Monday, May 18, 2009

Usain Bolt sets record for 101 meters!

And 102 meters. And 103 meters. 104 meters. 105....

Not really. And he really didn't set a world record for 150 meters in Manchester on 17 May 2009, but a world best, because the IAAF doesn't recognize records for odd distances like 150 meters. It was a sad day back during my dinosaur-infested youth when the IAAF withdrew recognition for all the non-metric distances except for the mile. With one memo, the records for the 100-yard dash and the two-mile run were gone, as well as records for scores of other events measured in imperial units. A lot of history was trashed, but the value of the remaining records was increased.

Which is the point of my disenchantment with yesterday's 150-meter street dash. Bolt's 19.30 200-meter world record is impressive. His 9.69 100-meter world record is phenomenal. But 14.35 over 150 meters is just a circus stunt. Yes, the previous "record" for that distance had stood since 1983, but how many times has a 150-meter event been run since 1983?

But in spite of my opinion, there is probably a promoter out there dreaming up a "record" run at 125 meters. Hey, it's one-eighth of a kilometer, and the perfect set-up for a one-sixth kilometer sprint (166.667 meters).

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