Records are made to be broken.
But some, it seems, are tougher to break than others.
Take the men's masters mark for 7079 year olds in the 4x800 relay, for example. It was set in October of 1983 and has withstood the many challenges of nearly 13 years.
But it's gone now, and it was broken in a time that belies its longevity.
Two Saratoga men were members of the quartet from the West Valley Joggers and Striders who crushed the long-standing record by 58 seconds in a recent meet at the West Valley College track.
Saratoga's Howard Powers and Stan DeMartinis teamed with Frank Cunningham of Stockton and Dave Valles of Santa Clara to run 12:35.1 to crush the old mark of 13:33.0.
Powers, age 71, opened the relay with a 3:07 800-meter leg. Cunningham, 73, clocked in at 3:11.3 and DeMartinis, 73, ran 3:08.7. Valles, 72, anchored the relay in 3:08.
The foursome, who averaged 3:08.7 per runner, had set the world mark in the 4x1600 relay in August in Kentfield.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, October 9, 1996.
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