63 Years Since the First Sub-4 Mile at Hayward Field
Dyrol Burleson outkicks Stanford’s Ernie Cunliffe, in a dual meet against Stanford University to become the second American to break the 4-minute barrier. Photo provided by UO Libraries Special Collections and University Archives
By Natalie Baltierra
“When you see someone do the impossible, everything becomes possible.”
63 years ago this month, 20-year-old University of Oregon sophomore, Dyrol Burleson, ran the first sub-4 minute mile at Hayward Field on April 23rd, 1960.
Burleson clocked a time of 3:58.60 for the mile, outkicking Stanford’s Ernie Cunliffe, in a dual meet against Stanford University to become the second American to break the 4-minute barrier. His mark surpassed Don Bowden’s American record by one tenth of a second.
Under the guidance of Coach Bill Bowerman, Burleson never lost a race during his time as an Oregon Duck. He received the first full ride scholarship from Coach Bowerman and credits his undefeated collegiate career to his coach, as mentioned in an interview with sportswriter Gary Cohen.
Burleson was a three-time NCAA champion between his sophomore through senior seasons. He won the 1500m in 1960 and the mile in 1961 and 1962. Since freshmen were not allowed to compete during this time, Burleson competed in the 1500m at the 1959 Pan American Games and the AAU and US-USSR dual meet.
Since then, over thousands of athletes have accomplished the sub-4 minute mile feat – something that used to be thought of as an impossible task. It was not until British athlete Roger Bannister did the “impossible” to become the first person to run a mile in under four minutes in 1954.
Almost seven decades later, the "impossible” has nearly become the norm.
According to the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), a total of 103 NCAA-level (Division I, II, and III) athletes have run a sub-4 mile this past 2022-2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field season.
A lot has changed since then and there are many factors that come into play when looking at the why and how of the remarkable increase of sub-4 minute miles: The evolution of training, advanced coaching, modern facilities, the introduction of “super shoes,” and much more.
Yet, one thing remains the same no matter the passage of time: The chase for the coveted sub-4 mile.
Today, the sub-4 feat is commemorated right here in our Eugene/Springfield community. Founded in 2022 by Olympian, World-Record Holder, and three-time U.S. Champion Ben Blankenship, Endless Mileage is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering sustainable environments and programming that inspire the next generation of track & field athletes to break barriers.
Under the Endless Mileage project, the Fast Forest is the visible recognition of the accomplishments of the American athletes who have run a sub-4 (men) and sub-4:30 (women) mile.
Located at Dorris Ranch in Springfield, Oregon – just three miles east of Hayward Field – over 692 trees have been planted to honor the 692 American athletes who have accomplished this feat through 2021, with more trees being added every year. Dyrol Burleson’s sub-4 minute mile is immortalized with the second tree planted in the grove.
Every tree has a biodegradable hang tag with the athlete’s name, official time, and date of the accomplishment so you will know when you have found the right one. Wander the grove or search for a specific athlete using the Fast Forest map here – and be sure to tell us what you think.
Women's History Month: Q&A with Sam Nadel, Six-Time All-American and Member of UO Women’s Triple Crown Team
Photo provided by Sam Nadel
By Natalie Baltierra
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of inspirational women in Oregon track and field history.
We sat down with Sam Nadel, a six-time All-American and a member of the University of Oregon Women’s Triple Crown team. Nadel scored points at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, as well as the Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 2016-17 seasons.
What does being an alumna of the University of Oregon Women’s Track and Field team mean to you?
It is honestly such an honor and a privilege. Everyone knows the University of Oregon track and field team – it is literally at the top of the sport. I have always been so humbled and thankful to have been a part of that, especially the 2016-17 team. I have always been so grateful for that opportunity and just what it means within the context of track and field.
The UO Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams accomplished something that had never been done before: Win NCAA titles in the cross country, indoor and outdoor championships all in one year. How is this historic achievement significant to the growth of the sport and the impact on women’s athletics?
I think it is huge, especially with the University of Oregon. A lot of history is centered around the men of Oregon – you always hear about that. The women’s team winning the Triple Crown was huge because it really shows how much women in sports have grown over the years. To accomplish something like that was so big because it brought a lot of attention to women’s sports and shows what is possible. When other teams see that, it is like “Well, you know, maybe we could do that too.” It was a really key moment, not just for Oregon, but for women’s sports across the board in general.
Thinking back to being a part of all three Triple Crown teams, walk me through the energy and mindset when going into each championship race.
It was honestly awesome because I had never been a part of a group where it was so razor focused. Obviously, everyone had their individual goals for these meetings, but really everyone had that team goal we were working towards. That is something we all knew we wanted to accomplish. Being a part of this big team where everyone had the same mindset and focused on this one goal was really cool. The energy was very positive, very intentional, and very focused. Especially at the meets when you see your teammates put points up on the board, it was really inspiring when everyone is out there rooting for each other. For me, all I was thinking was how can I get some points up on the board and how can I contribute to the team score. It is a really special feeling when you feel like you are a part of that.
Did you feel any sort of pressure going into these races?
Yeah, definitely. I think there was that pressure there. There is quote that I always like to think of where Billie Jean King said, “Pressure is a privilege." I guess you can say the pressure was there, but I think we just saw it as a privilege. It was something that we all really wanted. I think having that pressure can be good when you are out there knowing your teammates are counting on you. I think that can have a positive effect on how you perform and doing it for something that is bigger than yourself. We all viewed it in a positive way. Everyone knew they wanted to do it, so it was not something that people shield away from or anything like that.
How did being a part of the Triple Crown team impact your commitment to the sport?
I always considered myself to be extremely committed to cross country and track, which is pretty much why I wanted to be a part of a program like the University of Oregon. I think that is a big part of what got me there. We accomplished so much more than I ever would have thought initially going into it. Accomplishing all of that is such a cool feeling and it heightened that commitment that was already there.
After my sixth year, I wanted to keep going to see what I could do at the professional level, so I joined the Boston Athletic Association.
I would say that winning that Triple Crown and being on that high made me think: If we could do this, what else can we accomplish? You know, sky is the limit thing.
As a very successful high school and college athlete, how did you make the transition from athlete to coach? What did you bring from your running career into coaching?
I felt like I had so much experience with the sport at a high level starting with running in high school, Georgetown for undergrad, Oregon for grad, and then a year for the BAA. Four high-level programs and each one was different in the ways we trained, and the coaches were different. I felt I had a ton of experience which gave me confidence for coaching – something I had always wanted to get into when I was done competing.
The way it happened was kind of funny. I was running for the BAA and I intended to be there for a few years. One of my teammates from Georgetown was an assistant at Stanford at the time, and they were looking for a replacement since one of their coaches was going to leave. He remembered that I said I wanted to get into coaching when I finished competing, so he called me up and asked if I would be interested in joining. I ended up moving to North Carolina as an assistant distance coach at UNC. It was an opportunity I felt like I could not say no to even though I intended to keep running for a couple years.
From being an athlete to coaching, it is a different role, especially starting off young as I was 25 years old at the time starting out. Overall, I was confident in what I could bring as a coach because I learned a lot from the experience I had [as an athlete].
Photo provided by Sam Nadel
My fifth year of my college career – when we won the Triple Crown – was the smoothest year that I had. I was injured on-and-off throughout college. It definitely was not this picture-perfect, super smooth ride. But I felt like I learned a lot from that. So, not only the experience from being at four different programs but also my own personal experience with my running and what I went through, I felt like I just had a lot I could give as a coach. That is what really aided in my transition from being just an athlete to coaching.
In terms of specific things that I bring into coaching, I learned a lot about different coaching styles, training styles, injury prevention (a big one for me personally) and the importance of building relationships with your athletes. I feel like a lot of coaching is really getting to know what motivates each individual athlete. I took a lot from my experience with that.
Tell me about some of the most influential coaches in your running career.
At every step of the way, each coach had an impact on me. My high school coach taught me a lot about commitment, the value of hard work, and going all-in for something both individually and as a team. We had a pretty good team when I was in high school. We trained a lot and I think a lot of people just thought we were doing a lot. But [my coach] really taught us the value of hard work, commitment, and doing it for your team.
When I was at Georgetown, Coach Mike, who is coaching at NAU now, taught me a lot about going all-in for something, doing everything you can, and committing yourself 100% to it – even though that does not mean it will always work out.
The coach that had the biggest impact on me was Coach Maurica, the women’s coach when we won the Triple Crown. It was my first time having a female coach and I think there was a big relatability factor to that. She had the biggest impact on me. I was hurt on-and-off since the end of high school and during most of my time in undergrad. I felt like I did not accomplish what I wanted to throughout my time in undergrad, but it was something deep down that I still really wanted to seek out. That is why I wanted to do that fifth year, and I wanted to do it at Oregon because I was going all-in. I figured if I really wanted to seek out my potential, and if there was anywhere that could get me back, it was going to be a place like that. And so, I really went all-in.
I remember [during] my visit [to Oregon] before I decided to attend, [Coach Maurica] and I talked a lot about what injuries I had gone through and what my journey had been like through both high school and college. She was very reassuring and was like “I think this is something that can be fixed in the weight room.” Long story short, I just had a lot of weaknesses and imbalances that I did not know about when I was in undergrad. Once I got on a program for that, it helped me a lot to stay healthy.
I was able to get along with her really well as there was that relatability piece, so we had a good relationship. With all those things, having her was huge because she was willing to listen to what I had gone through. It seems like she knew exactly how to get me out of the spiral of the injury cycle I was experiencing. I really bought into it, and it all ended up working out even better than I could have imagined. I am really thankful for that opportunity because my running was really something that I wanted to see out – I felt like I had it in me and I just could not get any consistency, really. I remember she had sold that to me on my visit, and it was true when I got there. Everything she said was true. Looking back, I am so thankful for that because if I did not have that who knows what I would be capable of running-wise or if I were to keep going.
Why is it important to have women coaches in the sport of track and field?
There are not a ton, but I think it is really important to have female coaches and not even just for women’s teams. I work with both the men and women at George Washington University, and I think there is a big value to that. I think women can bring a different perspective a lot of the time. That is important because there is that relatability piece for women but even for men, too. There is a lot to be said for being able to work with both [men and women] and having that impact on both teams. Just naturally, men and women can bring different things to the table.
I think we all felt that connection with [Coach Maurica]. When you feel that connection, you are going to run well because you want to do it – not just for you, not just for the team, but for her too. She made practice every day really fun. I think that energy does have an impact on performance. It is important to have that relatability piece and to see that she was a great athlete herself back when she was running at Stanford and hearing about what she accomplished. It is just so cool to see and learn from someone who was at a high-level.
Who are some women figures in sports you looked up to while growing up?
The most inspired I felt was honestly being a part of that Triple Crown team and seeing what my teammates accomplished – someone like Raevyn Rogers winning that national championship every year. I mean, the amount of pressure I am sure she experienced and how she was able to pull it off every time.
But really, just being on that team, obviously, all the women were so accomplished. Everyone did feel both that individual and team pressure. I felt like everyone was able to really dial-in and handle it really well. That was always really inspiring to me. It was just my own teammates, honestly. Being a part of a team like that is contagious and everyone feels that energy. I think with them it goes an extra level because you know them, they are your teammates. I feel like I am most inspired by people that I really know because you see what they go through, you see what they struggle with, and you see them overcome struggles. For me personally, I have always felt the most inspired by seeing female athletes that I know and see what they accomplish.
It is a high-pressure environment, so seeing everyone come together and overcome all of that and actually do it – that is the most inspiring to me.
What advice do you have for young female athletes in sports?
Photo provided by Sam Nadel
The advice that I would give would be to seek out those role models that will help you achieve your goals. Build off those similar mindsets and work towards accomplishing something together. Find people that you really look up to – could be your teammates or anyone really in your sport. You are inspired by people that have accomplished things that you want to accomplish. Choose to be surrounded by people that have the same mindset. I think it is really important to surround yourself with those people because then the feeling and those goals just magnify. Something I noticed through coaching is sometimes there can be competition with one another when we should be coming together as a team and supporting one another to accomplish something together. It should not always be against one another.
What are some positive changes you hope to see in the future of women’s track and field?
Going back to your first question of our team doing something that has never been done before, I think we are moving in a really positive direction as far as accomplishing things like that. As far as things I would like to see in the future, I hope we continue to untangle certain stereotypes about women in sports. I think we are privier to it as coaches because we just see it more. For example, there is always a debate should we move the women up to 8K or 10K in cross country? Or should the distances be more equitable? Even stereotypes within women’s teams like, “Oh, women can be harder to manage,” you know, things like that. I think untangling some of those stereotypes and moving past some of that is really going to happen when you have more women accomplishing things like this and just having more experience. There are also stereotypes about women in coaching and I think those are only going to get untangled once you have more representation of women doing it.
Continuing to move in that direction to have more female representation in the sport and to have more women’s teams accomplishing more of these things is what is going to start making things a bit more equitable.
UO Coach Johnson Dazzles at TrackTown Tuesday
Oregon track & field head coach Robert Johnson shares stories about his horizontal jumpers Rhesa Foster, Lexi Ellis and Isaiah Griffith. Photo by Jake Willard
By Caela Fenton (@caela_fenton) / TrackTown USA
The second TrackTown Tuesday of 2020 lived up to its mission statement to cover the sport at all levels–community, collegiate and elite.
First up was Oregon track and field head coach Robert Johnson and three of his jumpers: Rhesa Foster, Isaiah Griffith and Lexi Ellis, all of whom sit in the second place spots on the UO all-time indoor performance lists in either the long jump or triple jump. Griffith, in fact, informed the crowd, “I plan on winning both.”
The heart of the segment belonged to Johnson, who went off-script to fit in some real talk with the Eugene community about Hayward Field. Johnson said the most common questions he’s received about the field over the past two years have been: What’s up with that tall thing? (in reference to the tower attached to the stadium). According to Johnson, the tower was designed to resemble the Olympic torch. Is it going to be ready for PAC-12s? Johnson adamantly shut down rumors that the plan was to host PAC-12s elsewhere: “There have always been contingency plans because that’s just good organization–remember this time last year we were experiencing what people were calling ‘snowmaggedon,’” Johnson chuckled, “but the plan is still to host PAC-12s at our new stadium on May 16th.” He added that there would be a reveal ceremony for the athletes before that, since “There’s people on our team that have never run on Hayward Field and that’s crazy to me.” The venue has long been an important symbol not only of the UO program’s success, but also the broader Eugene community’s commitment to and appreciation of the sport and its history. Finally, so, exactly how many people is this stadium going to fit? Johnson’s answer to that was, it’s not 100 percent yet, but regular seating is expected to be around 12,700, and expandable seating going up to 27,500.
In the second segment, UO School of Journalism and Communications professor Lori Shontz, of “track class” fame, revealed her inspiration for the now highly-sought after class–the Croke Park Classic. This was a football game between Penn State (where Shontz formerly instructed) and UCF that was played in Ireland. Penn State developed a program for student journalists to cover the game like professionals. Shontz adapted the same model and since 2015 her track class has covered all major meets at Hayward Field. In total, students have produced 636 stories–169 of which were for professional publications. Shontz took the program a step further this past fall, organizing the opportunity for four UO students to travel to Doha to cover the 2019 IAAF World Championships, a dry run for when the event comes to Oregon in 2021.
University of Oregon journalism professor Lori Shontz recalls her experience teaching “track class” with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd. Photo by Jake Willard
Shontz’s track class will be out in full force at the Olympic Trials this spring, where she’ll potentially be inspiring students to follow her own path. “It became very clear at a young age that I wasn’t going to the Olympics as an athlete,” said Shontz, “So I told my parents that I’d find another way to get myself there.”
The final segment featured new OTC Elite member Will Paulson. Born in the UK, Paulson attended Princeton and used his final year of eligibility at Arizona State. While at Princeton he narrowly missed out on the NCAA 1500m final in both 2017 and 2018, the latter by mere hundredths of a second. “Some people are complaining about the new Hayward, but I’m kind of glad to see it go,” joked Paulson, who definitely did not have the “Hayward Magic” experience. His fortunes turned after a year of hard work at Arizona State, after which he emerged as the PAC-12 champion in the 1500m.
Oregon Track Club Elite newcomer Will Paulson is welcomed to the TrackTown community. Photo by Jake Willard
Paulson, who holds citizenship for both Britain and Canada, ultimately made the decision to compete for Canada on the world stage. “Most of my mother’s family is still in Quebec, and I grew up speaking French at home,” Paulson explains of his decision. “Even though I grew up in the UK, I’m very connected to French-Canadian culture.”
Paulson was crowned the Canadian champion in the 1500m in 2019 and snagged a bronze medal in that event in his first appearance for Team Canada at the 2019 Pan Am Games.
Video by Jay Bendlin
TrackTown Tuesday Kicks off Olympic Year with a Bang
By Caela Fenton (@caela_fenton) / TrackTown USA
TrackTown Tuesday couldn’t have started its 2020 series off with a more riveting opener than the exclusive showcase of “The Hunt,” a short film documenting the time trial turned epic performance that went down in September at the iconic “track in the woods” on Nike’s Beaverton headquarters.
While any race on U.S. soil that sends three men to a 5,000m in 13:00 or below is noteworthy in rarity, on display in “The Hunt” are the unquantifiable aspects that go into breakthrough performance trust in teammates, energy from a psyched crowd, the abundance of f-bombs (a la Shalane Flanagan) needed to make it feel real.
Jeff Merrill and Julian Heninger recount their experiences from the Portland 5000 in front of the TrackTown Tuesday crowd. Photo by Jake Willard
The film exudes a kind of raw energy, one that filmmaker Jeff Merrill and race participant, Julian Heninger, likened to that of Hayward’s magic. In fact, the old Hayward Field inside rail was pulled from storage to stand guard at the race. Pointing to the knowledge of the crowd at the race, Merrill notes: “We had high school kids running across the track, bending down just to touch it.” Heninger, an Olympic marathon trials qualifier, was in the race so that there would be five finishers, the number required for it to be eligible to run the Olympic standard. “Varsity called and JV didn’t flinch,” he said good-naturedly of Bowerman Track Club Head Coach Jerry Schumacher reaching out to fill spots in a race that would feature some of the sport’s biggest names: 2016 Olympic gold medalist Matt Centrowitz, multi-time U.S. champion Lopez Lomong and 2019 USATF outdoor bronze medalist Woody Kincaid, paced by Mo Ahmed, holder of eight Canadian records, who had already achieved the Olympic standard.
The documentary is being toured next in New York and Texas. When it becomes available online it will be a must see for any runner needing a reminder of what the sport looks like at its best – in both its quantifiable and intangible senses.
The second segment of the evening featured University of Oregon distance athlete Carmela Cardama Baez and UO associate head coach Helen Lehman-Winters, who recounted Baez’s breakthrough performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year with a second- place finish in the 10,000m. It was her first time at the meet.
Carmela Cardama Baez and her coach Helen-Lehman Winters share a laugh as the recall Cardama Baez’ second place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2019. Photo by Jake Willard
Without eligibility left for cross country, Baez and Lehman-Winters were able to focus on performing well early in the indoor season. Baez ran a 15:25 5,000m in December, demolishing the UO record formerly belonging to renowned alum, Jordan Hasay. Baez and Lehman-Winters have big goals in mind for the upcoming Olympic year. As Baez phrases it, drawing from her experience as an international student from Spain, and a transfer to UO after spending two years at Florida State: “I haven’t come this far only to come this far.”
The third segment of the evening carried on this theme of track as a sport that tests not only one’s physical, but also mental endurance. New member of OTC Elite, Chanelle Price, was candid about the race anxiety and immense pressure to perform she faced in college, after dropping a 2:01 800m at the Prefontaine Classic in 2008…at age 17. Winning at World Indoor Championships six years later was what Price openly called her “first really good race since high school.” She’s navigated her way through a series of unsatisfying years in the sport with the assertion that, “when you’re thinking about giving up, remember your why.”
Oregon Track Club Elite’s Chanelle Price is introduced to the TrackTown community at the 2020 premier of TrackTown Tuesday. Photo by Jake Willard
If the rest of the TrackTown Tuesday series is anything like its opener, citizens of TrackTown USA are in for a special season.
Video by Jay Bendlin
TrackTown Tuesday Season Finale Looks Toward the Future
OTC Elite star Sally Kipyego (right) shares a laugh with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA
By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA
The last TrackTown Tuesday of 2019, held at the Downtown Athletic Club on June 4, looked toward the future of track and field in the community.
OTC Elite’s Sally Kipyego headlined the event, showcasing her vivacious personality to the crowd. Kipeygo, a prolific distance runner with a 2012 Olympic silver medal in the 10,000m to her name, has since made the transition to the marathon. That journey has brought both triumphs and challenges. One of those successes was a runner-up finish at the 2016 New York Marathon.
“I remember crossing the finish line in New York and coming in second was amazing,” said Kipyego. “You can’t replicate that. I love the marathon, but I have a hate-love relationship with it. But it’s more love.”
She also shared a story of how, while was driving a car in Kenya, young girls were shocked to see a woman driving on the road.
“Children need to see people like them doing great things for them to believe that it is possible,” said Kipyego.
That experience stuck with her as she noticed the impact athletes can have on young children. In 2014, Kipyego partnered with Shoe4Africa, a foundation that builds schools and hospitals in Kenya. In collaboration with that organization, her alma mater primary school has since been rebuilt and renamed after her.
As she prepares for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, Kipyego is focusing on developing her mindset.
“I say to myself: I have achieved this before and I have run this race before,” she said. “I have been successful at this before, so I can do it again.”
University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens was also a guest on the show, sharing information with the crowd on Duck athletics and Hayward Field. According to Mullens, the development of Hayward Field is crucial to the sport of track and field.
“Hayward is so unique – not only what it does for UO track, but it is the epicenter of track in this country and even for the world,” said Mullens. “I was really struck when I arrived here that this was a really unique community gathering spot.”
University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens talks about the vision for the future of the Oregon athletics department. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA
Mullens oversees the entire Oregon athletic department, and he discussed the common thread throughout all the programs in regard to recruiting and attracting athletes to Oregon.
“We look for people who are a great fit,” said Mullens. “We keep things simple: we want a culture of excellence in everything that we do. The foundation of everything is providing an exceptional student-athlete experience.”
Prefontaine Classic Meet Director Tom Jordan tested the crowd with trivia on athletes who are set to compete at the Pre Classic on June 30 in Stanford, CA. Jordan acknowledged that the Eugene fans are still the best track and field supporters in the country.
Prefontaine Classic Meet Director Tom Jordan gives a preview of this year’s event. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA
“One of the things that was special is to see the kind of loyalty and appreciation that the fans in this area have for the Prefontaine Classic,” said Jordan. “In return, I have appreciation for you all because I’ve been to a lot of track meets around the world and I think the fans here are the most knowledgeable in the world.”
TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly gives the crowd a first look at 2020 Olympic Trials ticketing information. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA
TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly concluded the show by revealing ticket information for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. Tickets will go on sale to the public on July 25, 2019 at 9 a.m. Pacific. More information on Olympic Trials tickets can be found at TrackTown20.com.
OTC Elite Veterans Highlight TrackTown Tuesday
Hassan Mead and Ben Blankenship (left to right) share stories with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.
By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA
Long-time teammates and Oregon Track Club Elite stars Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead headlined TrackTown Tuesday at the Downtown Athletic Club on May 7.
The duo shared stories and laughs with the crowd. They discussed their recent successes as well as detailing how they have grown throughout their professional careers.
Since joining OTC Elite in 2012, Blankenship is still evolving as a runner. He pointed to his victory at the 2018 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships as an example of this evolution.
“I just wanted to go out there and enjoy running,” said Blankenship. “Every day we step out on the track and are judged on how we perform. I wanted to retool myself in a different way.”
Mead recognized the importance of adaptability in tackling the 5,000m and 10,000m.
“We train for across the field,” explained Mead. “That way, when we want to race, we will be prepared for all of them. In 2017 we went for the 10k and I got the title for the US. You have to be ready so in case one event doesn’t work out, you can be prepared for the other.”
The Oregon track & field program was represented on the TrackTown Tuesday stage by Associate Head Coach Curtis Taylor along with sprinters Cravon Gillespie and Venessa D’Arpino. According to Taylor, the foundation for Oregon’s success moving forward is in the overarching culture of the program.
Cravon Gillespie, Venessa D’Arpino, and Coach Curtis Taylor (left to right) talk about their preparations for the upcoming Pac-12 Championships.
“The most important thing is to find people who fit with Oregon and want to stay at Oregon,” said Taylor. “We want people who want to be here and Be Oregon…these guys (D’Arpino and Gillespie) are the definition of that.”
D’Arpino reiterated that same philosophy as she described her motivation behind transferring to Oregon from Oregon State.
“It’s always been Oregon,” said D’Arpino. “I’m Oregon-born, Oregon-raised. I wanted to represent the state where I came from. That’s always been the goal.”
Gillespie also reflected on his journey to Oregon, which began in Pasadena, Calif.
“Coming from Pasadena, I have a lot of friends that have a lot of talent but made the wrong decisions and went down the wrong path,” said Gillespie. “My thing is to stay focused and stay humble. When I got the opportunity to come here, I took it and wanted to make the most of it.”
Next up for the Ducks are the Pac-12 Championships, May 11–12 in Tucson, Ariz.
Nike Running Insights Director John Truax, a University of Oregon alum, has been working at Nike for nearly 30 years, and shared some of his proudest accomplishments from that time with the audience. That included helping to establish and name a running trail on the Nike Campus after his colleague and mentor Geoff Hollister.
Truax credited Hollister for instilling in him a sense of the importance of giving back to the running community at large.
“I think giving back to the sport is what we should all be doing,” said Truax.
Sasha Spencer Atwood asks John Truax about his proudest accomplishments in his 30 years at Nike.
Truax also described his connection with University of Oregon student Justin Gallegos. In October, Truax presented Gallegos with a Nike contract, making Gallegos the company’s first professional athlete with cerebral palsy.
“With Justin, he is a passionate kid,” said Truax. “That’s what drew me to him – his love for the sport…He inspires a lot of people. Nike has a lot of great athletes around the world and sometimes they are hard to relate to. But for Justin, anyone can relate to him.”
The final TrackTown Tuesday of the year will be at the Downtown Athletic Club on June 4.
Bowerman Track Club Stars Headline TrackTown Tuesday
Olympians Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley (left to right) share their journeys as professional runners.
By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA
The April 2 edition of TrackTown Tuesday featured Olympians, UO student-athletes, and hometown entrepreneurs in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Downtown Athletic Club.
Bowerman Track Club teammates Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley anchored the show, sharing stories not only of their accomplishments but also of their connection as teammates. Houlihan described the competitiveness of being a professional athlete on the BTC squad.
“The team sets a high level of expectation,” said Houlihan. “We had 7 of 8 women on the Olympic team. I was the one who raced last. I saw all my teammates line up and make the Olympic team. I said, ‘Okay, if they can do it, I can do it too.’”
The crowd was treated to videos of wins by both athletes from the past two seasons.
Houlihan’s victory in the 1500m at the 2018 U.S. Outdoor Championships was perhaps her breakout performance. “I always knew I had it in me,” said Houlihan. “I had such a patient build up in mileage. Trusting the process and eventually one of these years it would all come together. Last year was perfect for it. Hopefully it continues to keep clicking and I keep getting stronger.”
Quigley felt her mile victory at the 2019 U.S. Indoor Championships was a long time coming as she had lost to Houlihan the past two years. Laughs were shared with the crowd as Quigley and Houlihan displayed their friendly competition. Still, that race meant a lot for Quigley who has suffered injuries since turning pro.
“Each time I’ve been injured, there’s a low point of thinking I’m never going to be able to run again,” said Quigley. “Then I get into these highs of being able to run and being grateful for running. I am now able to run with a sense of joy and freedom. It’s a constant up and down but I just have to ride those waves.”
Former Stanford track and field standouts turned married entrepreneurs Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas showcased Picky Bars, their nutrition bar company. The idea for the bars was borne out of Thomas’ need for healthy fuel for his training.
Picky Bars co-funders Jesse Thomas and Lauren Fleshman share a laugh with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.
“I made Jesse energy bars that were digestible for him,” said Fleshman. “Being an entrepreneur was way out of the question. But then I asked, ‘Why is there nothing on the market made with real whole food ingredients and based in sports principles?’”
Fleshman was a five-time NCAA champion at Stanford and a two-time U.S. national champion in the 5,000m. She now coaches the elite running team Little Wing. Thomas, a professional triathlete, has found that his work at Picky Bars has been a good counterbalance to his athletic endeavors.
“It’s been really exciting to have something to sink your teeth into that is intellectual and that you’re passionate about,” said Thomas.
University of Oregon track and field horizontal jumpers Chaquinn Cook and Rhesa Foster were onstage after big individual performances that contributed to their team’s 3rd place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month in Birmingham, Ala.
UO horizontal jumpers Chaquinn Cook and Rhesa Foster (left to right) recount their 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships experience.
UO senior Cook broke her own indoor triple jump school record with a leap of 13.83m (45-4.5) to notch a runner-up finish in that event.
“The feeling of just being on the runway and getting the clap going,” said Cook. “Not trying to freak myself out. All eyes were on me and I was able to do something good in the light of everybody.”
Foster also impressed with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA meet. On her final jump in the competition, she soared to a mark of 6.31m (20-8.5). The junior is aiming to set her goals even higher this outdoor season.
“In the past, if I set out goals I did not reach, it took a number on me mentally,” said Foster. “I try not to get stressed out now. For the upcoming outdoors, I need to work on my speed and timing and just have fun with it.”
The next TrackTown Tuesday will be on May 7.
Coach Cristobal Headlines Star-Studded TrackTown Tuesday
Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal talks to the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.
By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA
An impressive lineup of Oregon-based talent headlined TrackTown Tuesday in front of a crowd of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on March 5.
Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal started the night by reminiscing on the lessons he learned from his time as an athlete at the University of Miami and as an assistant working under Alabama coach Nick Saban. He also walked the crowd through how his staff built one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
“The number one thing is: it’s Oregon. It sells itself,” Cristobal said. “People ask what do you do that’s different? What is the secret sauce? It’s being genuine, passionate and getting after it. To us, working hard doesn’t cut it. You have to be passionate and fanatical about your approach.”
Cristobal emphasized the inclusion and warmth the city of Eugene has shown to his family. In addition, he spoke about how the connection to the history of Oregon football has had a powerful impact on his team.
“Our young men had to recognize the history of Oregon and what Oregon is,” he said. “You have to know and understand those who came before you. What they did, how they did it and why it is so important. We have our guys take a deep dive into history…Your love for a place genuinely grows when you understand all the people that have worn the same shoes you have worn.”
The UO track and field program was represented by freshman Max Vollmer, sophomore Keira McCarrell and assistant coach Seth Henson.
Vollmer, a decathlete, is eager to start his collegiate career for Oregon this spring after an impressive fifth-place showing for his native Germany at the 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships. He cited former Duck Ashton Eaton as his role model and part of the reason he wanted to come to Oregon.
“Ashton Eaton is the reason why I started doing the decathlon,” Vollmer said. “I like to think about human limits. I’m interested in what I can achieve. Ashton was good in all these events. He was my motivation. I watched all his videos to understand his greatness.”
McCarrell, a javelin thrower who qualified for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, is focusing on the heptathlon this season. She described the magical feeling she gets from the Hayward Field fans.
“We had our high school state meets at Hayward,” said McCarrell, who attended West Salem High School. “The culture was so contagious. There’s nowhere else in the country that is going to have a community like this. When you’re coming down that homestretch, the energy brings you home.”
UO track & field assistant coach Seth Henson appears onstage with multi-event athletes Keira McCarrell and Max Vollmer (left to right).
Henson, an Oregon native, works with the UO multi-event athletes along with pole vaulters and high jumpers. He explained the balancing act of coaching multi-event athletes.
“You have to be a jack of all and a master of none,” Henson said. “In the multi venture, always trying to juggle their athletic development with the technical side of it…There is a lot of communication in our room.”
The show’s final guest was Sabrina Southerland, a new addition to the Oregon Track Club Elite roster. Southerland is not a new face in the Eugene community – after graduating from Georgetown in 2017, she joined the Ducks for her final year of collegiate eligibility.
Those in attendance were treated to the video of Southerland’s 800m win at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Southerland remembered the race well.
“I could hear Coach Johnson say ‘Relax! Relax Sabrina!’” Southerland said. “I just had this really strong surge at the end. I was like, why not? I felt really confident at that point.”
The next TrackTown Tuesday will be April 2.
Former Duck Sabrina Southerland talks about joining Eugene-based professional team Oregon Track Club Elite.
TrackTown Tuesday Features Oregon Student-Athletes, OTC Elite and Eugene Civic Alliance
Jonathan Harvey and Jessica Hull discuss the Oregon track & field student-leadership team. (Photo: TTUSA)
By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA
Athletes and advocates alike took the stage at the first TrackTown Tuesday of 2019 in front of a crowd of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on Feb. 5.
The night started with a touching tribute to Barbara Kousky, who passed away last December. Kousky was an important figure in the Oregon Track Club and had a long and distinguished career in track and field management.
UO senior and 2018 NCAA outdoor 1,500-meter champion Jessica Hull was joined by her Duck teammate Jonathan Harvey, a hurdler and member of the men’s 4x400m relay. Harvey, a California native, explained his journey to becoming a part of the Oregon athletic tradition.
“Growing up, Oregon was always my dream school,” said Harvey. “I used to follow the football and track team all the time. I ran track when I was a little kid. So it was just destiny honestly.”
Hull and Harvey were selected by their peers to be on the leadership council for the track and field team. That council sets the precedent for what it means to be an Oregon student-athlete.
“We are trying to develop this concept of being a Duck,” said Hull. “Figuring out what that means as an individual and what that means as a collective, day in and day out for practice and competition.”
“Being a Duck to me starts with school,” Harvey added. “Making sure you’re doing the work, going to class and sitting in the front, to be an example for non-athletes and our teammates. On the track, [it means] working hard and showing you are relentless. That you want to get better everyday.”
OTC Elite newcomers Drew Piazza and Vincent Ciattei both made their TrackTown Tuesday debuts. As star distance runners from Virginia Tech, Piazza and Ciattei run the 800m and 1,500m, respectively. What was once a dream to run for OTC Elite turned into a reality when Ciattei and Piazza got the message they had been waiting for.
Newcomers of OTC Elite, Vincent Ciattei and Drew Piazza (Photo: TTUSA)
“A few days before we got the email, we both said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great for us to run for OTC?’” said Ciattei. “I thought that would be the perfect set up. Then we got the email saying that exact same thing. It was just unbelievable.”
Piazza was drawn to the passionate track community of Eugene and the value that is placed on the history of the sport.
“Here in the community, everyone gets it,” said Piazza. “It’s awesome.”
Ciattei spoke of how surreal it has been for him to be a part of OTC Elite and to be training with the athletes he idolized in high school.
“Everyday at practice, we’re training with Olympians that I knew or looked up to,” said Ciattei. “We had something special at Virginia Tech, but this is a completely different level…I even had Nijel Amos as my phone background in high school.”
Bev Smith and Bridget Franek discuss the Civic Park project on behalf of Eugene Civic Alliance (Photo: TTUSA)
Bev Smith, Oregon women’s basketball legend and Executive Director of Kidsports, appeared on stage with Olympic steeplechaser Bridget Franek. They spoke about the progress of the Civic Park project on behalf of Eugene Civic Alliance. Smith stressed the importance of physical activity in the lives and health of children, and the need for the community to provide opportunities for youth sports.
“Kidsports has been in the community for 65 years and it’s founded under the premise that all kids play,” said Smith. “It is a right for these kids to play and improve their development.”
Franek outlined the evolution of Civic Park, which has raised more than $25 million and is still fundraising. The facility will house indoor courts and outdoor turf fields to accommodate all sports in the same footprint once occupied by Civic Stadium.
“We started construction in October of last year and the first phase is set to be completed in spring of 2020,” said Franek.
The next TrackTown Tuesday will be March 5.
TrackTown Tuesday Honors Dellinger, Deal
By Maggie Vanoni / TrackTown USA
There was no better way to wrap up the 2018 TrackTown Tuesday series than to honor legendary Oregon coach Bill Dellinger in his TrackTown Tuesday debut.
Dellinger was accompanied by three of his former athletes – Rudy Chapa, Mary Slaney and Pat Tyson – and the show also paid tribute to hammer throw extraordinaire Lance Deal.
Dellinger, 84, was welcomed to the Hayward Field track in front of the West Grandstand with a standing ovation from the crowd of 350 people as Slaney helped guide him to his chair.
From left to right: Sasha Spencer-Atwood, Bill Dellinger, Rudy Chapa and Mary Slaney (Photo: Nick Lackides/TrackTown USA)
To start his segment, those in attendance were treated to a special viewing of Dellinger’s bronze medal 5,000-meter race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. All three of Dellinger’s former athletes couldn’t help but smile as the video showed their former coach finishing third in his third Olympiad.
“Little did people know he was sick with a cold,” said Tyson, a UO distance runner (1971-73) and current head track and field coach at Gonzaga University.
Tyson, a former UO walk-on, shared the story of when Dellinger fought to keep him on the team after former Oregon coach Bill Bowerman wanted to cut athletes from the roster.
“He stood up for me and I’ll never forget that,” Tyson said. “I think that is why we’re friends today.”
Chapa, who won an NCAA title in the 5,000m in 1978 and set an American record in the 3,000m the following year, recalled Dellinger’s official recruiting visit to his hometown of Hammond, Ind. The three things that stood out to him about that visit were pushing Dellinger’s car out of the snow with his family; Dellinger trying to convince him the rain in Oregon wasn’t all that bad, and most important, how Dellinger not once said anything negative about any other program.
“It was a very easy thing to choose Oregon,” Chapa said. “It was Oregon, and it was Dellinger and they wanted me.”
Slaney, the double gold medalist at the 1983 World Championships, moved to Eugene to be coached by Dellinger late in her career – thanks to Steve Prefontaine’s numerous suggestions to do so – and only regrets not doing so sooner.
“He treated me like a human being and not as an athlete,” she said. “It was so refreshing when I started working with Bill.”
No matter the memory, the team or the year each of the athletes were coached by Dellinger, they all agreed that he was a man born to coach.
“It’s part of his DNA,” Tyson said.
If not for Dellinger, they all agreed, they would not be the runners, or people they are today.
“He expected people to come to the University of Oregon and become adults,” Chapa said. “That served so many of us so well beyond running. If you believed in the program and you did what you were supposed to do, you not only ran well but you set yourself up for life.”
The show’s finale honored Deal for his commitment to the sport, the hammer throw and Hayward Field. Deal will retire from his current position of Director of Track and Field venues and Program Support after the UO plays host to its sixth-straight NCAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Championships.
Sasha Spencer-Atwood & Lance Deal (Photo: Minhna Le/TrackTown USA)
Even though he did not compete collegiately for Oregon, Deal left his mark both on the field and in the community.
For the past 10 years, his legacy has stood tall at Hayward Field in the shapes of the throwing cage for hammer and discus throwers – a cage he built himself for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
“That is my home,” he said pointing out from the track to the cage.
Deal described his move from Montana to Oregon in March of 1985 as the “best decision” he has ever made.
After a successful tenure as Oregon’s throws coach, and several years of overseeing track events at Hayward Field, Deal will retire to his career as a licensed massage therapist and building hammer cages.
Throughout all of his hammer competitions, his 1996 Olympic silver medal, and all his time on staff at Oregon, the one person he dedicated his success to was his wife, Nancy.
“I meant Nancy two months after I moved here and that was 35 years ago … that honeymoon is still going on,” Deal said as he presented her with flowers and led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to her.
Deal was also presented with a memorable plaque dedicated to his commitment to the hammer throw and Hayward Field.
UO Jumpers, OTC Elite Athletes Headline TrackTown Tuesday
The OTC Elite 800m women joined us at the Downtown Athletic Club on May 1. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTownUSA)
By Linden Moore / TrackTown USA
TrackTown Tuesday welcomed a series of accomplished guests in front of an audience of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on May 1.
The show featured Prefontaine Classic Meet Director Tom Jordan, five members of the University of Oregon jumps crew, and Oregon Track Club Elite athletes Francine Niyonsaba, Shea Collinsworth and Hanna Green. Those in attendance were given an insiders’ glimpse into the upcoming Prefontaine Classic, and a preview of the competition that will be showcased at the Oregon Twilight meet on May 4.
The UO contingent included three reigning Pac-12 champions in senior Damarcus Simpson (long jump), junior Chaquinn Cook (triple jump) and sophomore Rhesa Foster (long jump) plus rising stars junior Ben Milligan (high jump) and junior Tristan James (long jump, triple jump).
The jumpers of Oregon talked about their goals going into Championship season. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
Cook set the school record in the triple jump by more than a foot with a leap of 45 feet, 7 inches (13.89m) at the Mt. SAC Relays in April. The former Benson High and Portland State star told the crowd that she was surprised at the mark.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Cook said. “But I knew I was getting stronger and my times were getting faster. Once I did the jump, by my second phase, I was already up on the pit. When I took my last phase, my landing wasn’t that great, but I ended up jumping 13.89m. It didn’t feel that big, but it felt good to have an improvement.”
James talked about his transition back to TrackTown USA after originally attending college in Oklahoma. An Oregon native and Lane Community College transfer, he described the feeling of debuting as a member of the Oregon track and field program.
“It took me going 2,000 miles across the country to Oklahoma to realize that I belong in TrackTown USA,” James said. “I was a little nervous because I did represent the O, and every time that I put it on, I want to be the best that I can be.”
The show also featured three 800m runners from Oregon Track Club Elite in Niyonsaba, Collinsworth and Green.
Niyonsaba, in her third season with OTC Elite, is a two-time World Indoor gold medalist. She also won silver medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and the 2017 World Championships in London. Besides being one of the world’s best 800m runners, she is also involved with UNICEF in her home country of Burundi. Niyonsaba gives back in many ways, including organizing track and field competitions for youngsters.
Olympic silver medalist Francine Niyonsaba charmed the crowd. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
“I believe in supporting Burundi,” she said. “I want to inspire them to start a better future. It’s a big pride for my country.”
Green and Collinsworth are two of the newest members of OTC Elite. Green, a graduate in interior design from Virginia Tech, talked about the intricate balance between athletics and her portfolio.
“All through college, it was a good thing to have going back and forth,” she said. “I wouldn’t think about interior design as much when I was on the track, and I wouldn’t think about running when I was in school.”
Collinsworth spoke about her decision to come to TrackTown USA to run professionally.
“There were three reasons,” she said. “The reputation of the team and its athletes, Coach Rowland with his reputation, and TrackTown USA. This is the city to be in if you want to run.”
Niyonsaba is expected to compete in the 400m at the Oregon Twilight meet on Friday, while Green is entered in the 1,500m and Collinsworth will pace the 800m.
Jordan, who is in his 35th year as meet director of the Pre Classic, said he was looking forward to an American record attempt in the men’s two-mile, plus both men’s and women’s pole vault competitions. The meet will be held May 25-26 at Hayward Field.
Tom Jordan, meet director of the Pre Classic, previewed the 2018 event. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
“I think we’re going to have the best fields ever,” Jordan said. “Top-to-bottom the fields are the best we’ve ever had.”
TrackTown Tuesday returns for its last show of the season on June 5 at Hayward Field.
Video by: Nicholas Lackides
UO Indoor Champions, Nike Pioneers Headline TrackTown Tuesday
The TrackTown USA community celebrated the 2018 NCAA indoor titles of the DMR women and Sabrina Southerland at the Downtown Athletic Club on April 3. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTownUSA)
By Linden Moore / TrackTown USA
EUGENE, Ore. – TrackTown Tuesday welcomed a slate of accomplished guests for its April show before a crowd of 150 fans at the Downtown Athletic Club. Those in attendance were treated to appearances from UO Running Club member Justin Gallegos, Nike pioneers Jeff Johnson and Nelson Farris, and five Oregon athletes who won national titles at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The Ducks included 800-meter champion Sabrina Southerland and the triumphant Distance Medley Relay (DMR) team of Jessica Hull (1,200m), Venessa D’Arpino (400m), Susan Ejore (800m) and Lilli Burdon (1,600m).
Oregon’s DMR finished with the fourth-fastest time in collegiate history at 10 minutes, 51.99 seconds. Even though the Ducks weren’t projected to win, they claimed the first women’s DMR championship in program history by .03 seconds over Stanford thanks to a strong final leg by Burdon.
“I made it a little bit dramatic, but everyone did their job well and I was in a good position,” Burdon said. “I pushed the pace and thankfully I closed well. I think we all believed in each other.”
Southerland, a senior graduate transfer from Georgetown, won the NCAA indoor 800m title with a personal best time of 2:01.55. The surprising victory came after failing to make the NCAA Indoor 800m final in three previous trips with the Hoyas.
From left to right: Sasha Spencer Atwood, Susan Ejore, Lilli Burdon, Jessica Hull, Venessa D’Arpino & Sabrina Southerland (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTown USA)
“It was a liberating experience,” Southerland said. “I was going to nationals every year at Georgetown but never made it to the finals so even just making it to the final this past indoor season was ‘OK I’m in it now I can do this.’ I feel like I’m in a better place now.”
The day after the DMR, Hull notched another NCAA honor with a third-place finish in the women’s 3K at 9:01.96.
“All season long I focused on building momentum; I didn’t even think about the 3K until after (the DMR),” Hull said. “They told us to soak in the DMR because a national championship doesn’t come around every day, so I enjoyed the moment that night and raced the next morning.”
Fans also heard from UO Running Club member Justin Gallegos. A sophomore from California, Gallegos has cerebral palsy. He is working toward breaking two hours at the upcoming Eugene Half Marathon.
Gallegos is also an ambassador with the Nike FlyEase project, which is dedicated to improving the accessibility of running shoes.
Justin Gallegos discusses his upcoming half marathon goals. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTown USA)
“It’s been an experience seeing all the new prototypes, possibilities and impact that this shoe can make,” Gallegos said. “The bigger picture is to design a shoe that provides easy access and is for everyone. What I want to do is put this shoe out there to the public and let it be known.”
Gallegos also expressed his gratitude to John Truax, who helped launch a fund-raising campaign for Gallegos to attend Oregon.
“We’re forever grateful that John stepped in and offered to help fund raise and because of that I’ve been involved with Nike Running and the FlyEase project” he said.
Two of Nike’s original employees, Jeff Johnson and Nelson Ferris, closed the show. They reminisced about the early days of Blue Ribbon Sports, which eventually became Nike, now one of the world’s top companies and most recognized brand names.
Jeff Johnson & Nelson Farris talk about stories from Nike’s early days. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTown USA)
They talked about Nike’s commitment to putting athletes first and one of their earliest success stories at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We did a great job of communicating who we were, an athletic company serving athletes,” Farris said. “It’s not about the product, it’s about the athletes.”
Johnson, who was Nike’s first official employee, spoke about the importance of trust among the various department heads at the often raucous “buttface” meetings in the formative days of the company.
“What it was in retrospect was no one had any job titles; no one at that table, including Phil Knight,” he said. “It was an exercise of total trust in each other. That was our tribe, we were teammates.”
TrackTown Tuesday will return on May 1.
Olympic Silver Medalist Highlights TrackTown Tuesday
By Maggie Vanoni / TrackTown USA
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Track Club Elite’s Nijel Amos, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 800 meters, made his TrackTown Tuesday debut before a crowd of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on March 6.
Amos, appearing alongside OTC Elite teammates Harun Abda and Tom Farrell, closed the show, which also featured a step back in time with an appearance by four of legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman’s sub-4-minute milers, plus a glimpse into the future from four young Duck throwers.
Nijel Amos of the Oregon Track Club Elite said one of his goals this season is to break the 800m world record. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
Joining OTC Elite just last year, Amos is the fourth-fastest all-time performer in the 800m with a personal best of 1 minute, 41.73 seconds. The native of Botswana clocked that time in winning a silver medal as a teenager at the 2012 London Olympics – the first Olympic medal ever won by an athlete from Botswana.
“Coming (to Eugene) now, from a region where running was just a sport, to a place where running is a lifestyle,” Amos said. “It just gives you so much motivation when it comes to being a better athlete and being a better person.”
Abda, a member of OTC Elite since 2014, earned six Big Ten titles and 13 all-American awards during his time as a Gopher at the University of Minnesota. After graduating, there was no doubt he wanted to move west to Eugene to begin his professional career.
“If you know anything about track and field, you want to be in Eugene,” Abda said. “Hayward Field will always be my favorite track.”
Farrell, like Amos, is also from outside the U.S. He grew up in Great Britain and attended Oklahoma State University, where he set four top-10 all-time marks in the distance events. He competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and was a finalist at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in the 5,000m.
He has his eyes set on competing at Oregon21 – the 2021 IAAF World Championships at Hayward Field.
“With this being home, and just being able to hopefully compete on a track that we train on all the time is the ultimate goal,” Farrell said.
Under Bowerman, 10 runners broke the 4-minute mile barrier training on that same track.
Out of the four that shared the stage on Tuesday, Archie San Romani Jr. did it first in 1964 as a senior. Wade Bell and Roscoe Divine both broke the barrier at the 1966 Oregon Twilight meet. Dave Wilborn joined the sub-4 club as a junior in 1967 at 3:56.2, which stood as the school record at the time.
Archie San Romani Jr., Roscoe Divine, Wade Bell & Dave Wilborn (left to right) discuss what it was like being coached by Bill Bowerman. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
Seeing Romani set the pace at Oregon helped push the other three runners into joining the UO team and strive for the same goal on the track.
“Archie got me started running when I was a sophomore in high school,” Divine said. “I was a basketball player and a football player, then I met Archie, and Archie is a very good salesman. I went home and told my basketball coach I was quitting, and that I was now a runner.”
In high school, Bell remembers seeing a picture of Romani leading a pack of runners off the Bowerman turn at Hayward Field. Romani would finish the mile race under four minutes and the photo’s moment would forever spark a determination in Bell to do the same.
Jokingly, the crowd booed when Wilborn mentioned he had briefly considered going to Oregon State. Yet, it was the tradition of Bowerman, former UO coach Bill Dellinger and Romani that convinced him to become a Duck.
For Romani, it was Bowerman himself that convinced him to come to Oregon.
“When you meet Bill Bowerman, and he looks you in the eye and makes a few comments to you, you say to yourself, ‘That’s the guy I want to be my coach,’” Romani said followed by an uproar of applause from the crowd.
The men concluded that even though their days at Oregon are long in the past, they will always have the Oregon and Bowerman-based runner mentality in everything that they do.
“When I was 59, I decided to become a cyclist,” Wilborn said. “Even at that age, I still wanted to compete and race against people. And I think all that is carried over from my years as a runner at the University of Oregon.”
Current UO throwers Maddie Rabing, Sydnee Walker, Max Lydum and John Nizich understand that mentality.
For the three Oregon natives – Rabing, Lydum and Nizich – they first experienced the Hayward Field hype at the Oregon High School State Championships.
“(The high school state meet) is such a great illustration of the tremendous organizational capacity of what we got going on here,” Lydum said of competing in the shot put at the state meet for Central High School.
Rabing, a 2016 graduate from Lakeridge High School, felt it even more when she finally got to put on the Oregon uniform.
“It’s a different experience when you are actually wearing the Oregon uniform and you’re directly competing for Oregon,” Rabing said. “I really think the community here around track, just makes it a really great atmosphere. Everyone is cheering for everyone, it doesn’t matter if they know you or not.”
Walker, a freshman from Roswell, Georgia, is new to the community, but she has already earned the No. 6 ranking on Oregon’s all-time top-10 list in the indoor weight throw. Now, she’s learning how to transfer that energy into the upcoming outdoor season.
Oregon throwers May Lydum, Sydnee Walker, John Nizich, and Maddie Rabing (left to right) talked about their goals for the upcoming season. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)
“(I’m) trying to take that energy that I learned from indoors and set the PRs from there and try to move that into outdoors,” Walker said. “I’m looking forward to putting on the Oregon uniform again and getting some big numbers in the hammer.”
The next TrackTown Tuesday will be held on April 3rd at the Downtown Athletic Center at 7 p.m.
Video by: Nicholas Lackides
TrackTown Tuesday Honors Andrew Wheating
By Linden Moore / TrackTown USA
EUGENE, Ore. – Track and field fans were treated to a special edition of TrackTown Tuesday on Feb. 6 when a crowd of 200 gathered at the Downtown Athletic Club to honor a slate of distinguished guests.
For many, the night will be remembered as a farewell celebration for two-time Olympian and five-time NCAA champion Andrew Wheating, the former University of Oregon standout who recently announced his retirement from the sport.
Wheating was greeted with a standing ovation as he reminisced about his storied four-year career in Eugene. As a UO student-athlete, he set school records in the mile, indoor 800 meters and distance medley relay, and competed alongside fellow Duck teammates and future Olympians such as Ashton Eaton, Galen Rupp and Matthew Centrowitz.
“I remember the first workout, I was put in a group that was supposed to run 5 minutes, 20 second mile paces,” he laughed. “The next day I could barely walk.”
However, all good things must come to an end.
Andrew Wheating thanked the crowd for their support throughout his years in Eugene. Wheating retired from track & field on Jan. 4, 2018. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTownUSA)
Wheating spoke in depth about his decision to close the professional running chapter of his life, when he determined that the next race in which he got hurt would be his last. The decisive race came after he was injured during the 2017 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. At that point, he made the choice to focus his energy in other areas.
“I didn’t feel like the racer I once was, and things weren’t clicking,” Wheating said.
“I wanted to win for my team and bring home a championship. Suddenly that drifted away.”
Throughout the evening, Wheating thanked the community that supported him during his career. His retirement sparked an outpouring of social media messages and personal stories, all of which he took to heart.
“It’s not fun to do something great by yourself and in this town especially, I wouldn’t have been anything without the people I see in front of me,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough for carrying me for as far as you guys have.”
Wheating never imagined the legacy he’d leave behind. As someone who experienced everything from the NCAA Championships to the Olympic Games, he always put those around him before himself.
“Legacy never seemed to be something to shoot for. Giving back has always seemed like a bigger and more rewarding experience,” he said.
The middle distance men of Oregon. Left to right: Blake Haney, Sam Prakel, and Mick Stanovsek (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTownUSA)
The crowd also heard from three of Oregon’s top middle distance runners, senior Sam Prakel, senior Blake Haney and redshirt sophomore Mick Stanovsek. All three sit in the UO all-time top 10 list for the indoor mile and each has broken the 4-minute mile barrier.
“Those moments with your teammates are really hard to beat,” Haney said. “That’s something you can’t match.”
Stanovsek, a walk-on, spoke about his journey onto the UO track team following his freshman year, and his rigorous training schedule that has prepared him to leave his mark on a program he once only dreamed of joining.
“I’d do it a hundred times over again if it means having teammates like these,” Stanovsek said.
The TrackTown Tuesday show opened with an appearance from University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens, who talked about the remarkable balance that the athletic department aims to provide for its student-athletes.
“We’ve proven here that you can have a great academic experience, can engage in our community, and we can win plenty of National Championships, too,” Mullens said.
Mullens is no stranger to National Championships, including the historic Triple Crown won by the UO women last year. He also acknowledged that the program’s widespread prestige has put the Ducks ahead of other programs.
“We are the envy of our peers,” Mullens said.
TrackTown Tuesday will return on March 6.
University of Oregon Athletic Director spoke to the importance of the overall student-athlete experience. (Photo: Theo Mechain / TrackTownUSA)
TrackTown Tuesday Starts Off 2018 With Star-Studded Show
By Maggie Vanoni / TrackTown USA
EUGENE, Ore. – The 2018 season of TrackTown Tuesday got off to a rousing start before a crowd of 200 at the Downtown Athletic Club on Tuesday night.
The star-studded guest list included the Lane Community College men’s cross country team, three members of the Oregon women’s team (representing each national title of their historic Triple Crown), Oregon Track Club Elite newcomer Luke Puskedra and former UO standout Raevyn Rogers, the 2017 female recipient of The Bowerman.
First-year head coach Bill Steyer, who guided the LCC team to a second consecutive Northwest Athletic Conference Championship this past fall, opened the evening by comparing coaching his team of five runners to coaching dogs as a professional dog musher in Alaska.
“Both sports have their advantages and disadvantages,” Steyer said. “At the end of the day, I can offer to these guys a ‘Good job! I’ll see you tomorrow.’ But after a 50-mile dog run, I can say ‘Dogs, great job,’ and then I have to feed them and even have to clean up after them.”
At the conference championships, Lane’s Andy Muha and Michael Martin claimed the top two spots on the podium. Muha crossed the finish line first in a time of 26 minutes, 47.30 seconds, followed by Martin, in 26:56.90. All five LCC runners finished in the top 20.
Looking towards the upcoming track season, Steyer believes this group will help the success of the team.
Head Coach Bill Steyer and the Lane Community College men’s cross country team celebrate their second consecutive NWAC Championship. (TrackTown USA/Theo Mechain)
“It’s a really talented group,” Steyer said. “From long distance, to the 800 and the 400, we can score a lot of points.”
The women of Oregon know what it’s like to score points on the track, as Katie Rainsberger, Hannah Cunliffe and Brooke Feldmeier were key parts in Oregon’s run for the Triple Crown last spring.
Rainsberger helped earn the first crown for the Ducks. She was the top finishing freshman at the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships with her fourth-place mark.
Hannah Cunliffe, Brooke Feldmeier, and Katie Rainsberger (left to right) of the University of Oregon describe the road to the Ducks’ historic triple crown. (TrackTown USA/Theo Mechain)
“One of the things that we really emphasized last year was resilience and how do you act when things don’t look the way you want them to,” Rainsberger said. “It’s the best athlete that can react in those sorts of scenarios. How you learn from that is your career as an athlete.”
Cunliffe, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Tuesday, helped secure the middle crown with a 60-meter dash win and a runner-up finish behind teammate Ariana Washington in the 200m at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships.
When asked which race she preferred, indoors or outdoors, Cunliffe said “the 100 is definitely my favorite. The 60m indoors you have to have a perfect race … there’s more room to open up in the 100.”
A part of the final run for the Triple Crown, Feldmeier finished third in the 800 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.
“I didn’t just want to be there, I wanted to score points, I wanted to make something happen,” Feldmeier said. “I think everyone knew that (the Triple Crown) was possible. We just had to go out there and do what we always do.”
As a Duck, Puskedra was an 11-time all-American. Now, as a professional athlete for OTC Elite, he’s turned to marathons, running his personal record of 2:10:24 in 2015, the top mark by an American that year.
Days after barely missing qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, he learned his seven-month old daughter had cancer. After experiencing the running community’s overflowing support for his family, Puskedra saw the sport in a new light.
“It wasn’t the money or the monetary amount [of donations],” Puskedra said. “It was seeing the people and the messages that came with it. I looked at running before this almost like a business. But seeing the different outlooks people had really helped me out.”
Rogers is someone who has also experienced vast amounts of this community’s support.
Throughout her time at UO, she won five individual NCAA titles. She secured Oregon’s Triple Crown with her epic final leg of the 4×400-meter relay at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Days after barely missing qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, he learned his seven-month old daughter had cancer. After experiencing the running community’s overflowing support for his family, Puskedra saw the sport in a new light.
“It wasn’t the money or the monetary amount [of donations],” Puskedra said. “It was seeing the people and the messages that came with it. I looked at running before this almost like a business. But seeing the different outlooks people had really helped me out.”
Rogers is someone who has also experienced vast amounts of this community’s support.
Luke Puskedra talks about his decision to join Oregon Track Club Elite and continue his marathon career. (TrackTown USA/Theo Mechain)
Throughout her time at UO, she won five individual NCAA titles. She secured Oregon’s Triple Crown with her epic final leg of the 4×400-meter relay at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
It was for these accomplishments and more that Rogers was awarded the 2017 Bowerman Award in December. She is the fifth Oregon athlete to receive the award.
“That night, I really came to the realization of myself that, ‘Wow, you really did it!’” Rogers said. “Just thinking of the years that I put in…I’ve been working for what I wanted since I was five.”
Raevyn Rogers, holding her 2017 Bowerman Award, is welcomed to the TrackTown Tuesday stage. (TrackTown USA/Theo Mechain)
Choosing to forgo her final year of eligibility at Oregon, Rogers will move to Philadelphia to begin her professional career after graduation.
“My ultimate running goal is to leave a legacy behind,” Rogers said. “I really want to be a legend in this sport.”
TrackTown Tuesday will return on February 6.
Special guests include two-time Olympian and former UO star Andrew Wheating, who recently announced his retirement from running, along with University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens.
Video Recap by Nick Lackides