HP Track & Field Alums Win National Masters 4X800

Tuesday, August 11 2015


(Picker, Olson, Lewitz, Joseph)

Four members of the 1962 HPHS Boys Track & Field Team that took 3rd place at State competed in the United States Track and Field Association (USATF) National Masters Outdoor Championships in Jacksonville, Florida.   Also competing from HPHS was female alum Alice (Watrous) Johnson.   The 4x800m relay team resurrected memories of the record setting 2-mile relay in 1962 at the Evanston Relays. This version, 53 years later, with Robert Picker, Joel Lewitz, Ron Joseph and Barney Olson competing, won the gold medal national championship in the event. The night before, Lewitz set an All-American standard in the 2000m Steeplechase, taking the gold and the national title in the process. Also doing very well was Alice, who took 6th place in the 100m.  Picker took 8th place in the 800m with a time of 3:28 which ranks  24th nationally in the event for his age group. These alums had a great time and were flattered by all the attention the HPHS alumni reunion team got at the meet from both the meet organizers, as well as the press. 

Below is a write-up they the guys put together about the event.   Congratulations on a wonderful accomplishment!   The HPHS Track & Field Program is very proud of each of you!

 

Robert Picker, Barney Olson and Joel Lewitz were members of the 1961 Illinois State High School State Championship cross-country team.  Robert’s idea to run the 4x800 relay at the 2015 USATF National Championships in Jacksonville, Florida was reminiscent of another 2-mile relay championship from March of 1962.  This was at the Evanston Relays, which at the time was one of the largest high school indoor track meets in the state of Illinois.  The Suburban League high school indoor track championships were held a few weeks before the Evanston Relays.  Highland Park High School Coach Dick Ault must have been drooling as he sent the following team to the line for the Evanston Relays 2-mile relay (4 x 880 yards in those days).

The “team of champions” did not disappoint, running 7:58.4, which was reported by Track and Field News as the #1 high school indoor 2-mile relay time in the nation that year.  The record still stands at Highland Park High School (converted to a 4X800 Meter Relay time of 7:55.9)

Fast forward to 2015, we tried to recruit Chuck Redman for the Jacksonville reunion 4x800 relay, but alas, being one year younger than us, he was turning 70 in August so he was ineligible for our team in the July meet.  Jim Weinert, the former Illinois state mile record holder and two time Illinois state mile champion claimed “marginal Joints” and could not run with us in 2015.  He stays in great shape swimming, though.  Barney Olson, a former 4:07 miler at Miami of Ohio and Ron Joseph, the Olympic Bronze medalist in Pairs Figure Skating, thus filled the two spots from the original high school 2-mile relay.  This was still a stellar “team of champions” and worthy of the 2015 4x800 National Championship.

Robert and Joel have been running Masters track only back to about 2004 for Robert (age 60) and 2010 for Joel (age 66). Both are now 71.  Ron and Barney are new to Masters track.  Jacksonville was the first Masters track meet for both.

Our 1962 high school classmate, Alice Johnson, is also relatively new to Masters track.  In 2012, she traveled from her home in Florida to visit a friend in California.  While in California she came to watch Robert and Joel competing at the 2012 Pride Meet in Hayward, CA.  We looked at Alice and said, “You can do this”.  She promptly walked over to the official’s table, paid her entry fee and ran the 100m.  By 2014, she was the gold medalist in the W70 100m at the Pride Meet.  Now 71, she took the 6th place award in the W70 100m at the 2015 National Championships in Jacksonville.

Quoting Robert Picker:   “This was a joyous reunion for these high school teammates and once again demonstrated the value of having such opportunities available for Masters level athletes who are still committed to fitness for life and have not lost the competitive spirit no matter at what age.”  A nice sidebar.