CPTC 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees

Dave Blackstone

Frank Handelman’s Presentation Speech:

I have been running and racing with this team for 35 years, and I can truly say this is the best year, and the best team, that the Central Park Track Club has ever had. Tonight we are very happy to welcome four new members to the CPTC Hall of Fame, and to acknowledge their contributions to the rich history and life of the CPTC.

Our first inductee is the person most responsible for the existence of this team. He is the original founder of the club. After running at the Central Park reservoir for years, he started racing, and in the fall of 1972, decided to turn the park regulars into a team. He came up with that fantastic name, Central Park Track Club.

A Columbia Law School graduate, he had been a varsity diver at NYU and served in the United States Marine Corps before going to law school. In addition to his law practice, he devoted countless hours to the club in its first decade. He was President and Coach of the team from 1972 to 1980. He personally recruited most of the team s runners in those first years. He was also a highly competitive athlete, running the pre-Five Borough NYC marathon, over the course that covered 4 laps of the park s tough 6-mile loop, in 2:40:07.

He started the club, literally, in his apartment on East 85th Street , along with his wife Lynn, who served as an officer for many years. She has competed for the team since its inception, and is still active as a masters runner. In fact, Lynn won the Fifth Avenue Mile this year in her age group.

It is perhaps his greatest gift to us all that at the founding meeting, the following language, which he wrote, was adopted as Article 1 of the club s first constitution:

“The purposes of this club are to foster amateur track and field and road racing in the metropolitan area, and to serve as a competitive racing club for all, regardless of race, religion, national origin or sex.”

As we look around this room, we see his mission of 1972 has been fulfilled.

Our first inductee for 2007 into the Central Park Track Club Hall of Fame “ the true father of our team” – Dave Blackstone.

Dave Blackstone’s Acceptance Speech:

Thank you, Frank.1972 was a very sweet year for me. First I married my beautiful wife Lynn, seated at the table with me, also a runner who many of your know. And secondly, my long-held idea of organizing a new running club to be known as the Central Park Track Club was realized in the second week of September with a founding meeting in our apartment on East 85th Street. At the table with Lynn is my first son David Terreri Blackstone, a recent college graduate. My second son Ian Terreri Blackstone could not be here to night because he is a Lieutenant and Company Commander in the United States Army, stationed in Baumholder, Germany, preparing for his second deployment to Iraq.

Sheldon Karlin

Dave Blackstone’s Presentation Speech:

“Many of you are too young to remember the outstanding road-racing accomplishments of Sheldon Karlin, who met his untimely death at the age of forty-nine in January of 2000. Sheldon Karlin was my best friend. I followed his racing career from the moment he burst on the New York road racing scene on October 1, 1972, by winning the New York City Marathon in 2hr: 27min 52 secs, through his last race, run also by his older son Ian, the August 1999 Club Championships, which despite having a heart problem, being out of shape and almost 50 years old, he ran the five-mile course in 28:52.

In the 1972 NYC Marathon Sheldon was the “unfamiliar figure,” a high-stepping, young college kid with long curly red hair wearing a white V-neck T shirt. The other race leaders were well-known local contenders, but it was Sheldon Karlin, who finished the grueling Central Park course four minutes ahead of second place – thus the legend of the road racer with the white v-neck t-shirt, Sheldon Karlin began.

After years of coaxing Fast Shelly joined CPTC, setting down times that to this date rank very high on our Best Times list.

1:45:00 for 20 miles in the 1980 Mike Hannon

51:15 for 10 miles in the 1980 Travera

1:07.56 for the 1981 Brooklyn Half Marathon

In 1980 Sheldon qualified for the United States Olympic trials in the marathon with a 2:21:49 at the Jersey Shore Marathon, thereby joining CPTC teammates Jack Brennan and Pete Squires who also qualified. Sheldon clocked 2 hours and 27 minutes in the Olympic trials.

Fast Shelly’s times in the many races he ran for us are best characterized by the words of Frank Handelman in the March/April 2000 issue of New York Runner in an article eulogizing Sheldon. Frank said and I quote: “In our Club’s 30 year history, to my belief, he [Sheldon Karlin] was the best athlete we ever had, a brilliant, brilliant runner, who could get rolling at distances of 15 kilometers and up.”

Sheldon and Donna, social workers in New Jersey, were married September 4, 1977. Through their nearly 23 year marriage Donna gave her full support to Sheldon’s running; their children mirror his striving – Ian, a PhD candidate in computer science at the University of Colorado, Sarah a third year journalism student at George Washington University, and Matthew, a CPTC member, freshman at the University of Maryland.

To accept this honor, Donna Karlin.

Rae Baymiller

Frank Handelman’s Presentation Speech:

Our next inductee was by far the best women s masters long distance runner in the United States for most of the 1990 s. After joining the Central Park Track Club in 1992 at the age of 49, she went on a tear that cannot be believed, even when you see it in black and white.

She was the club s overall MVP in 1993, 1994 and 1998. In 1993, at age 50, she ran the Philadelphia Distance Run in 1:19:40 to set a world record for the half-marathon. By her own admission not a track specialist, she won national titles on the track at 1500 meters, won the silver medal at 800 meters at the world track championships, and won the Fifth Avenue mile several times. In 1995, at age 52, she won the Carlsbad 5000 meters in 17:57. She set national or world records at 10 miles, 15 kilometers, 20 kilometers, 25 kilometers, the half-marathon and the marathon.

Wait — it gets more mind boggling.

She was the 1998 USATF Athlete of the Year. She won the following races in the 1990s, many of them more than once: the Philadelphia Distance Run, the New York City Marathon, the Carlsbad 5000, the Tokyo Half-marathon, the Cherry Blossom 10 mile, the Paris 15k, the Bay to Breakers 12k, the Utica Boilermaker 15k, the Bobby Crim 10 mile, the Twin Cites Marathon, the Las Vegas Half-marathon, the New Haven 20k, and the Chicago Marathon.

magine what it would be like, to be invited to these huge races all over the world, to have pressure on you as an elite, invited runner, and to win, virtually every time.

And finally, consider these two world records, both shattering the previous age records by 15 minutes or more: at age 51, the Twin Cities marathon in 2:51:44, and, if that wasn t enough, at age 55, the Chicago Marathon in 2:52:12.

Welcome to the CPTC Hall of Fame the greatest women s long distance masters road racer this club or any club may ever see РRae Baymiller.̢

Alston Brown

Sid Howard’s Presentation Speech:

In 1980 the great Henry Rono set 4 world records in 80 days. I m here tonight to talk about a man who set 4 world records in 45 days. I first met this man in 1999 at a track meet in February at Fairleigh Dickerson college. It was the New Jersey Masters track and field championship. I ve been running and a member of this team for 30 years. I ve run all over the world and participated with and saw some of the best runners in the world. But never have I ever witnessed what happened at that track meet. He entered the 60m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, and the 3000m He won all of the races. Mind you this man was 50 years young at that time and he beat most of the guys in their 30 s and 40 s. This was his first ever indoor championship so the other old time runners didn t know who he was and couldn t believe his age. I introduced myself to him and asked if he would be interested

in running for the Central Park Track Club. He said he would and I would have to say out of all the Masters track athletes I have recruited and that includes just about the whole team and many more that are not with the team anymore, I would rank him number one in his age group, and in the top five of all the masters we ve ever had.

Now lets get down to the 4 world records in 45 days:

1999 February 12 800m 2:03 Armory

March 6 1500m 4:23.96 Armory

March 21 400m 53.20 Armory

March 27 Mile 4:49.33 Masters National Championship, Boston

This achievement is unprecedented – no runner in the history of Masters running has ever held a world record for the 400m and Mile at the same time. I don t want you to lose sight of the fact at that this man was 50 years young when he accomplished this feat. He won the 5th Ave many times and was voted the runner of the year for the NYRR and Central Park Track Club. I really don t have time to acknowledge all his numerous awards, so let me introduce him to you, as if you didn’t know already – my friend – THE GREAT ALSTON BROWN.