World Masters Athletics News Masters Community mourns the Passing of a Great! Bob Lida

Masters Community mourns the Passing of a Great! Bob Lida

Masters Community mourns the Passing of a Great! Bob Lida post thumbnail image

The WMA Community is deeply saddened with the loss of Bob Lida, USA. Bob was the WMA Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2017. Only five athletes have been honored multiple times. The presentation for his 2012 accomplishment was at the IAAF Centenary Gala along with World Athletes of the Year, Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix.

Bob ran track and cross country in high school competing in half mile and mile. He was a walk on athlete at the University of Kansas where he quickly switched to sprints. He won a Big 8 Championship and is a UK Hall of Famer. Bob ran on and off after college but, bothered by sciatica, did not compete. He started competing in Masters when he was 40.

By 2009, Bob had won numerous USATF Masters Championships and six WMA Championships which led to his induction into the USATF Masters Track and Field Hall of Fame. He went on to win a total of 31 WMA Championships.

 

His 2012 accomplishments included setting three indoor (60m, 200m and 400m) and two outdoor (100m and 200m) World Records along with three WMACI gold medals. He won 60m, 200m and 400m at the WMACI in Daegu plus set World Records in 200m and 400m in 2017.

Bob currently holds world records indoors in the 60m(M75), 200m (M75 and M80), 400m (M80) and 4 x 200m (M70 and M 80) and outdoors in the 100m (M75), 200m (M75) and 4 x 100m (M70).

Bob spent his entire professional life in marketing and advertising including working for Cessna Aircraft Company and his own advertising agency for over 30 years. Most recently, Bob had a small company that removes tattoos.

He coached sprinters at Kapaun Mount Carmel High School, has winter workouts for them and coach cross country in the fall. Further impacting running in Wichita, Bob was instrumental in taking the Wichita River Festival from a race attracting about 100 runners to over 13,000 in less than ten years.

Bob enjoyed the competition and friendships in Masters Athletics. We will miss his friendship and watching him compete.

 

John Seto