Why We Watch, Day Seven

By Lee Juillerat
There's a reason why people, especially track and field, obsessively want to be in the stands for even seemingly insignificant events. Early on during the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, the moment came when Tyson Gay, America's best hope in the sprints, nearly lost a chance to advance beyond the opening round of the 100 meter dash when he seemingly misjudged the finish line. He recovered to move on the round two, where he set an American record, and the finals, where he ran the fastest time ever, although it won't be a world record because the wind was over the allowable limit.

 

Saturday's second we were there moment came in the semi-finals for the men's 200, and again involved Gay. The results were devastating. Fourteen steps from the starting blocks, Gay grabbed his left thigh, grimaced and smashed to the track in obvious pain. It hurt to watch. When he was carted from the track, the crowd was silenced. It's hoped the injury was only a severe cramp, that he will be able to run the 100 in Beijing and, likely, anchor the men's 4-by-100 relay team.

Gay's injury cast a shadow over the rest of the proceedings, including a win by yet another Eugene refugee, Jesse Williams, in the high jump, who cleared 7-foot 6.5 inches. There was also the gently touching saga of Michelle Carter, the 22-year-old daughter of 1984 Silver Medalist Michael Carter. Michelle won with a heave of 61-10.25. And in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase, Anthony Famiglietti, notable for an appearance and on-track demeanor that says I'll slug you in the ribs if you try to pass me, built a huge lead then held off late challenges from William Nelson and Josh McAdams to win in 8:20:24. Nelson, who did not previously have an A qualifying time, credited Famiglietti with setting a pace that helped him achieve the time and place.

Hayward Field will be the place for the final time Sunday with a feast of finals, including the women's pole vault, men's triple jump, women's 1500, men's javelin, men's and women's 200, men's 110 hurdles, women's 100 hurdles and, the final topping, the men's 1500.
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Track and field has been the focus, but so have been activities off the track. Like hundreds of others I've stood in line for autographed posters, including Christian Cantwell, second in the shot put, and Shalene Flanigan, the winner of the women's 10,000 and third in the 5K. Back home I'll have an autographed copy of "The Men of Oregon" by Kenny Moore to read. I've visited with Dan O'Brien, the 1986 Gold Medalist, won a pair of shoe laces, watched events on the festival big screen, doted on the photos at the Schnitzer and avoided traffic by bicycling and taking advantage of the free valet bicycle parking.

It's not over yet, but thank you Eugene.

Day 6, Abdi's swim

By Lee Juillerat

"Hey Abdi," someone yelped, "the steeplechase is tomorrow."

Abdi Abdirahman just waved, smiled and, like

 a dog, shook and shimmied to dry himself. Moments earlier he had won the men's 10,000 meter run, holding off a challenge from Eugene favorite Galen Rupp on a Fourth of July Friday night at Eugene's Hayward Field. Hardy pausing after crossing the finish line, Abdi kept running, continuing to pass other still with a lap or two to go.

Most victory laps are done in slo-mo, but Abdi, a three-time USA national champion 10K champion, was too excited. At the far turn, by the steeplechase water jump, he paused, spun an about-face and stepped into the water, sitting and rolling and briefly soaking himself before continuing back to the finish line area, where Rupp, who finished second, and third-place finisher Jorge Torres were celebrating qualifying for Beijing and others were staggering from exhaustion.

Abdi's exhaustion would come later, but he was still feeling the adrenalin-high from his nearly start-to-finish win. As he had planned, Abdi took the lead immediately, pushing each lap in 66 to 67 second splits to gradually thin the strong field of possible contenders. Two who refused to fade away were Rupp and Torres. With two laps to go, Rupp pushed into the lead, but only momentarily as Abdi reasserted himself and accelerated all the way to a 27:41:89 finish. Rupp was clocked in 27:43:11 and Torres in 27:46:33.

With fireworks exploding over the stadium, it was a fitting climax to an explosive evening that included a thrilling women's 5K final, sterling performances in the women's high jump finals and a crowd-pleasing performance by 16-year-old high school junior-to-be Jordan Hasay in the women's 1500 semifinals. With her long ponytail flying and the crowd of 20,000-plus whooping, Hasay, who could pass for a pre-teen, finished her heat in 4:14:50, a national high school record.

Chante Howard provided the loftiest moments in the high jump, clearing 6-5.5 to defeat 32-year-old Amy Acuff, who became the first four-time woman to make the U.S. Olympic team in the event. On the victory stand, Howard hammed it up, striking some of ritualistic pre-jump poses.

Poised in the women's 5K was Kara Goucher, who moved from third to first, running the final lap in 65.5 to pass Shalene Flanagan and Jen Rhimes in another thriller. Goucher was timed in 15:01.01 while Rhimes, who ran the 10K in the 2000 Olympics and marathon in 2004, was second in 15:02.02 and Flanagan, who took the 10K earlier this week, was third in 15:02.81. Should Goucher, who also qualified in the 10K, or Flanagan decide to run only the longer distance in Beijing, the open spot would go to Lauren Fleshman, who was fifth but has an A qualifying time. She'll have to wait to see about a victory lap, without the swim.

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Attendance at the free Olympic Trials Festival outside Hayward Field is a huge success, with ever-larger crowds watching the action on a pair of large-screen televisions. Viewers were packed tightly Friday night, many to watch local favorite Galen Rupp in the men's 10,000 meter finals and to stick around for the fireworks display that followed. It's been a popular way for people to see the action.

Run Anna, Run - Day 5

By Lee Juillerat
Anna Willard showed that she's more than just a woman with eclectic hair. Willard, who's blonde hair is spotted with dabs of lipstick bright red, was styling on the track in more ways than one in the fastest ever field of women's 3000 meter steeplechaser runners at Hayward Field Thursday night. Running at the front of the pack throughout, she pulled away with 600 meters to go and cruised to an American record 9:27:59 to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. She led a trio of A qualifiers in an event that will make its inaugural running at the upcoming Olympics in Beijing.
Willard's performance capped another sterling night that for most was highlighted by the men's 400 meter finals, where LaShawn Merritt again bested Jeremy Wariner 44:00 to 44:20. With both running virtually neck-in-neck at 200 meters, Merritt surged to a lead that he held. Taking third was David Neville in 44:61. While Merritt celebrated with and ear-to-earn grin on a victory lap, a very unsmiling quickly left the track. The 2004 Olympic champion and two-time World Champion has finished behind Merritt two consecutive races.
The smiles were electric for several women, including a radiant Sanya Richards, who powered to a win in the 400, and the long jump trio of Britney Reese, Grace Upshaw and Funmi Jimoh. For the first time since 1996, the U.S. women enter the Olympics with three A qualifiers. After the leaders exchanged lead changing jumps, Reese took the golf with her final leap, 22-feet 9.75 inches to push Upshaw to second with 22-7.
In the 1500 preliminaries, all the favorites, including Alan Webb, Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong, Steve Sherer and Gab Jennings, advanced to Sunday night's Trials closing showdown.
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Wondering about Damien Baldovino, featured in yesterday's blog. Thursday night was the third time since high school that Baldovino, who prefers roads and trails, has raced on a track. Baldovino, a lineman for Pacific Power & Light in the small eastern Oregon town of Lakeview, might think about leaving the roads for the track more often after taking third in the Men's 3000 Meter Masters. Baldovino met his personal goal by finishing in 8:56:35. Running near the front for the entire race, he was bested by pre-race favorite Tony Young, who led from the opening 100 meters, and a fast closing Andrew Duncan.
Baldovino, who prefers distances of 13-plus miles, has won the Pear Blossom 10-miler in Medford, Oregon, and been runner-up six times and won the master's division at the Portland Marathon.
"It was tough. Just so short," Baldovino said. "I never went to college so for me this is huge."

Back on Track

By Lee Juillerat
Not everyone competing at the Olympic Trials is trying for a ticket to Beijing. Some are just thrilled to have a ticket to run.

In a race that's not included on all the schedules, Damien Baldovino and 15 other master's runners - age 40 and older -will be shooting for their 15 minutes of fame on the Hayward Field track in a special exhibition 3000 meters run. It's an opportunity for speedsters like Baldovino, the only entry from Oregon, to show their stuff in a race that begins at 7:05 p.m.

"I never thought I'd qualify for a meet like this," Baldovino says with the winsome mix of humility and gee-whiz. "I'm a little nervous because I don't specialize in running on a track. This was kind of a spur of the moment, jump into it thing to see if I could qualify."

Unlike most of the Trials runners who are sponsored by Adidas, Reebok, Nike or other running shoe companies, or who are college athletes, Baldovino and the others are working, family guys with jobs. Baldovino, who's 41, is a lineman with Pacific Power & Light in Lakeview, a charming but definitely blue collar town of about 2,000 people in southeastern Oregon. He prefers running on roads, especially at longer distances. He thinks he's best suited for half-marathons, or 13.1 miles, and his fastest marathon time is 2 hours and 30 minutes - a time he says could and should have been faster. He qualified for tonight's race in 9:00:38 in a race with no serious competition, the 10th best time. With seven of the 16 having times between 8:59 and 9:01, it could make for some thrilling competition- "All in all it should be a really close race." And fun to watch.

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Want to trim .02 off your personal best for the 100 meters? Make the U.S. Olympic Team and run in the sprints in one of the neato, high-tech engineering speed suits. According to spokesmen for Nike, the company that's spent eight years designing and engineering clothing for the 2008 games in Beijing, the speed suits are 7 percent lighter than those used in Athens, Greece, four years ago, which translates to .02 of a second. And while that may not sound like much, in the 100 and 200, that can be the difference between a medal and just a good race.

Nike is showing off their new gear, including a variety of running shoes that weigh as little as 90 grams, during the Olympic Trials. Before Thursday night's final event, those who had already qualified paraded around Hayward Fields in their new outfits, which include options for sprinters, distance runners and shot putters/discus tossers/javelin hurlers. Available, too, are sleeves with a series of dimples, like those on golf balls. that can be worn on a runner's arms. Based on Nike's studies, the sleeves create less drag than a runner's skin and, again, produce faster times.

The gear is good to look at, with the blue (or obsidian) jersey featuring the letters USA in bright red. The back includes part of the "We the People" graphic that's featured in greater detail on black on white gear worn by Nike runners in the 5K, described as "an artistic interpretation and culmination of culture in the United States," featuring the torch held by Lady Liberty along with a bleeding heart that symbolizes Latino cultures, American Indian themes and, like a Bev Doolittle painting, the letters, 1776.

The uniforms were designed with input from runners and throwers - "If they feel comfortable thy feel better and they'll all do better," I was told. And, yes, the high-tech appearance is something out of a summer blockbuster because, "They wanted to feel like superheroes."
Here's hoping the near Olympic gear helps the U.S. produce a summer blockbuster in Beijing.

Day 5

By Lee Juillerat
These are the days the ghosts of Hayward Field get together and reminisce. So far, there's been much to talk about at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field. Tuesday and Wednesday are down days, with events not resuming until Thursday night for the final four days of what promises to be more thrilling action. Who knows what's next? That's part of the appeal.
There's no shortage of things to do in and around Eugene. For dreamers wanting to be the next Bernard Lagat or Tyson Gay there are running trails galore, including Pre's Trail, the nicely cushioned bark chip routes that meander around Alton Baker Park between the University of Oregon campus, Autzen Stadium and the Willamette River.
But when the running, jogging, walking or bicycling is done head over to campus, where a couple of special treats await. Best of all is the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, where the current exhibits include "Faster, Higher, Farther: The Spirit of Track and Field Sports." The museum walls are artfully filled with selected photos by David Burnett, Kenneth Jarecke,Annie Leibovitz and Dilip Mehta, many in color but some of the most dramatic are black and white.
All are excellent, but many are stunning. Burnett has a portfolio of dazzlers, including a dramatic black and white shot of the finish line in the 100 meter finals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The angle is eye-grabbing - no runners are visible, only their spiked shoes and their shadows just steps away from the line. Among the best Leibovitz images is shotputter John Godina, every muscle of his finely toned body in stop-action as he prepares to unleash his toss. You don't have to be a Hayward Field ghost to envision the motion, the grunt, the effort.
For many, the most haunting are a series of Mark Decker that chronicle the famous 1984 Olympics fall, when she tumbled to the track after being stepped on. The series, which feels like viewing a slow-motion replay, recalls her frustration and anger. The images, like all of those on display, give a sense of being there, of the agony and grace of competition.
In conjunction with the exhibit, which is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the Trials, the Schnitzer is also offering lectures and workshops and two complimentary exhibits. "Edward Burtynsky: The China Series," includes 20 large-scale images that reflect a changing China. Some of the shots are sobering: the mass of workers in a factory making running shoes; workers wearing matching pink-hooded outfits with blue aprons and gloves processing chickens; and rows of men and women walking to jobs. A smaller related exhibit, "The Thinking Body," as the curators neatly describe, "considers the human body is relation to its physical and intellectual environment." For information on the Schnitzer call 541-346-3027 or visit their website at jsma.uoregon.edu.
On the other side of campus is the Museum of Natural and Cultural History with its "Walk a Mile in These Shoes - The Stories They Tell." Featured are some of the sandals found by a team of archeologists led by Dr. Luther Cressman at the Fort Rock Cave in southeastern Oregon. Displayed, too, are Steve Prefontaine's running shoes. Call 541-346-3024 or visit their website at http://naturalhistory.uoregon.edu. Nearby the museum is the Knight Library with its display,"Leadership and Legacy: Olympic Tradition in Track Town, USA." The focus is Eugene's history of hosting the Trials and includes footage and videos from Hayward Field. Call 541-346-3053 or visit http://library.uoregon.edu/acs-svc/knighthours.html.
You may not see them, but don't be surprised if you're accompanied by ghosts of the past. Maybe someday we'll join them.

Day 4

By Lee Juillerat
Wow, and wow, and WOW!
This is no attempt at objective journalism, not when a person you've known, watched and admired beats the odds and earns a spot on the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team. Ian Dobson, who grew up in Klamath Falls, the city where I've worked and lived longer than I expected, showed that persistence and hard work pays by placing third in the 5000 meters run Monday at Eugene's Hayward Field. Clocked in 13:29.76, he was less than a second behind Matt Tegenkamp, with both trailing 2008 outdoor World Champion Bernard Lagat, who won in 13:27:47.
A bit of disclosure: one of my year's ago running partners, a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School who also coached fourth, fifth and sixth grade track, told me about a fifth grader who was incredible. He predicted the boy, Ian Dobson, would break all the records in junior high and high school. And Ian did. He was a two-time state cross country champion, led his Klamath Union team to state titles, and, because he's also smart, earned a scholarship to Stanford University. While at Stanford, Ian was a 10-time All American, 5000 meters NCAA Indoor champion and set four school records. Immediately after graduating he signed a professional contract with Adidas. Despite some ups and downs, he's enjoying a career most of us dream about. Over the years at Stanford and since, it's been my pleasure to be his friend.
So Monday night, when Ian was a member of the group of five that had broken away from the rest of the pack with a final lap to go, I was whooping and hollering. And, with less than 100 meters left, as he broke away from Chris Solinsky and Bolota Asmeron, I realized that - Wow and WOW! - Ian was running his way to Beijing.
What followed was delicious. His mother, Marita Kunkel, somehow made her way to the track, where she embraced her son, who handed her the bouquet of flowers he had been given on the award podium. Weaving his way off the track, he found his father, Ted Dobson. In the interview area I was too flabbergasted to ask an intelligent question. When he finished the first round of talks he grabbed and wrapped me with a warm hug.
A week before the race we had talked about his plan. He told about the need to stay with the leaders, to not take the lead, to be prepared for the final 400 meters and the training he had done to be better able to finish fast.
"It has been a very long process," Ian said at the press conference afterwards. "For me it's been a matter of buying into the (coaching) process. I love being a runner. I'm in it for the long-haul. If I hadn't made this (Olympic) team I'd still be in it for the long-haul."
Of the race itself he said, "I pretty much did everything I could. There's no grand strategy. Don't get too far back. Don't do too much work. Run hard the final lap. I wasn't thinking too much with 200 meters to go. I was just running as hard as I could."
Hard and fast enough to run all the way to China.

Day 3

By Lee Juillerat

For several hours it was just another day. Spoiled track and field fans were enjoying another round of sterling performances at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the sultry Eugene heat Sunday afternoon, but without the soul and passion that had marked Friday and Saturday. The pole vault competition seemed to lack drama; the triple jump finals were mechanical; even the finals in the hurdles seemed cool, especially in comparison to the very un-Eugene like 90-degree temperatures.

But late in the men's long competition something happened. The polite but half-hearted enthusiasm turned electric as the jumpers fired up themselves and the 20,000 people at Hayward Field. Four leapers took turns besting each other marks. Brian Johnson appeared safe for the gold after flying 27-2.3 feet. But on his final jump, Trevell Quinley literally flew from third to first with a crowd-stirring 27-5.5. Miguel Pate soon followed with a 26.11.75, good enough for the third and final spot to Beijing and enough to pass Dwight Phillips, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist. Pate looked like a human exclamation point - !!!!! - bounding wildly.

The old joints in Hayward field were jumping when the day's final event, the men's 100 meter run, followed. The wait to see how fast a man could run was the shortest ever, with Tyson Gay propelling the distance in 9.68. It won't be a world record because the wind was blowing at 4.1 meters per second, but in an event where gauntlets are thrown at opponents, it served notice that Gay is more than ready. The mark also rates as the fastest under any conditions. Completing the team were Walter Dix with 9.80, a time than any other day would have been stunning, and Darvis Patton.

Several minutes later, after enjoying a victory lap and on-track celebrations, Dix was exiting the field when he passed along a ropeline of excited fans, who treated him with roars of applause. Dix, who had been so composed on the track, looked stunned, heard a young boy ask for an autograph and, obviously temporarily confused, instead handed him the bouquet of flowers he had received moments before on the winner's podium. For that young boy, and for Dix and the rest of us, just another wasn't just another day. The magic continues.