Congratulations to Jerry Musselwhite on his World Masters Bronze medal in the M60 classification “Tetradecathlon” and providing us with the account of his weekend, below:

Excel spreadsheet

Results (thepowerof10.info)

14th Indoor World Ultra Athletics (Tetradecathlon) Championships – Miramas, France 26th/27th March

Summary

· M60 Bronze medal for Tetradecathlon overall with 7102 points

· 3 World records for individual events within a M60 Tetradecathlon for

· 3000m the 7th and last event on day 1, breaking the old record by 23 seconds

· 3000m Best Performance trophy for most points scored (818 – age adjusted) at the Championships

· New record in 10th event the 1500m breaking old record by 15 seconds (scoring 855 points)

· New record in 14th and last event improving old record by 31 seconds

Background

Back in 2017 I never dreamt I would run again but my partner Chrissy started parkrun at Bath and encouraged me to start and I loved it. I was coming up to 60 in July 2018 and I wanted to see what I could do in different sports nationally against people in my own age group. Bizarrely Chrissy and I met an athletics multi-events legend, Tony Bowman M85 decathlete, and his wife during a dancing competition on a Strictly Come Dancing Cruise and two other seasoned decathletes, Julian Kennedy when we competed at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships and Ray McAvoy at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships. They inspired me to see what I could do on a track. Apart from 5000m I had no idea what I could do in any other events and had only competed in athletics on grass tracks as a schoolboy, when I was actually reasonably quick over the shorter distances.

I needed to join a club. I met Jeremy Dale and Graham Howell and they said they could teach me to do any event. That same night I was being coached by Ann Dale in javelin and discus in my quest to do a pentathlon. Amazing.

I developed a habit of entering track and field events before I had even tried an event. Most notably my first competition which was a virtual decathlon in July 2020. I had no idea how to do the pole vault or how to do a Fosbury flop in the high jump. Sam Hillier-Smith had me clearing 2 metres within an hour which was largely down to putting complete trust in her amazing coaching rather than any ability on my part. Likewise with Jeremy in the high jump I was doing a Fosbury flop in no time at all, although not very elegantly or high! These coaches could indeed teach an old boy new tricks.

I could never truly find out where, if anywhere, my strengths lied until I had tried as many events as possible and so I jumped at the opportunity to compete in the World Indoor Tetradecathlon Championships in France, with 3 months to train for it.

What is a Tetradecathlon?

There are 14 events held across 2 gruelling days which test bodies to the limit and beyond. It would inevitably cause athletes to drop out and others to continue despite carrying injuries.

The timetable for my group of 22 athletes would be as follows:

Saturday 26th March Sunday 27th March

0900 60m 0900 60m Hurdles

0950 Long Jump 0950 Pole Vault

1050 800m 1100 1500m

1210 Shot Put 1210 Weight Throw

1320 400m 1350 200m

1430 High Jump 1450 Triple Jump

1640 3000m 1550 5000m

Pre-event Training

This comprised

· Bespoke Strength and Conditioning

· Regular physio check-up and maintenance sessions

· parkruns, South West Inter County Cross-Country Championships (Silver in M60), South West Vets Cross-Country Championships (Gold in M60), representing Westbury Harriers, and mixed terrain training

· Club training sessions, though these were severely hampered by the British Weather

· Replicating as far as possible at Yate the day 1 and day 2 events, typically on a Monday and Tuesday first thing in the morning (with the exception of pole vault and high jump)

· First and only experience of running on an indoor track at Lee Valley in 800m and 1500m races in January. The expected gap was 1 hour 30 minutes between races but in reality it was 15 minutes. After I plucked up courage to run the second race It turned out to be an excellent confidence booster as I ran faster in the 1500m than in the whole of the previous year and even put in a sprint finish!

The Competition at the Miramas Metropole Stadium

The Miramas Stadium is near Marseille and is world class with 7,500 seats, a 200m main competition track and 300m warm up track underneath the stands.

The opening ceremony set a terrific atmosphere in the stadium that would last throughout the 2 days. The ever-present professional commentary and razzamatazz covering all the events and post event interviews added to the excitement and generated a high level of crowd involvement, especially from the French. All highly conducive to top class performances across two energy sapping days. (The French have taken to Ultra Athletics in a big way and even have specialist coaches).

The Championships had a capacity limit of some 110 competitors due to some 150 track heats and field pools to be completed across the two days. The competitors were split into 4 groups, with ages ranging from U18 to 75+. I was in Group A, comprising men aged 55 up and 5 ladies of differing age groups.

GB had 3 athletes in the M60s with the highly experienced multi-eventers Andrew Waddington and John William Dickinson joining me, a Tetradecathlon novice and first timer. (Carl McMullen competing in M40 was the other GB representative, with an excellent track record in Ultra events). Andrew and John William had just moved into the 60’s age group as had the leading Frenchman accompanied by two other French regular multi-eventers. Andrew is a colossus of multi-events, with multiple world records overall and in the individual events, at different age groups when he chooses

to compete. So, it was always going to be extremely tough. My plan was to attack hard in the last event of each day which were the 3000m on the Saturday and 5000m on the Sunday. Sandwiched in between would my other targeted event, the 1500m, after the 60m hurdles and pole vault on the second morning.

If I was going to be successful it would be based on my winter training and competitions plus the relentless event simulation training at Yate. The awful British weather was a big advantage for me as it forced me to complete the majority of the events in order over two successive days in less than 2 hours each day and still road test my nutritionist’s competition plan. Importantly I was regularly surpassing my target times for my key events, even when temperatures were hovering around zero centigrade, the track was covered with frost, the rain was pouring or during the gales. Surely running on an indoor track in the south of France would be a delight?

What happened?

I’d not been able to train flat out for sprints due to the weather and knew I needed to be cautious to get to the end of the competition.

Day 1

Event 1. First ever 60m run was below 10 seconds and a fair start, followed by 2. Long jump close to a PB despite taking off on the wrong leg! 3. The 800m saw Andrew Waddington go off at a tremendous pace to break the individual age group world record for this event within a Tetradecathlon. I was happy to acclimatise myself and work my way through the field to finish comfortably in third in a competitive time behind the leading and remarkably athletic, super-hero looking Frenchman Michel Serre.

4. The Shot put was below my best and 5. The 400m as well. Jeremy Dale will be a little disappointed I didn’t quite execute 6. The high jump as planned. Dirk a very helpful Dutchman observed “Jerry, it is about transferring your speed upwards, not how long you can fly along the bar!”.

Then the last event of the first day arrived 7. The 3000m. Michel Serre, the USA senior woman Amanda Pasko, and two Male 55 group Belgians, Herman and Patrick, who were very fast over an earlier 800m heat, were in front of me for the first couple of laps of 15, but I was feeling strong holdimg a metronomic pace and soon hit the front. Each of the three kilometre splits were all within 0.4 of a second and I smashed the M60 world record within a Tetradecathlon by 23 seconds. An interview with the commentator followed. Once all the 3000m races across all age groups were completed I was surprised to learn my performance earned me the 3000m best performance trophy for the most points scored (taking into account time and age) of all the 100+ competitors at the championships. That led to a video interview that I guess may be part of the results pack on the website in due course. Heady stuff! To ensure I kept this record I would have to finish every event on day 2 otherwise all events done would be erased and count for nothing!

Footnote – 30,000 steps on the day and 40 floors climbed (going up and down the stands to where the GB contingent and support were)

Day 2

Lost an hour to the clocks changing but soon loosened up for the 8. The 60m hurdles. My approach was high and safe in a time behind my training runs at Yate, but I was happy enough.

The pole vault with our group of 22 split into two pits was the only real organisational glitch. There was mayhem in finding the pole I had requested, begging some tape for hand grips and measuring my run up against vaulters anxious to get in a couple of practice attempts. Our group were the lower height vaulters and I found myself with a dilemma. I was left in with a Belgian M55 as the start of the 1500m drew ever closer. I made the correct decision and left the competition with attempts remaining.

With a quick warm up and somewhat agitated from the pole vault experience I started off at a good pace in front of the leading M60 Frenchman, Michel Serre. He was quicker than me in the 800m and sprints but would this be where I came into my own? I knew from the vocal French support he was close behind. From 500m I gradually kept increasing the pace until the very end with Michel about 10m behind to break the world record M60 1500m in a Tetradecathlon by 15 seconds.

A nice best ever throw in the Weight Throw was followed by a cautious 200m and triple jump almost a metre ahead of last season.

Now to the last race, the 5000m. Andrew Waddington and John William Dickinson were in the first heat and did the best they could having given their all across the two days. Andrew had clearly won gold overall and also broke the overall world record and Michel would get silver what ever happened in my race which he was in. For John William who had been in bronze medal position seemingly throughout it would be a nervous wait to see what I would do. I had not been studying my points total but just focusing on my key events.

A delay to fit in some 200m heats for senior men running behind schedule put our start back. I was hoping my legs would be ok for this last and crucial event. Bercy Niang of the France M60 team had completed his run and kindly sought me out. “Jerry. You are a warrior. You can get your third record!”

Each runner was then called into the arena to mark the last and 14th event to a great atmosphere and a mini guard of honour of Union Jacks from our supporters. After the gun went I was immediately cut across by the German record holder for M60 5000m who set the record back in 2011, requiring some nifty footwork from me to avoid a fall. I soon passed him but found myself behind the American senior woman, Michel Serre and the two Belgians who as usual were sticking together like they were on a tandem. I soon found myself behind the Belgians and after two laps they had slowed significantly and perhaps deliberately. Spurred on by the GB contingent just past the finish line I changed gears and hit the front to run the race at my pace and enjoy each of the remaining laps of the 25 lap race. As always Chrissy was my ace in the crowd shouting suitable encouragement every lap, apart from one I noticed when evidently she was distracted!

It was a great atmosphere as I approached the finish and to hear Bercy, a French rival cheering me on was very special as I broke the German’s record by 31 seconds lapping everyone in the field at least once.

Cruelly for John William Dickinson I pipped him by a few points to take the bronze medal overall, but he has time on his side and he is now looking forward to me going into the next age group in 2023!

Footnote – 26,000 steps on day 2 with 32 floors climbed