Track Town USA

Olympic champion Stacey Dragila rests her vaulting pole on her shoulder, raises her arms above her head and begins to clap slowly. Like adoring fans at a rock concert, ten thousand spectators at Hayward Field mimic the rhythmic clap.

Dragila grips her pole and begins her sprint down the track. The clapping builds to a fevered crescendo as Dragila plants her pole and soars skyward. For a hushed moment, she hovers in air, then glides over the bar and floats back to earth to the thunderous cheers of the crowd.

Welcome to Track Town USA, where those who run fast and jump high are revered like rock stars and honored like royalty. Hayward Field, on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, has hosted three Olympic Trials and nine NCAA Championship meets since 1919, and provided the stage for some of the greatest athletes and performances in the history of U.S. Track & Field.

Before the fastest American men and women can go for gold at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, they must earn the right to represent their country on the oval at Hayward. The lore of this storied stadium is sure to grow when it plays host to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials for 10 days in June and July.

The House that Pre Built
Visit Hayward Field and you can almost hear the echoes of “Pre! Pre! Pre!” reverberate around the storied track.

Brash and bold, Steve Prefontaine became an American distance running legend with his win or die style of racing. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 19, placed fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Olympic Games while a junior in college, and won seven NCAA titles for the University of Oregon.

“Someone may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it,” Prefontaine said, and his front-running style drew a passionate following to Hayward field, where he won an incredible 35 of 38 races.

At the peak of his career at age 24, Prefontaine held every American record from 2 miles to 6 miles when, very early in the morning on May 30, 1975 he died tragically in a car accident in Eugene.

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift,” Pre often said, and his influence continued long after his bright career was cut short.

The first high-profile runner to sign with Nike, Prefontaine is credited with helping start the running boom of the 1970’s. The story of his life was captured in two movies, “Prefontaine” and “Without Limits,” the documentary film “Fire on the Track” and in the book “Pre.” Each spring, elite athletes from around the world converge on Eugene to pay tribute and compete in the Prefontaine Classic, the top one-day track meet in the U.S. And a 10K run takes place each fall in his hometown of Coos Bay, Ore.

Just Do It
Prefontaine is Eugene’s most famous runner, but his college coach may have had an even greater impact on the nation’s running boom.

Prefontaine was part of a University of Oregon distance running tradition led by Coach Bill Bowerman, known for his meticulous quest to create ever-lighter shoes for his runners.

That passion for the perfect shoe led him to co-found, with Phil Knight, a small footwear company named for the Greek goddess of victory. Under the guidance of Bowerman and Knight, Nike grew to become the dominant footwear and sports apparel company in the world.

Visitors to the Nike Store in Eugene can travel back in time to witness the birth of the company. The sportswear giant’s latest products are displayed side by side with an exhibit of some of Bowerman’s very first experimental shoes. Also on display is a waffle iron similar to the original one he took from his kitchen to create the tread on the original Nike waffle running shoe.

All Eyes on Eugene
The growth of Nike only reinforced Eugene’s stature as Track Town USA. Meanwhile, the University of Oregon continued to produce standout runners like Alberto Salazar, Rudy Chapa and Joaquim Cruz, and served as a training base for Mary Slaney and Marla Runyan. Eugene’s rich running tradition was a major factor in its selection as host for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

For Alberto Salazar, who now coaches elite athletes as a consultant for Nike, there is no better venue in the country.

“The atmosphere is electric,” says Salazar, three-time winner of the New York City Marathon. “Hayward Field is the best place in the U.S. to run.”

Fans and athletes alike will enjoy improvements added just for the Trials. By June, Hayward Field will have a newly resurfaced track, permanent lights, expanded seating, and a new scoreboard with a giant, 30-foot video screen that displays live action. On the track, the competition is sure to be fierce.

Kenyan-born Bernard Lagat, current world champion in the 5,000 meters, is seeking his first spot on the Olympic team since becoming a naturalized American citizen in 2004. Lagat will try to repeat his dazzling double at the 2007 World Championships, where he won gold in both the 5,000 and the 1,500.

Battling Lagat in the 1,500 will be Alan Webb, American record holder in the mile. Webb returns to the very track where, as a high schooler in 2001, he ran the fastest ever prep mile, breaking a record that had stood for 36 years.

Tyson Gay leads an elite field of sprinters seeking the title of World’s Fastest Man. The 25-year-old from Fayetteville, Ark. won both the 100 and 200 meters at the 2007 World Championships.

In the Trials’ longest running event, the 10,000 meters, two locals will be crowd favorites. Kara Goucher, who recently moved to Oregon to train, will try to repeat her stunning bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships. Meanwhile, youthful University of Oregon standout Galen Rupp will compete against a field of veterans in the men’s 10,000 meters. Watching both races closely will be their coach, Alberto Salazar.

While the athletes do battle on the oval, fans can enjoy the Eugene 08 Festival, immediately adjacent to the track. Racing action will be displayed on two giant video screens, along with an entertainment stage, sports bar, kids’ zone and food court. Admission to the Eugene 08 Festival is free.

Beyond Track Town
Visitors inspired by the fleet of feet will want to explore this recreation mecca. Located in the temperate Willamette Valley of Western Oregon, Eugene boasts miles of European-style bark running trails first advocated by Steve Prefontaine. At Alton Baker Park, joggers can share the trail with past and future Olympians along the six-mile “Pre’s Trail.” There’s also a 13-mile paved bike trail that follows the Willamette River as it winds through the city.

A few minutes from downtown is “Pre’s Rock.” Each year, thousands make the pilgrimage to this spot to leave flowers and even race bib numbers and running medals at the site of his fatal crash.

But Eugene is more than just a track town. Residents take pride in their green surroundings and also in their “green” mindset. The city was named America’s #1 “Green City” by the Green Guide in 2006.

Celebrated writer and ’60s icon Ken Kesey went to school at the University of Oregon and lived most of his life in the Eugene area. The author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Sometimes a Great Notion,” Kesey and his band of “Merry Pranksters” left their mark on the city. Even today, at Eugene’s bustling farmers’ market and street fairs, tie-dyed shirts abound.

The vibrant arts community includes the Emmy-winning Oregon Bach Festival, which draws 32,000 visitors from across the country for a 17-day event the LA Times called “a musical enterprise virtually without equal in America.” This year’s festival coincides with the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Wine lovers appreciate the fringe benefits of the temperate Willamette Valley climate, where vineyards yield some of the finest Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Chardonnay in the country, available for sampling at several nearby Lane County wineries.

For athletes and fans alike, the theme for the Olympic Trials in Eugene is a simple one: Just do it.