Thanks Pre

The roads up to Pre's Rock look as if they have remained unchanged from when the legendary American distance star died 33 years ago.

The narrow, cracked concrete streets that carried me and my bicycle up the hill looked as if time, and a Eugene roads maintenance team, had forgot them. Maybe that's intentional. Maybe residents along Birch and Skyline Blvd. would like the area to be their little secret.

In some ways it is. Had it not been for signs that the Eugene 08 Committee placed from Hayward Field to Pre's Rock, I might not have found it. There are no permanent signs leading to the monument until you get to the base of Birch, and those look like they may have been erected recently.

While it is not well marked, Pre's Rock is easily found by those (including myself) who wish to pay homage to the man whose spirit still lingers like coastal clouds over Eugene during track season.

WHO IS PRE? For those not in the know about track, Steve Prefontaine is still considered to be the best distance runner the U.S. has ever produced. After growing up in Coos Bay, "Pre" attended the University of Oregon, where he ran under legendary coach Bill Bowerman. While at Oregon, Pre won three straight NCAA cross country titles and three NCAA three-mile titles. At the time of his death on May 30, 1975, Pre owned American records in every event from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters.

Pre is referred to be some as the "James Dean of American Track," primarily because of his stance against the Amateur Athletic Union, the body that then governed track and field. Pre said the things that many athletes were afraid to say because of the fear of retrobution by the AAU: that amateur athetes should be allowed to receive payment for appearances in track meets. Such payment, in the AAU's eyes, would take away one's amateur status and thus the chance to represent the nation in international competitions, such as the Olmypics.

Right at the height of his career, Pre's life was taken away. On the night of May 11, 1975, Pre was involved in a one-car accident on Skyline Blvd., coming home from a party. He swerved his MG convertible (for unknown reason) into a rock wall. The car flipped and pinned him. The cause of the accident has never been determined, but there are many theories. Some say a second car that sped from the scene was involved, while others blame drunk-driving by Pre.

WHAT ONCE WAS A SIMPLE ROCK with "Pre 5-30-75 RIP" enscribed with white paint on the rock wall has now become a shrine. In 1997, the City of Euegen dedicated a memorial on the site, featuring a photo of Pre and an inscription. Runners have left many alms at the altar of Prefontaine. My trip this morning found a number of t-shirts, bib and hip numbers, shoes, flowers and momentos from the Trials. It also includes a number of finishers medals, including one someone had left from the 100th Boston Marathon.

I left nothing, instead just marveling in being in the presence of Pre and thinking about the millions of runners who have been inspired by him. I am sure may have thought about Pre in the last few days. What would he think of a track production so driven be sponsorship, like these Trials are? Would he smile on the contracts and sponsorships that runners receive now, allowing them to carry on that Olympic dream? Would he frown on what has been described as the recent decay of American distance running? Or doping? Or China's human rights record?

One would have to think that he and Bill Bowerman are sitting up in Heaven, sharing a cold one and marveling at what had created. Without Bowerman and Pre, its highly likely that none of this would exist. Eugene might not still be Track Town. Its main contributor, Nike, certainly wouldn't be around. I wouldn't have the chance to come to Eugene and watch the world's best step on the stage that has become Historic Hayward Field.

Thanks Pre.

Olympic Trials: Day 3

Tyson Gay is the fastest man in the world...almost.

Had it not been for a faster-than-legal wind (reference the photo), Gay would have set his second record in as many days. As it was, he provided an appropriate exclamation point on day three of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Gay looked incredibly smooth in running an astounding 9.68 seconds in the men's 100-meter final. Under all conditions, it is the fastest 100-meter time ever run by a human being. The allowable wind for records in the sprints in +2.0 meters per second. The race had a +4.1 wind reading.

Gay and the rest of the 100 meters field put the world on notice that the United States will be a force to be reckoned with in the sprints. A total of six runners in the race turned in times under 10 seconds, including fellow Olympians Walter (9.80) and Darvis Patton (9.84), along with Travis Padgett (9.85), Rodney Martin (9.97) and Leroy Dixon (9.99). Seventh-place finisher Michael Roberts finished in a paltry 10.01 seconds. Dix's time of 9.80 seconds is the fastest ever run by a collegiate athlete (2008 grad of Florida State).

The 100 was certainly the culminating event on what has been the shortest day of the trials thus far. The first five rounds of the decathlon began at 10:00 a.m., with the bulk of the other events not beginning until 2:25. All was said and one by 5:00 p.m.

Other highlights from day three...
• Defending Olmypic champion Jeremy Wariner made his first appearance of the meet in the 400-meter preliminaries. The former Baylor standout simply cruised, pulling up to a near complete stop at the finish line while still winning his heat in 46.04 seconds. It was the slowest heat of the four preliminary rounds, but I don't expect Wariner to hold back in tomorrow's semifinals.

• 35-year-old Derek Miles earned his second trip to the Olympics and his first U.S. outdoor title, winning the pole vault with a mark of 19 feet, 0.25 inches. Brad Walker, who set the new American record at Hayward Field in the Prefontaine Classic earlier this month, finished third (18-6.5) to make his first Olympic team. "This year was much more stressful than previous years," Miles said in the post-event press conference. "At 35, I knew this was probably my last chance to make an Olympic team. There was way more pressure for me this year."

• Sanya Richards' comeback to top form appears to be well underway. Richards owned the fastest time in the women's 400-meter preliminaries at 51.08 seconds. Dee Dee Trotter, who won gold with the 2004 1,600-meter relay team, ran 51.97 seconds in the fourth heat while running out of lane 8.

• Lashinda Demus found herself out of a spot at the Olympics. The 2006 outdoor champion who missed the 2007 season after giving birth to twins, Demus owned the second fastest time entering the women's 400-meter hurdles final. Tiffany Ross-Williams ran away with the race, winning in 54.03 seconds. Demus, who ran 54.76, was outleaned at the tape by Queen Harrison (54.60) and Sheena Tosta (54.62). For a time, Demus had been disqualified for a trail-leg violation (back leg around the hurdle as opposed to over it), but was later overturned.

HUMOROUS MOMENTS: Some ironies from the weekend...
• The men's 100-meter final had a false start when Xavier Carter jumped out the blocks early in lane 8. He was not charged with a false start, however, after officials determined it was caused by the crowd. Never mind that the crowd was dead silent.

• Some protests have taken place near Hayward Field against Olympics' host China and their human rights record. While I respect their right to protest, I did have to laugh when some protesters came up to one of the security entrances for the meet and asked how to get to the protest.

WHAT TO WATCH ON MONDAY: The fever-pitched event that has been the men's 800 meters will all come to the final tomorrow. Former Willamette star and current Oregon Track Club athlete Nick Symmonds owns the fastest time entering the finals, while Oregon standout and crowd favorite Andrew Wheating owns the second fastest time. We shall see if their kicks will get them through to the Olympic team. Former Klamath Union HS star Ian Dobson will try for a spot in the 5,000-meter final, as will current Oregon star Galen Rupp. Also finals in the women's 800 (which will feature 12 athletes thanks to Saturday's four-athlete pile-up) and the women's javelin.
BLAKE'S DOCKET FOR MONDAY: With the bulk of the track events not starting until 6 p.m., I will have some time to explore. Hopefully a morning run followed by attending the Track & Field Writers Association Breakfast, which will feature Oregon coach Vin Lananna and U.S. Olympic coach Bubba Thornton. After that, I hope to take more time to explore the festival surrounding the field and take a nap.

Olympic Trials: Day 2

Some of the highlights from an electric Day 2 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials...

• Tyson Gay sure knows how to come up with a make good performance. The reigning world champion pulled up short of the finish line in his preliminary heat of the men's 100 meters. Gay, who told reporters after the race that he mistook the 800-meter waterfall line for the finish, gave up an easy win for a fourth place finish, nearly aceing himself out of advancing.

It didn't take long for Gay to make everyone forget that. In his quarterfinal heat, Gay left nothing to chance as he led from start to finish and set an American Record in the event at 9.77 seconds. The sprint was just .05 seconds shy of the world record of 9.72 seconds, set earlier this year by Jamaica's Usain Bolt.

The sweltering weather cooperated to make the 100 exciting. Including Gay, a total of sixrunners went under 10 seconds. Travis Padgett won the second heat in a time of 9.89 seconds, one of the fastest ever by a collegian, followed by Rodney Martin (9.95) and Mark Jelks (9.99). Darvis Patton won the third heat in 9.89 seconds, followed by Ivory Williams (9.94).

Not to be outdone, Jeremy Demps established himself firmly as an up-and-coming talent. Demps, a senior out of Florida, ran 10.01 seconds, establishing a new American prep record and a world juniors record. In addition to his track prowess, Demps has signed a letter of intent with Florida to play football. My guess is that he ends up on the track team too.

• Relative unknown Muna Lee came from behind to win the women's 100 meter final, outdueling a star-studded field. Lee finished in 10.85 seconds, surging past reigning U.S. champion Torri Edwards, who was second in 10.90 seconds. Edwards held a close lead through the first 85 meters of the race, Lauryn Williams was third in 10.90 seconds to wrap the Olmypic team. Allyson Felix, the reigning 200-meter champion, was a non factor as she placed fifth in 10.96 seconds.

• Pat Tyson, in his day 1 wrap-up for The Oregonian's Web site, said the crowd cheering Andrew Wheating to victory in his 800-meter quarterfinal heat Friday was reminescent of the crowds that cheered Steve Prefontaine.

That may be nothing compared to what they may hear on Monday night.

Wheating, the Oregon standout, gave the Hayward crowd another exciting finish in the semifinals Saturday, suring from sixth place with 300 meters to go to finishing second with a time of 1:46.23. It is the second time in as many days that Wheating has pulled his now patented come-from-behind kick to make himself a factor.

Not to be outdone, former Willamette athlete and Oregon Track Club standout Nick Symmonds pulled one of those off himself. Sitting in fifth with 150 meters to go, Symmonds kicked and passed the field in lane one, going from being boxed in to winning the heat with a time of 1:45.61. Symmonds outkicked USC standout Duane Solomon (1:45.82) to enter with the final's best seed time. The men's 800 final takes place under the lights Monday night at 8:25 p.m.

• Those involved in the train wreck in the women's 800 meters will get a do-over in the finals. In the first heat of the semifinals, four athletes tripped and fell to the ground just past the 200-meter mark, including Oregon Track Club favorite Nicole Teter. After a protest was filed, it was determined that all four athletes, Teter, Becky Horn, Latavia Thomas and Kameisha Bennett, will also run in Monday's final. Despite the collision, teter still came close to coming all of the way back. She finished fifth in 2:10.76. Fourth place Laura Hermanson finished in 2:05.78.

• The show that is the men's shot put surely lived up to it's hype, with the competition coming right down to the sixth and final round. In the end, though, it was the expected result. Reese Hoffa, with the title already in hand, saved his best for last, ending the competition with a mark of 72 feet, 6.25 inches. The effort was just nine centimeters off of the Hayward Field record. Christian Cantwell also surpassed 70 feet, finishing second at 71 feet, 2.75 inches. Adam Nelson, a crowd favorite, used the Hayward mystique to will his way into the third and final Olympic spot with a mark of 68 feet, 6.5 inches. Would not be surprised to see those three out for beers together somewhere in Eugene tonight.

INSPIRATION SENSATION: Laura Roesler sure looked out of place when she stepped on the track for the semifinals of the women's 800 meters. The North Dakota native sported a pink singlet that stood out from the standard Nike and Adidas gear that adorned much of her competition. And the dual pigtail braids certainly are not the style you would expect from a world-class runner.

We'll give Roseler a pass. She is only in 10th grade afterall.

Roseler, who recently finished her sophomore year in Fargo, N.D., earned her way into the semifinals by placing fourth in her heat on Friday, bettering six others in her section well into their college years.

Perhaps the stress of having a chance for the Olympic team caught up to her Saturday. Roesler finished eighth in her semifinal heat, seeing her meet end in a time of 2:06.82. She was last in the day's fastest heat and had the 12th fastest time in the semifinals.

I have to admire this young woman for having the guts to take on the world's best women. She certainly gained the admiration of the Hayward crowd, who does often root for the underdog.

As for the singlet, Roesner told the Los Angeles Times in a story on Friday that she bought it at Target. It was all she had. My guess is that will change soon.

WEATHER REPORT: The high unofficially reached 94 at Hayward Field, but some high clouds and a nice breeze cooled things off for the latter part of the festivities.

WHAT TO WATCH ON SUNDAY: All eyes will be on the men's 100 meters, with semifinals at 2:30 and the finals at 4:49. I am sure a lot of people will be looking for a world record from Tyson Gay. Brad Walker will try to better his last performance at Hayward in the men's pole vault final. He set a new American record in the Prefontaine Classic earlier this month. Jeremy Wariner will make his first appearance in the quarterfinals of the 400 meters. There will also be finals in the women's triple jump, men's & women's 400-meter hurdles, women's discus and the men's long jump. The first five events of the decathlon also takes place on Sunday.

Olympic Trials: Day 1

This is the viewpoint I have while doing the race and report duties for the Olmypic Trials. Not bad, huh?

Day one of the Olympic Trials certainly lives up to it's billing: a well-hyped production that served as the beginning of a re-coming out party for the City of Eugene and Track Town USA.

Hayward Field was packed with 20,964 fans, setting a new attendance recrd on just day one of this eight-day event. the crowd was treated to some great performances.

• Hylesa Fountain set a new Olympic Trials and American Record in the heptathlon 100 meter hurdles. She looked incredibly fluid in running 12.65, breaking the records set by Jackee Joyner-Kersee. Fountain leads the heptathlon after day one with a score of 3,989 points.

• An incredbile race in the quarterfinals of the women's 100 meters by Torri Edwards. Her wind-aided time of 10.85 is the fourth fastest ever run by a woman, with or without the help of wind. The Hayward Field was also tied in the preliminary heats by Marshevet Hooker, but that too was a wind-aided mark (only time with a wind reading of under 2 meters per second count for record pruposes).

• Heats of the 800 meters where the locals from the Oregon Track Club and the University of Oregon did their part to keep the crowd engaged late. In the third heat, former Willamette standout Nick Symmonds charged from behind in the final 300 meters to win his heat. In the fourth and final heat, Oregon's Andrew Wheating surged in the final 100 meters, pulling into lane four to buck up and beat Texas' Jacob Hernandez.

• Former Klamath Union and Stanford standout Ian Dobson advanced to the finals of the 5,000 meters (third from the front in this picture), to be run on Monday. Dobson earned an automatic qualifying spot by finishing fifth in the second heat with a slow time of 14:01.42. Oregon's Galen Rupp, another fan favorite in Eugene, won the second heat with a time of 13:59.14.

• The first three females were named to the team in the final event, the 10,000 meters. It was a Phil Knight special as three Nike athletes, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher and Amy Begley finsihed 1-2-3 and earned spots in the Olympics. After a slow race over the first six or seven laps (78-80 seconds per 400), the three Nike women broke away, adding about 15 meters to their lead against the field with each lap. Goucher made a move to try and win it with three laps to go, but Flanagan, the current American record holder, took the lead back over the final 400 and held on for the victory.

After the race, Goucher's excitement was not so much for herself as it was for her friend, Begley. The two jumped up and down (like one of them had won the race), when Goucher found out that Begley had bettered the Olympic qualifying standard by 1.7 seconds, securing her spot in Beijing.

By the way...Flanagan bettered the old Hayward Field record in the event of 31:35.3 set in 1982 by local icon Mary Decker-Slaney. Decker-Slaney set that record at, of all things, an Oregon Track Club all-comers meet. It was a world record at the time as well.

I was truly impressed by how many people stuck around to watch the 10,000 meters. The longest of all the events and, for many track fans, the most boring, at least two-thirds of the 20,964 stayed until the end. It helps that Eugene has adopted Goucher as one of their own, being that she trains in Portland with Alberto Salazar's Oregon Project. Goucher mentioned in the press conference that she felt like she was an adopted Oregonian and felt a little bad that she let up some in the final 400...referencing the great Hayward crowd.

The atmosphere around the field was exciting much of the game, and keep in mind that this was a Friday and only the first day of the event. The festival was packed for much of the day and well into the night. This picture shows how many people who were without tickets simply sat and watched the big screen in the festival area.

As for my day, it was slow in going but quickly picked up. The first three events of the heptathlon (100m hurdles, high jump and shot put) opened the day, and we didn't have any responsibilities for those. We did help Dave Williford put out some fires, such as when it was discovered that the copiers for the restults did not have staplers or when NBC insisted on having 40 copies of each results sheet. Dave even went and (almost literally) unplugged the band performing in the festival so that the adjacent press conference with the 10,000 meter women could begin.

When the real races began at 5:30, it was fun work. The station for those of us on the race and review teams was on the lowest level of press seating in the west grandstand. The picture at the top of the page is the vantage point that we have. Fun to know that, in exchange for a little work, I can sit and watch a meet that others are paying hundreds to watch. After the long evening, though, it was short after hours. For me, a trip to Track Town Pizza for a bite and a brew and off to bed.

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The semifinals and finals of the women's 100 meters are this afternoon and should make for some great drama with Edwards, Hooker and Allyson Felix. Qualifying and quarterfinal heats of the men's 100 meters are also this afternoon as Tyson Gay looks to repeat his national title. The sprinters will be dealing with some serious heats with high expected in the mid 90s, so probably not the day for record-setting performances. The women's javelin also goes today, with Oregon and Newberg HS standout Rachel Youkovich among the favorites. Television coverage tonight on NBC beginning at 8:00 p.m.(sorry...tape delayed).

Getting Over Injury

I have to admit...it sucks being in Eugene and not have the ability to go for a nice long run.

For the last six months, I have been trying to get through an injury that has limited my running ability. It started as hamstring pain in my right leg and later became, quite literally, a pain in the right side of my butt. After months of self conjecture and an initial errant diagnosis as IT band syndrome, it seems the root of the pain is in my lower back. Ironic, isn't it, that my back doesn't hurt, but the pain refers itself down the right side.

So, after a couple of months of physical therapy, I am finally back to putting a few steps in. Right now no more than three six-minute jog segments (9 minute pace or slower) with a two minute walk before each one.

Still, you can't come to Eugene and not run. So it was up onto the bike and a short ride from the UO campus to Pre's Trail at Alton Baker Park. The bark-chipped trail is well maintained by volunteers along what was one of Steve Prefontaine's favorite routes. The trail was perfect. Nicely padded and made for a nice run before it gets excrutiatingly hot (high of 92 expected today).

Make no mistake about it: Eugene is a runner's town, and even more so over the next few days. I couldn't go a minute without seeing another runner. Many faster than I could go, but others slower. I was in good company. It's an appropriate sight in the town where the concept of "jogging" was introduced to American by Bill Bowerman nearly 50 years ago.

Still, it makes me yearn for the day that I can put in a 4-5 miler and enjoy the sights, get back in shape and enjoy getting back into racing. I miss it. It is my release.

The Eugene 08 Festival is getting ready to open. Outside my window, the theme from "Chariots of Fire" plays. Oh, for another long run. Hopefully soon.

Olympic Trials: Prologue

The sign says it all. Track and field's best will call Eugene home for the next 10 days in the quest to represent the United States at the Olympic Games.

The citizens of Track Town USA are trying to knock the socks off of those who are competing, coaching and coming to simply watch. It starts right along Interstate 5, where billboards just outside of Eugene welcome all comers to "Track Town USA, Home Of The Hardest Team To Make."

It ends at Hayward Field, the Mecca of track and field in the U.S., and a place that some local fans may not recognize. The field went through a $8 million remodel leading up to the trials, which included a new track surface and a revised infield that allows fans to see all events from the stands with the exception of the hammer (they will throw just south of Hayward).

The centerpiece of the renovations, and the most visable, is the large video board on the stadium's south end. Five stories high and donated by Nike, the board is a vast change from the old matrix board that stood at the same place.

What makes Hayward look different, though, is the temporary stands on all sides of the field. Rising nearly as high as the west grandstands (about six stories), the stands bring Hayward's capacity to around 14,000 people. And, yes, all tickets are sold out unless you want to sit behind a pole.

As I look out the window of my lodging in the Learning Living Center, right across from Hayward (thank you Dave Williford), preparations continue on the Eugene 08 Festival, a street fair that surrounds the field. Free to the community, the festival will include music, food booths and lots of merchandise. Also...a number of Jumbotron-style televisions to stream events to those who weren't lucky enough to get tickets. Organizers say this is a first for the Trials.

My experience began on Wednesday, when I drove down to pick up credentials (a 40-minute wait), followed by a three-hour volunteer orientation. The session spent two hours of volunteer particulars, such as information on what to do in the area, transit and how to treat people. The final hour was sensitity training aimed at providing "stellar customer service" to everyone who comes to the Trials.

Today was more orientation than anything else. I arrived at Hayward at 4 p.m. to follow along for a photographer's orientation session. Over 50 photographers showed up to hear that they could shoot from along the fence near the finish line and not much else. From there it was a short meeting with the rest of the media relations staff working under Dave Williford.

One other volunteer SID...Matt Hoover from Texas Christian. Two others are former colleagues of Dave's from Nevada and three more are student workers in the Oregon media services office. Greg Walker (who bragged that year at the CoSIDA Convention that he was going to rent his house out and get the heck out of Dodge), will help oversee the media tent and the mixed zone. Greg is now the cross country/track and field SID at Oregon...hence the change in heart.

I will spend most of my working time up in the press tribune in Hayward's west grandstands. I will work on one of three "race and report" teams. Specifically, we will write up short narrative, play-by-play summaries of each race for the media's use. So...I will get to watch most of the events. Not a bad deal.

FRIDAY'S ACTION: Events begin at 1:00 p.m., with the heptathlon 100-meter hurdles. The meet begins in earnest at 5:30 p.m., when the women's 100 meters preliminaries starts. Don't expect many upsets with the two favorites, Allyson Felix and Torri Edwards, breezing through the heats. Men's qualifying heats will take place on Saturday.

I will be paying particular attention to the semifinals for the men's 5,000 meters, which begin at 8:40 p.m. Former Klamath Union HS standout Ian Dobson will run. He enters the Trials with the seventh fastest seed time. Friday will be the only day without television coverage.

Fulfilling The Dream...Vicariously

Those of you who are close to me know that I will be spending the end of June and beginning of July at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. I have the honor to be part of the media relations staff for what many consider to be the world's greatest track meet.

Working high-profile sports events is something I really like to do, but the Trials are special. It's a dream come true and the fulfillment of a dream that was never truly realized.

In Oregon, the large high school state meet is held annually at Hayward Field, which is Mecca for American track & field enthusiasts. I was always good enough to make it into the field at the state meet as a prep runner, and probably would have run well against those loaded fields in the 3,000 meters.

Unfortunately, qualifying standards kept me from towing the line on Hayward's Mondo lanes. My junior year best time of 9:08.7 would have been competitive in the 1993 state meet. A third place finish, however, behind a winning of 8:55 by Grants Pass' Steve Reynaud and an 8:59 by Klamath Union teammate Russ Bjerke, kept me out of the meet. Another third place finish my senior year kept me home again.

I watched the 1993 Oregon state meet from the stands. My parents tried to sooth my disappointment by taking me to Eugene to watch the meet.

Fifteen years later, I still remember that disappointment. The satisfaction, however, has been that I am good enough as a sports information director to be trusted to be a part of the media relations effort at the Trials. It's not the same as being on the track, but still an honor to be part.

Maybe I can live a little through former KU runner Ian Dobson, who has the fifth fastest qualifying time in the 5,000 meters.

THE CoSIDA TAKE: To be a part of the Trials, I did elect not to attend this year's CoSIDA Convention, which takes place June 28-July 1 in Tampa, Fla. I weighed that decision heavily as I take my role of the organization's Board of Directors quite seriously.

I am sure I will take some heat from those who feel that I am shirking my board responsibility by not attending the decision, especially from those who feel like I should not be on the board in the first place for a second term. The fact is, working the Olympic Trials is a personal and professional opportunity that I truly could not pass up. The CoSIDA Convention is every year. The Trials are every four years and won't always be in my back yard.

Hopefully people will agree with what CoSIDA President Charles Bloom said when I consulted with him about the decision. "Your leadership in CoSIDA is a year-long effort, not just at the Workshop. You need to take this opportunity."