This will be the first entry to kick off a series on my travels through the Pacific Northwest during the second leg of my terminal leave wandering. I will (try) to keep them shorter and will post them every few days to capture the whole experience before I forget everything! This post wasn’t the first experience chronologically, but is the most relevant since the trials are currently happening! You can still hop on stub hub and grab a ticket (if you live anywhere near Eugene I suppose…or hey, hop a flight, live a little!).
On July 3 I attended day 3 of the US Olympic Trials for Track and Field. After 26 years, 11 months, and 8 days… I made it to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The home of legends; of Steve Prefontaine, Bill Bowerman, and countless talented and epic runners. The inspiration for Phil Knight and Nike. This was a bucket list item for me and has been since I started running track and cross country and watched Without Limits (1998).
I am one of those people who is a student and somewhat dork of my passion so I follow the sport and modern athletes but also read about the history and the stories of bravery from runners past. The chance to go to Hayward and watch world class athletes compete for a spot to represent our country in the 2016 Olympics….whoaaaa…goosebumps. Best of both worlds. The energy in the stadium, the passion of the athletes. It was tangible. The heartbreak of those who didn’t make it was felt in the hearts of everyone in the audience. For some of the athletes you could tell they were just happy to be there, to have even made it to this stage. Every moment was filled with deep emotion from exasperation to elation.
If I ran the schedule and created my ideal trials day I would have loved to watch the 1500, 5,000 and 10,000 because they are the distances I relate to most. However, that is not how things roll, you have to spread out the distance events of course. And I love track and field so I was pumped about all of the Day 3 events anyway. You can see the schedule for the day here.
I’ll highlight a few events with some great photos thanks to my Nikon J1 zoom lens (the camera for non-pros who want pics better than an iPhone 6 can provide).
Women’s High Jump. This event was exciting! I tried the high jump once in junior high. I nearly threw out my back and walked away. But I love to watch it! The competition was fierce and the personalities were diverse. Here are some pics of the top three ladies who qualified for the Olympics. First was a seasoned vet; Chaunte Lowe at 5’9″, second was the 18-year old daughter of an NFL legend at 6’1″; Vashti Cunningham, and third was a spitfire with a mohawk and spiderman socks who is listed at 5’4″; Inika McPherson.
Women’s 100 Meter Dash. This was a treat with top contenders like Torie Bowie and English Gardner competing and earning their expected spot on the Olympic team. The times were fast as hell with 5 women under 11 seconds. A pic from the starting line below.
Men’s 100 Meter Dash. We watched Justin Gatlin, at 34, twice run the fastest time in the world so far this year. The old man still has it and can teach a thing or two to the young contenders at his heels! Below is his moment of gratitude and disbelief at his accomplishment in the 100 meter final.
Decathlon. The Olympic God of our generation and 2012 Olympic Gold medalist, Ashton Eaton, destroyed the competition and made the Decathlon look easy. We saw him compete in the javelin and 1500, which was the final event and solidified his spot as the top qualifier. He scored 8,750 points and blew away the competition. As a former Oregon Duck he then posed in the steeplechase water to celebrate his victory. The home crowd loved it.
400 Meter Dash. I personally LOVE the 400. It may because I ran it in high school, it may be because of Michael Johnson and Sanya Richards-Ross and now Alyson Felix, or the rush of that one lap run in under 60 seconds. But these were my favorite events of the day. LaShawn Merritt, former Olympian, placed first for the men. Alyson Felix, the crowd and analyst favorite won for the women. She also ran the fastest time in the world in 400 so far this year! I was able to get some great pics for the women’s 400, to include the header photo.
I suppose I should also touch on the logistics of the event, which are honestly very simple! When you purchase a ticket there are two free parking locations, South Eugene High School and Autzen Stadium, that have shuttles to Hayward Field. The shuttle takes a few minutes and they drop you off at the NW end of the venue. A quick security check later (bring empty water bottles only – they have free water stations everywhere!) you are inside the festival. There are food, games, and vendors everywhere. Nike, of course, has the merchandise monopoly but they have a fast-moving system to purchase hats and t-shirts. Only downside – no beer or non-bagged food inside the grandstands. Keep your ticket with you because they’ll check it upon return to your seat. When the event is over you just link back up with the shuttles and its a quick ride back to your parking lot. A great system and easy to navigate!
USATF puts on a well-organized event for the fans and athletes a like. One of the coolest parts was the recognition every athlete gave to the fans. You rarely get that at an athletic event. After each win they took the American flag and ran a victory lap waving, taking photos, and signing autographs. It such an epic experience to watch the competition, the post-race interviews, and the medal ceremonies. That day will stay with me forever. I can’t wait to see how the athletes fare at the Olympics and hopefully they will be running a victory lap in Rio waving the American flag in front of the world audience!
Cheers!
