photo: USATF
Results USATF Pacific Northwest athletes turned in a strong performance at the 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held July 16-19 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The championships, which attracted 1,719 athletes from all 50 states, were significantly impacted by poor air quality caused by the Canadian wildfires. Originally scheduled as a four-day meet, the competition was effectively condensed into two days as organizers moved some events to the adjacent indoor track, revised the competition schedule, and canceled others due to unsafe air quality. Despite the challenging conditions, nine (9) USATF Pacific Northwest athletes combined to compete in 20 events at the national championships.
Leading the way for Pacific Northwest were Eric Woodyard (Kitsap Fliers TFC) and Ronald Atkins (Kitsap Fliers TFC), who combined for two national titles and three additional top-four finishes. Woodyard captured the M45-49 200m national championship and added a bronze medal in the 100m, while Atkins won the M50-54 Long Jump, earned a silver medal in the 200m, and finished fourth in the 100m.
Additional national champions included Dena Birade (Ready Set Go Sprinters), who claimed the W50-54 100m title, and Emmet Hogan (Club Northwest), who captured the M55-59 5000m championship.
Pacific Northwest athletes also earned additional podium finishes from Russell Jacquet-Acea (Unattached), who finished runner-up in the M70-74 80m Hurdles while adding fourth-place finishes in the 300m Hurdles and Pole Vault, and Donald Galvanin (Unattached), who earned a silver medal in the M70-74 Javelin Throw.
Additional top-eight performances were recorded by John Troup (M70-74, Club Northwest, 1500m 5th, 800m 6th), Russell Jacquet-Acea (M70-74, Long Jump 6th), Woody Deitrich (M70-74, Club Northwest, Long Jump 7th, High Jump 8th), and Brandon Biodrowski (M40-44, 100m 8th).
Despite the challenging conditions and a significantly altered competition schedule, USATF Pacific Northwest athletes returned home with four national titles and numerous additional podium finishes, highlighting the association's strength across the sprints, distance events, jumps, hurdles, and throws.
The complete Pacific Northwest results scoreboard can be found here. Next year's championships will be held July 22-25 in Ames, Iowa.