Alberto, JDW & Galen at the Wild Duck. All in Nike Oregon Project gear.
When people go to a track meet, they’re looking for something, a world record, something that hasn’t been done before. You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at the same time. I really get excited about it. It makes me want to compete even more. It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work. – Steve Prefontaine
The 41st Annual Pre Classic (5/29-5/30) was nothing less than an historical diorama come to life.
There’s Jacki Hansen, forty years after becoming the first woman to break 2:40 in the marathon.
And Mary Decker Slaney, who looks like she could still lay down a four-flat 1500. And Hicham El Guerrouj, history’s fastest ever miler. Greats everywhere you turn.
Turns out ‘Eugene’ is derived from the ancient Native American word meaning ‘visible pollen.’
Reminded of this sitting at Sweetwaters on the banks of the Willamette River as a masked Galen Rupp cruised by, a morning shake-down, chasing white-speckled breezes.
The Pre Classic is really two events. There’s Distance Night, a Friday homage to longer efforts, with spectators admitted free of charge. The warmest day of the year, festivities commenced an hour later than originally scheduled. Because they do whatever they can for runners in Tracktown USA.
Got to the track late, after a molto buono repast at Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria on 19th and Agate, which means I missed Maggie Vessey’s latest expression of sartorial artistry. Life can be so cruel sometimes. Whatever her attire, Maggie controlled the 800m from the gun – so I later learned – winning in 2:00.07. Really wish I’d been there to see it. Sigh.
Pre was a great high school competitor. So, no surprise the high school races were among the highlights of the highlights. The girl’s mile offered up the meet’s most enlightening quote, as North Carolina’s Ryen Frazier bubbled, “…This place is so awesome. I kept having to tell myself to stop smiling, you’re supposed to be racing.” Which she did well enough to win in a photo finish over Arizona’s Danielle Jones, 4:39.84 to 4:39.88.
In the boys’ high school mile. Mikey Brannigan of Northport, N.Y., led coming off the Bowerman curve, heading down the homestretch, a five meter lead in hand. Looked like Brannigan, who is autistic, had victory in the bag until Arizona’s Carlos Villareal unleashed a Wottlesque kick from lane four, raising his arm in triumph as he breasted the tape in 4:05.25. Brannigan, completely gassed, was second in 4:05.78, while Rhode Island’s Jack Salisbury placed in 4:06.74. Thomas Ratcliffe of Concord-Carlisle (MA) finished 5th in 4:07.63.
“I was trying to stay in striking range the whole race,” said Villareal. “I narrowed it down to ten or fifteen [meters] in the last 100 meters and from there I said ‘I need to go.’ I gave everything I had and it worked out well.”
There are fast races and there are great races. As Mo Farah, Paul Tanui and Geoffrey Kamworo battled to win the 10K, one couldn’t help but notice they went by the halfway mark in Pre’s PR of 13:21.8. While Farah emerged victorious in 26:50.97, Cam Levins ran a great race, placing fourth in a Canadian NR 27:07, to break his own personal best by some 20 seconds. You could see it happening with 6 or 7 laps to go. Levins looked like The Little Engine That Could, the distance to the lead trio closing with each go-round. The crowd could sense Levin’s amazing effort and suddenly. just as it has for decades, a savvy Hayward roar grew and grew and it thundered. Levins was lifted as if blown by a tailwind, a sirocco of support.
After the race, I spoke with Cam at the Wild Duck. where we’d both gone to celebrate. “Amazing, just amazing,” Levins seemed somewhat stunned. “The crowd, it was a huge push. They kept me going, kept me pushing.” Amazing indeed.
The 5000m, headlined by former Duck, local hero Galen Rupp, did not disappoint, especially if you appreciate a nuanced tactical affair. A 4200m warmup, was followed by a 55.2 sec. penultimate lap propelled by Mr. Rupp. You’d think that might take some sting out of his opponents. Ah, but… no. Kenya’s Albert Rop and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, a 17-year-old younger than some of the high school milers, refused to fade. Kejelcha won in 13:10:54, followed by Rop (13:11.97) and Rupp (13:12.96). Clocking a new Masters record, 40-year-old Bernard Lagat finished 4th in 13:14.97.
Bumping into Galen and coach Salazar – again at the Wild Duck – both seemed more than a little satisfied with the evening’s effort. The digested version from Rupp: “Pretty tactical. Knew I had to try to make a longer run with a lot of guys having good kicks. Did my best to do what I thought I needed to do to win. Just got to make the right adjustments in training & go from there. Really wanted to see how I stacked up against these guys. Been a while since I’ve raced that hard; happy with how it went… I was really pleased with the way it turned out & I know where I’m at now.” Alberto just stood there and beamed.
Being honest, being a long-time member in good standing of Pre’s People, I enjoyed – the first time – the video tribute to Steve, even with the classic rock soundtrack.
But the next time, the next day, I couldn’t help thinking we don’t need to turn every legend into a marketing tool. (You can take it too far, like those Mallards in the steeplechase water jump.) Can’t imagine Pre were still alive, he’d condone such promotion. His achievements need no embellishment.
The next day is a day meet, the IAAF Diamond League edition of the Pre Classic. Still vibrating from the previous evening’s festivities, the Hayward Field faithful was not unfulfilled. From Renaud Lavillenie’s attempt at a 20-foot pole vault to Mutaz Essa Barshim’s shot at an 8-foot high jump, such greatness never before attempted on the North American continent demanded attention. Too much to mention in this modest report. But…
Highjumper Guowei Zhang is an athlete not to be missed. The animated Chinese is a show unto himself. Crazed greatness. And I mean that in a good way.
A fan was overheard to exclaim as Genzebe Dibaba strode off in the 5k: “Holy crap.” Which succinctly describes the Women’s 5K. The pace setters were in her way, really. The Ethiopian soloed to a 14:19.76. Which is pretty good running.
Evan Jager broke up a sextet of Kenyans to finish 4th in the Steeple in 8:05.28. Andrew Wheating finished 12th in the “slow” Bowerman mile in 4:00.35. Ben Blankenship won in 3:55.72. Matt Centrowitz placed 2nd in the “fast” International mile in 3:51.20. A total of 23 athletes broke four minutes in the two races. Only in Eugene can you see this.
It has been forty years since Steve Prefontaine’s last race, but he is a spark that kindles still. There was an energy he gave the fans and the fans gave that energy back. And so it went, back and forth, round and round, enveloping those in the stands and supercharging those on the track and back and forth, round and round. You can feel it. That’s his real legacy. The energy.
I am still somewhat amazed Pre couldn’t get that damn little sports car off his chest. – JDW
At the Wild Duck, my Eugene office, with Cam Levins, new Canadian 10K Record-Holder
Jack D. Welch is the author of the award-winning When Running Was Young And So Were We. The final chapter (“The Greatest”) concludes with a profile of Steve Prefontaine. Alberto’s in that chapter also.
This report originally written for New England Runner, a most excellent magazine.