. He subsequently lowered it to 3:58.15 that spring, thanks to that fine training experience he received from us loyal Potomac Valley runners. Two years later, Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter came to the Mobil. This time there were twelve of us that Frank allowed to lead him to the finish line.

Spring and summer are the times to get your track work in. Every two weeks, all summer long, PVTC is at the home of the Titans, T.C. Williams High School, in Alexandria, VA. Club president Sal Corrallo says the current interest is in "developing an ongoing youth program for track and field." To be sure, there were hundreds of youngsters at the track meets this past May. They filled dozens of heats in the 100, 200, and 400 meters and the overall winner of the 3000 meters was just 12 years old. Tell 78- year-old Bill Osburn or 83-year-old Carla Convery about the youth programs. They are too busy racing, honing their skills for Senior Olympics meets. In fact, Carla probably took your entry information and fees before toeing the line for the 100 and 200 meters. Mil Wood was the membership secretary into his mid-eighties.

The meets start at 8:30 am with the 3000 meter race walk and the events follow a set order until they have all been run. Sometimes the meet is over by noon and other times it lasts until 2:00 pm. Considering that you can participate in as many events as you choose, it is a bargain at $8, $6 for members, and $4 for youths under eighteen.

The track meets take lots of volunteers, many who need special training. Nearly every meet we are corralled, judged, and timed by starter Tim Baker, Roland Elliott, Larry Dickerson, Sharon Good, Sal Corrallo, Carla Convery, Pamela Wusthof, Don Riggs, Craig Chasse, Kate DeAngelis, and many others. Cliff DeWitt deserves special notice because he and his staff provide FREE massages for runners. Runners in these events want, expect, and receive precise and accurate starts and finishes, including videotaped times for record quality hundreds-of-a-second splits. Many have qualified for national, international, and Olympic events right here. Masters national records and even world records have been set here.

This May I was on the same track as visually handicapped quarter- miler Joe Aukward dashed home in 58.73 seconds. Nearly seven years earlier I watched sixty-year-old Ralph Romain glide past runners for a world record 53.88 400M finish. Larry Colbert, another member of the world record setting 4 by 400M team, is now 65. He has the indoor world record of 25.10 for 200M and 56.32 for 400M in the 60-64 division. Nine years ago, I edged 72- year-old Payton Jordan in the 200M by .01 seconds in 27.67. I grinned when he paused to apologize for not giving me a good race, as he had been sick that week. Then I learned that he held the world record of 26.8 and I was fortunate that he did not have all his stuff that day.

Where else, outside of schools, can you find a meet that has all the track and field events and for all ages and levels? They have the shot put, the javelin, the discus, the hammer, the long jump, the high jump, and the hurdles. In June, they have the decathlon and the heptathlon. In September, at the Potomac Valley Games, they add the 5K and 10K, the 4 by 100M and the 4 by 400M relays, as well as the 5K/10K/15K race walks.

After all that running and heaving, (of weights) maybe you would like to do some walking. You will have lots of company, as there are national class meets held throughout the year. All of their running events, except the cross-country, include race walks. These events are usually judged for form. With enough volunteers, they could be judged at all the track meets. The meet record for the mile is 6:20. You could find yourself walking a 5K in 25:00 minutes and being lapped! They host a National Invitational Meet in April. There are seasonal clinics to teach and impprove your race walking skills.

If you want to learn more about or, better still, join this fine club you can write to the PVTC at 6207 Duntley Court, Springfield VA 22152.
You can call the hotline at (703) 671- 2520.
You can subscribe to their e-mail list at PVTC email.
The club's Web site is PVTC.