USA Track & Field Heads to Eugene, Hayward Field Once Again
Olympic Trials are the latest in a series of marquee events heading to Oregon
Posted On: June 14, 2024 By :It’s almost expected on some level that if a track and field event is big — really big — that it at least stops in, if not becomes a regular visitor, to Eugene, Oregon.
There are the multiple NCAA Outdoor Championships within the past decade. The annual Prefontaine Classic is a must for any athletics aficionado. There USA Track & Field National Championships have made multiple stops as have the World Athletics Championships and the Diamond League Championships. Hayward Field will also host the 2026 World Athletics U20 world championships.
This summer sees yet another big one as USATF returns to Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Trials, June 21–30.
“It’s just a part of who we are,” said JB Carney, the senior director for sports at Eugene, Cascades and Coast Sports Commission. “It’s in our DNA. And then you throw on a world-class venue like Hayward Field, you’ve got the intellectual capital between the University of Oregon and Tracktown USA and it’s this perfect storm where there’s resources to bring these major events.”
Eugene has been the most reliable site for USA Track and Field to host the Olympic Trials. The city’s first time hosting the men’s trials was in 1972; since USATF combined the men’s and women’s Trials into one event, Eugene has hosted in 1976, 1980 and each Trials since 2008, making this summer its fifth time in a row.
“I don’t know that there was a concerted effort to become the home of USATF events,” Carney said. “I think it’s been somewhat organic in that matter — but not organic in the fact that there hasn’t been effort put into it. We love hosting events. Obviously getting to host the World Athletics Championship was kind of once-in-a-lifetime type of an event. We also recognize that it’s a very precious gift. And as much as we’ve gotten used to being able to host World Championships, the Diamond League final, Olympic trials, there are a lot of other communities that are starting to make some noise in this space and they’re building facilities and they’re putting bids in.”
Athletes Know the Routine
“There’s nothing like Hayward Field and being there,” Carney said. “And we know that once the event kicks off, we have the officials, the volunteers, the staff behind the scenes that are going to make it a world class meet.”
Being such a part of the track landscape, both nationally and internationally, has given some competitive comforts to athletes.
“I’ve been there so often that I know what hotel to go to, I know what food I want to order, I know where I want to go to just chill and have fun,” said Kenny Bednarek, a 200-meter silver medal winner in the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Championships in Eugene. “I like going there because it’s nice and peaceful. I’m from Wisconsin so it’s lots of nature and I love that.”
“It’s honestly a home track,” said Tara Davis-Woodall, a long jumper who won silver at the 2023 World Championships and gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. “I’ve competed there so many times, I know the board, I know the town, I know what foods I like now. I know where I like to stay.”
There also is a bit of a flipside for the athletes, they admit.
“It’s hard to get there,” Bednarek said. “It’s a whole day trip. Half my family try to go there and it’s very expensive. Right now I’m OK with it but I’m hoping that we can end up going elsewhere before I retire.”
“It’s so expensive,” Davis-Woodall said, adding “you have to either fly to Eugene and spend (a lot of money) or fly to Portland and drive or fly to Seattle and drive. It’s not easy.”
To that end, Carney admits geography can be an issue and is one the community is working to address.
“We’ve got a tremendous airport,” he said. “They’re working hard to get more direct flights into Eugene. They’re expanding the airport, putting a lot of money into it. At the end of the day, we’re tucked up in the northwest corner of the U.S. and I get it, it can be challenging to get there. But I think we all recognize and hear what the athletes are saying. And we’re doing our best to try and address those things.”
Leaning into the Brand
Even with those concerns, Eugene is leaning into the idea of branding itself further as a track haven within the United States — and for those who will follow the Trials from outside the United States. Carney tells the story of a local runner who went to South Africa and entered a local 10K. Once organizers learned he was from Eugene, the local PA announcer told the crowd the runner was “from the running capital of the world, Eugene, Oregon.”
“There’s always been kind of that recognition of being TrackTown,” Carney said. “I had friends and family back in Oklahoma where I grew up who are not track-and-field fans, but they watched all 10 days (of the 2022 Worlds) and they talked about how great Eugene showed, and they want to come out. Anytime you get a chance to host the World Championships, Diamond League final or Olympic Trials, I think it just elevates that brand and destination awareness.”
Posted in: 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Olympic Sports, Track & Field