Metcalf seventh in Masters race

Tate Metcalf, far right, got back on the track for the National Masters Track and Field Championships. photo provided

Tate Metcalf, owner/manager of Sisters Athletic Club, decided three months ago that at age 35 it was time to put his body to the test on the track again.

So he registered for the 800 meters at the U.S.A. National Masters Track and Field Championships held August 4-9 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, and began training.

The results were downright impressive for the fitness professional, who is also an assistant track coach at Mountain View High School in Bend. Despite not racing since 2000, Metcalf made the finals and placed seventh in a time of 2:03.7 in the 35-39 year old age group.

"I met all my goals, foremost of which was to actually toe the line in the preliminaries," he said.

Metcalf, who coached two-time 4A girls 800-meter champion Emily McMahon, literally had to practice what he preaches in order to prepare himself for the meet.

"It was weird being back on the track as a competitor," he said. "Given my schedule this spring and the time frame I was operating under, I felt ready physically, but I really had a hard time mentally."

With no qualifying times with which to size up the opposition, Metcalf faced a lot of uncertainty in the preliminaries on Thursday.

"I was in the first heat, so I had no idea how anyone in the age group would do," he said.

"I wanted to go as slow as possible to make the finals, but I didn't know what I could get away with."

As it turned out, he ran 2:07 to place fourth in the heat and qualify for the Saturday final.

"My strategy in the finals was to be as aggressive as possible, so I went out real hard," said Metcalf. "After 400 meters I was in fourth or fifth and felt pretty good, expecting someone to fall off the pace."

Everyone finished strong and Metcalf ended up in seventh place.

"It turned out to be a very talented field," he said. "If I had been in the 30-34 age group, I would have finished third."

The winner, David Nash, ran an exemplary time of 1:55.8, as four men broke two minutes.

The meet featured more than 3,000 athletes from throughout the United States. In Metcalf's race alone competitors hailed from New York, California, Utah, Indiana, Iowa and Oregon.

"All of us still think we're young, so it was a good goal to see if I could still run fast," he said.

Metcalf enjoyed the varied ages of the competitors involved in the meet.

"It was cool to see 70 and 80 year olds still competing in their age groups," he said.

"It makes me want to keep at it."