Running Through Time Former Eagles Speedster Rick Barbero Still Has Some Kick In The National Masters Track Meet

Nothing much, other than advancing age, has changed in the quarter century since Rick Barbero set a school half-mile record at West Valley High School.

True, he’s sporting a beard and has made his business mark in Eugene, Oregon.

But the 42-year-old can still run, as he proved during a homecoming at last weekend’s USATF National Masters track and field meet at Spokane Falls Community College.

Barbero finished fourth in his age group with a time of 2:01.14 in the 800 meters.

That was only six seconds off his all-time best and came after he had finished first in finals qualifying.

“They were jogging, I was running,” he said of his preliminary race performance.

But there’s a preface to that.

“The fastest time I had coming in was 2:04,” said Barbero. “It’s been a good year.”

Barbero and his brother Bob, the cross country coach at University High School, were standout runners at WV in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

Both went to Spokane Community College and Eastern Washington University before going separate ways. Rick wound up in the nation’s running mecca, Eugene, selling chainsaw accessories.

After 12 years he opened his own wholesale distributorship.

“I’m doing well,” he said, adding a jab at his brother. “Let say it beats education.”

That’s about the only thing he has beaten Bob at so he’s needed the extra cash. During a 20-year period they have bet dinner on the outcome of their Bloomsday race. Bob has a 16-3-1 advantage.

“He got me the first one and the last one and somewhere in between,” Bob said. “He spanked me bad. I went out hard, settled in and thought I was OK. I looked up and he was 30 yards ahead of me.”

Rick’s 1996 time of 41:53 to Bob’s 43:15 was indicative of his conditioning this year.

“I lost a bunch of weight,” he said. “I’m back to my high school weight.”

It began with January training for the annual Barbero Bloomsday Battle.

“After I got that out of the way, the all-comers track meets started in Eugene,” he said.

Rick ran all six, including a 4:12-2:05 double at 1,500 and 800 meters in one.

“That’s what got me excited for the Masters,” he said.

What he liked about the four-day meet is the grouping by age.

“You don’t get beat up by guys who run 1:49 or 1:55,” he said. “They (the trio in front of him) probably broke 2:00, but it was close and that’s nice to know.”

Bob, who held WV’s 800 record before Rick, and subsequently two others, broke it, watched his brother compete from the grandstands nursing a tender knee that kept him from entering the meet.

“It was kind of inspiring that he ran that fast that well,” Bob said.

Rick returned to the grandstand to the expected ribbing following the race.

“You would have broken 2:00 if you didn’t look at your watch with 200 meters to go,” offered Rogers distance coach Steve Keisel. “Do you think we’re incompetent?”

Bob got him for his running garb which included a white Bloomsday painter’s cap pulled tight over his head and sunglasses.

“Crime Check phones will be flooded with people calling to say the Unabomer is still out,” he joked.

It is attire that Rick Barbero wore at every all comers meet and was his inspiration at the Masters.

The 800 was his last competition for the season even though this week a World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) meet is in his home town.

“It’s been a long season,” Rick Barbero said.

Then it was off to his lake property and water skiing on Badger Lake.

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