ORONO – Up until he ran in the 5,000 meters on day one of the National Masters Track and Field Championships at the University of Maine, Doug Allen hadn’t raced on an eight-lane oval since his senior year at Yale University.

“This is the first time I’ve run a race on a track since 1963,” the 66-year old Allen said with a grin after posting a time of 24 minutes, 9.55 seconds in the 65-69 year old age group on a hot, steamy Thursday at the Beckett Track Complex.

Thursday’s festivities featured finals for multiple age groups in the 5,000 meters; finals in the pole vault, shot put, weight throw, and pentathlon; and 800- and 400-meter preliminary heats. More than 1,100 athletes ages 30 to 95 are in Orono competing in the national championships.

One of the day’s first events, the 5,000 for men ages 70-94, featured Ed Whitlock of Milton, Ontario, who at 74 years young ran a blistering 19:54.34.

That standard was good enough for a meet record in his age group (70-74).

The meet is open to international competitors, and if one wins, then he is awarded a gold medal and the first American finisher receives a gold medal as well.

“I was very pleased with the race and the way it went,” said Whitlock, who competed in the Canadian Masters Championships in New Brunswick last weekend.

Earlier this summer, Whitlock posted a time of 19:07.02, which is a world record for his age group.

His race was fortunate to go off before even hotter conditions blazed into Orono.

Not that it would’ve bothered him any.

“I’m kind of heat-tolerant,” he admitted. “It probably affects me less than most people.”

Living in the heart of hockey country – he recalled rooting for the Montreal Canadiens when he was younger – Whitlock finds time to run every day.

“It wastes a lot of my time,” he joked. “I try to run every day. If I haven’t got any injuries, I’m running two to three hours a day.”

Whitlock is a retired mining engineer, who was born and raised in England and went to college in London.

Of the hundreds of athletes competing Thursday, Allen, a philosophy professor at UMaine who officiates collegiate cross-country meets at the University, had the least amount of traveling to do.

In fact, he lives so close, he left his car right in his driveway.

“Some of the coaches and some of my friends were saying hey, you live 200 yards from the track,” Allen said. “So I can walk over in two minutes.”

He enjoyed the experience of participating alongside some of the top Masters athletes in the country.

“It just seemed like it it’d be fun,” said Allen, who finished ninth in his age group. “It’s an experience, the people are extremely friendly.”

Allen does “maybe two road races a year” in the Greater Bangor area, such as the Race for the Cure.

“I [usually] pick out a couple charity ones,” he said.

Another athlete with UMaine ties was having a solid performance on the women’s side.

Beth Heslam, who ran track for the Black Bears in the mid-1980s, competed in the pentathlon in the 40-44 age group, and placed third with 2,055 points.

“I’m just doing it for the fun of it,” said the resident of Northport, Fla., whose family owns a cottage on Lake St. George in Liberty.

“I decided it would be fun to come out here and get back on the track,” said the 1986 UMaine graduate after finishing the high jump.

Heslam, who majored in mathematics, concentrated on the heptathlon in college, and now focuses on the distance events.

She has run three marathons in the past year, including this spring’s Boston Marathon.

Most of Heslam’s racing experiences today are on roads instead of tracks.

“Mostly road races,” she said. “There aren’t as many track meets to run down in Florida.”

Susan Wiemer of Freeport wound up winning the pentathlon in the ages 40-44 division with 2,983 points.

The pentathlon consists of the 80-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800.

Later in the day, also in the pentathlon, 60-year old Philla “Phil” Raschker of Marietta, Ga., set two 60-64 age group world records with 4,953 total points and a time of 13.60 in the 80-meter hurdles.

“It was a fantastic day, the weather was great, everything was very favorable for me,” Raschker said. “I had a great day and I’m looking forward to three more days.”

She capped the victory by running a 2:54.05 in the 800.

“The 800 turned out really well [for] me today, I was pleased with that,” said Raschker, who was born and raised in West Germany before coming to the United States in the early 1960s.

She acknowledged that her top pentathlon event differs every time she competes in it and on this day it just happened to be the hurdles.

“Today it certainly was,” Raschker said. “The throwing events are not my favorite. You always have some weak spots.”

Like many athletes competing this weekend, masters track and field plays a vital role in Raschker’s life.

“Masters track gives me something to wake up in the morning, because I can set goals,” she said. “It just keeps you well-balanced. It’s a wonderful program, and a program for everybody.”

Three years ago, she was up for the Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award, which is awarded on a yearly basis to the country’s top amateur athlete.

Raschker had some great company in the nomination field that year, which included basketball stars LeBron James and Diana Taurasi, and swimmer Michael Phelps.

Freeport resident Joan Benoit Samuelson won the same award in 1985, after winning the first women’s Olympic marathon the year before.

The masters meet continues through Sunday.

Track & field

USATF

National Masters Championships

At Orono

First-day Results

Event, age group winners

Men

5,000, 30-34: Kareem Lanier 17:21.72; 35-39: Craig Chasse 18:13.79; 40-44: Brian Pope 15:55.18; 45-49: Daniel Verrington 16:16.43; 50-54: Stephen Chantry 17:06.31; 55-59: Tom Bernhard 17:33.56; 60-64: Harold Nolan 18:59.60; 65-69: Gerard Malaczynski 19:41.78; 70-74: Bill Spencer 21:06.39; 75-79: Ed Whitlock 19:54.34

Pole vault, 60-64: Matti Kilpelainen 3.60m; 65-69: Terry Cannon 3.20m; 70-74: Bob Land 2.60m; 75-79: David Rider 2.10m; 80-84: Denver Smith 2.00

Shot put, 30-34: Derek Michaud 12.22m; 35-39: James Barr 12.82m; 40-44: Glenn Thompson 16.47m; 45-49: Warren Taylor 13.28m; 50-54: John Nespoli 16.75m; 55-59: Tim Muller 14.51m; 60-64: Charles Roll 16.35m; 65-69: Carl Wallin 12.87m

Maine Finishers

5,000, 50-54: 3. Tom Ryan (Cape Elizabeth) 17:14.41, 12. David Young (Danville) 23:33.23; 55-59: 6. Dennis Smith (Yarmouth) 21.52.91; 65-69: 9. Douglas Allen (Orono) 24:09.55, 10. Jerry LeVasseur (Brunswick) 24:55.18; pole vault, 65-69: 5. Buster Byrnes (Lincolnville) 2.60m; shot put, 50-54: 9. Daniel Casavant (Waterville) 10.11m

Women

5,000, 35-39: Barb Lauff 19:17.18; 40-44: Sanya Syrstad 18:37.18; 45-49: Patty Blanchard 18:32.77; 50-54: Jan Merrill-Morin 21:07.84; 55-59: Kathryn Martin 18:47.61; 65-69: Yvonn Tasker-Rotherberg 25:08.14; 70-74: Mary Harada 26:01.85; 75-79: Thelma Wilson 27:28.63; 80-84: Helen Lachman 48:06.45

Pentathlon, 800, 50-54: Denise Jenneck 2:58.31; 55-59: Rhona Trott 3:02.23; 60-64: Phil Raschker 2:54.05; 65-69: Jane VanEeuwen 4:26.46; 70-74: Christel Donley 4:08.59; 75-79: Edythe Leek 6:27.83; high jump, 50-54: Kay Glynn 1.39m; 55-59: Rhona Trott 1.18m; 60-64: Phil Raschker 1.36m; 65-69: Ann Carter 1.06m; 70-74: Christel Donley 1.09m; 75-79: Edythe Leek 0.09m; long jump, 50-54: Kay Glynn 4.33m; 55-59: Rhona Trott 3.61m; 60-64: Phil Raschker 4.49m; 65-69: Ann Carter 2.89m; 70-74: Christel Donley 2.86m; 75-79: Edythe Leek 1.92m; short hurdles, 50-84: Phil Raschker 1135 points; shot put, 50-54: Kay Glynn 9.47m; 55-59: Rhona Trott 7.69m; 60-64: Phil Raschker 7.93m; 65-69: Ann Carter 5.49m; 70-74: Christel Donley 7.41m; 75-79: Edythe Leek 4.65m

Pole vault, 40-44: Pamela Swan 2.80m; 50-54: Kay Glynn 2.80m; 55-59: Hillen von Maltzahn 2.70m; 60-64: Phil Raschker 2.30m; 70-74: Florence Meiler 1.83m

Shot put, 35-39: Wanda Johnson 12.32m; 40-44: Susan Wiemer 9.58m; 45-49: Oneithea Lewis 13.06m; 50-54: Carol Finsrud 12.39m; 55-59: Mary Hartzler 10.65; 60-64: Barbara LoPiccolo 9.10m

Maine Finishers

5,000, 50-54: 5. Nancy Kneeland (Bar Mills) 24:02.44; pole vault, 40-44: 1. Pamela Swan (Bowdoin) 2.80m; shot put, 40-44: 1. Susan Wiemer (Freeport) 9.58m