August 09, 2022
Shore Athletic Club relay team sets national record
By Les Pierces
From left to right: Marc Bloom, Harry Nolan, Rob O’Rourke and Hugh “Chip” Sweeney
A Shore Athletic Club (SAC) relay team recently broke the 75-79 national 4×800 meter relay record. The record fell at the USATF National Club Track and Field Championships and the 35th Annual NJ International Track and Field Meet, held at Monmouth University on July 2.
The SAC quartet clocked a time of 13:23.42, erasing the United States record of 14:02.20, set by the Atlanta Track Club in 2021. The SAC time is just 0.75 seconds off the world record currently held by an Australian team. .
Middletown resident Harry Nolan played the lead, and it was obvious a record was at hand when his time was reported. Marc Bloom (Marlboro) took over for the second leg, followed by Hugh “Chip” Sweeney (Jersey City) and presenter Rob O’Rourke (Jackson).
“We had been planning this relay attempt since January,” Nolan said. “It’s not easy to keep four 75-year-olds healthy at the same time; two of us suffered from hamstring issues in early spring. To finish. we got everyone healthy and fit for this competition.
It was Nolan’s second record-breaking experience in recent months. In February, he was invited to run with the SAC 65–69 team at the NJUSATF Indoor State Championships. The quartet of Nolan, Scott Linnell, Harold Leddy and Kevin Dollard set the world indoor record for the age group 65-69 4×800 meter relay at 11:24.41.
Comments are closed.