Inspiration comes from various angles in this motion picture documentary. Writer, producer, and director Bill Haney of Uncommon Productions introduces viewers to five women, ranging in age from 50 to 82, who have their sights set on representing the United States in the Masters World Championship. Their athletic accomplishments are many; however, it is the way they have lived their lives to make the athletics possible that is the truly amazing aspect of these unique stories.
The five featured athletes are:
Margaret Hinton, former cow-girl and current nursing home resident: "When I was in high school girls were not allowed to play outside activities. We crossed our ankles, pulled our dresses below our knees, and kept our mouth shut."
Leonore McDaniels, political refugee: "Athletics has increased my self confidence tremendously. We never had rewards."
Jacqueline Board, single mother and sharecropper’s daughter: "Running let me think clearer. It gave me the ability to find the strength to go further, to do better. It made my will stronger."
Pat Peterson, three-time cancer survivor: "Knowing that all your friends are running in a world competition, and I’m lying in a hospital bed half dead, that gave me more incentive to get healthy."
Phil Raschker, oldest athlete to be a finalist for the Sullivan Award for top amateur athletes: "If I’m healthy and trained I don’t have any competition in the U.S. so going to the Worlds for me is the ultimate. That’s what I train for. That’s what I live for."
The 80-minute film includes footage from three primary venues, all shot during the spring of 2003. The first stop is during the National Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, where late Everett Hosack, then age 101, is also seen competing in the sprints. Next is the Senior Olympic National Championships, held in Norfolk, Virginia, where 30,000 people qualified by placing first or second in their state competitions. This event is just weeks before the Masters World Championships and is used to select the team to represent the United States. Finally, they are off to the 2003 Masters World Championships in Puerto Rico, a competition featuring 2,700 contestants from 78 different countries.
If you want to see a spectacular demonstration of pure athleticism and triumph over adversity, then this is one film you will want to add to your running movie collection. Your soul will fill with inspiration and delight. Amazon.com offers this title for sale or to read more about this production visit the official site: Racing Against the Clock.com where you can view a trailer, read press comments, and view their numerous film festival appearances.
Postscript: December 2008:
Raschker turned the 2008 World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France into her own personal showcase in bringing home six gold medals and setting a World Indoor record and an American Indoor record. In 2007, Raschker was named World Masters Athlete of the Year after setting 12 world records, 31 American records, winning 10 gold medals and the Athlete of the Games Award at the World Masters Outdoor Championships and 27 gold medals at the five U.S. National championship events she competed in. Raschker has won 64 World Championship gold medals since she started competing in World Championship Meets in 1983. She was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 1997, and was inducted into the National Senior Games Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2003, Raschker became the oldest nominee and first Masters Track and Field Athlete finalist for the prestigious AAU Sullivan Award, given annually to the country's top amateur athlete. Raschker was also a Sullivan Award finalist in 2008.
