Thirty years ago, on assignment for Kansas Alumni magazine, I interviewed two fifty-something athletes who -- can you fathom it? -- were still running track! One was Jack Greenwood of Medicine Lodge, Kan.
Jack was a legend even then, having set age-group world records in the hurdles and won titles in early Masters world championships. In 1997, he was elected to the second class of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.
But by then he'd mainly hung up his spikes.
Still, he remains The Man in the 400-meter hurdles, and his M50 age-group world record of 58.1 was considered untouchable since he clocked it one July day in Gresham, Ore., in 1976. That is, until a week ago Sunday, when a Brit named Howard Moscrop beat it with a 57.68 at an open meet in London.
I couldn't help myself. I phoned Jack in Aurora, Colo., for his reaction. Greenwood, now 82, was surprised to learn that someone had broken his M50 world record. Not because he thought the record was that great, but because he didn't know anyone was still running the event.
"By golly, that's all right," Jack said of Moscrop's 57.68. "I wish him good luck, and I'd like him to see if he could lower it some more. It's fine with me." Jack says he hasn't gotten National Masters News in five years, and has no Internet access at home, so he wasn't aware that the event was still being contested.
I read the British newspaper article on Howard's mark to Jack, and his reaction was one of gratitude: "I'm glad someone broke (the record), and good to know it's an Englishman."
I asked why, and Jack replied: "My ancestors were from around Manchester."
Jack's paternal ancestors were from England, he said, and his mother's side of the family was Danish. He also recalled the friends he had made in England as part of the David Pain USMITT tour of Europe in 1972. He also recalled fondly his friendship with an English athlete named Keith Whittaker, and wondered if he were still alive. I said I'd check it out.
Jack's left knee -- his lead leg in the hurdles -- is arthritic. He said he injured it after the 1991 Helsinki WAVA world championships. But he still runs several times a week. He says he runs or jogs a half-mile every other day and throws in several sessions a week of sprints. He says he does the 50, 60, 80 and 110 (yard) dashes and calls it a day.
His wife of 53 years, Nancy, told me on the phone that Jack has had three heart procedures in recent years, but Jack doesn't remember when the last one was. Not important anyway. He says his doctor approves of his running regimen, telling him recently: "Whatever you're doing, you're doing right."
The Greenwoods have two sons -- a schoolteacher and one who works in electronics -- and one grandchild living in Kansas, who they'll see in a couple weeks. The grandchild has Internet access.
Jack Greenwood is one of my heroes, and not just because we ran the same race and both went to the University of Kansas. He's simply one of the greatest age-group athletes in history. This wasn't something I realized when I first spoke to him for Kansas Alumni.
It was an honor to chat with him -- again.
Tags: Records 400-meter Hurdles
