FLRC Newsletter - Jun 2003
	Ithaca's Frank Moore No. 2 in U.S.

It's great to be 80!

Frank Moore of Ithaca is ranked as one of the fastest 80-year-old runners in the U.S., according to the most recent edition of "On the Roads," the official publication of the Road Running Information Center of USA Track & Field.

Among top masters performance in 2002, Moore is ranked second in the men's 80-84 age division, behind No. 1 Warren Utes of Illinois, arguably the best runner in the U.S. in that age division.

Moore received this distinction by his 42 minute, 18 second performance in the 5-mile race of the 2002 Ithaca 5 & 10. USATF converts all times at all distances to a 10K equivalent for ranking comparisons, so Moore's time equals a 53:21 10K performance.

Times run on USATF distance-certified courses only are submitted by race directors to the Road Running Information Center (RRIC), the data-keeping arm of USATF. Rankings are then compiled each year from nationwide performances in five-year age categories.

Ironically, Moore's other stellar performance last year, worthy of a national ranking, was either not submitted or overlooked by the statisticians. One day after turning 80 in August, Moore ran the Michael A. Padula -- Pud's 5K -- in Ithaca in 25:46, an 8:19 pace per mile. Finishing Pud's in 297th place in a field of roughly 700, Moore was squeezed in between two teenage girls, whom he tied in time.

Margret Betz, 66, of nearby Conklin also is ranked among top U.S. masters performances for women ages 65-69. Betz, who set two single-age American records at the Ithaca 5 & 10 in 2001 (5 mile) and 2002 (10 mile), received a No. 1 and No. 2 U.S. ranking, respectively, for a 45:30 Octoberfast 10K performance, and a 35:52 Hiawatha 8K mark.

To find more information on the best 2002 and 2003 road times for all age groups, go to www.runningusa.org, or www.usaldr.org, and click on the Road Running Information Center link.

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