US Olympic Trials
Eugene, OR
It is nearly impossible to put the experience of being a part of the 2008 US Olympic Trials for Track and Field in Eugene, Oregon into words. All I will say is that you had better buy your tickets for 2012, because in the sport of track and field, it will be the hottest ticket…maybe even hotter than the London Olympics.
Being in Phil Knight’s (founder of Nike) backyard in Eugene, Oregon, Nike certainly had a presence. They pulled out all of the stops to build the excitement for the event, their marketing and advertising was centered in the mystique of historic Hayward Field and the magic of qualifying for the Olympics, calling the US Olympic Track Team “The Hardest Team to Make.” There were festivities, rock bands, souvenirs, poster, flyers, product samples, retro VW buses, and promotions like you wouldn't’t believe. You could not escape the sport and you could not escape the excitement…especially on the track and in the field.
Every single fan in the old bleachers surrounding the track was thrilled with the start of every single race. The fans knew every runner in every lane in every heat. This was track and field as it was meant to be watched. In this environment, the athletes had no choice, but to reach to the highest levels of achievement. They pushed with every fiber of muscle, every gram of effort that they could muster. For the weekend that we attended this cathedral of Track and Field, we were in awe not only of the place and the setting, but the people and the performances that mad this venue and this field of competition so magical and so much fun.
Men's 800m Final
2 laps. No less, no more. This race rides on a razors edge between success and failure. Full of drama, the field at the Oly Trials was fiercely competitive. The field of 8 runners had run times between 1:45.61 and 1:46.28 in the semifinals. Less than a second separating the entire field. The stage was set. The obvious favorites were Khadevis Robinson (Nike), who had been an Olympian in 2004 and made an amicable appearance at the Phillips McCain Invitational in Moraga, Nick Symmonds (Oregon Track Club/Nike), a strong runner from the small Willamette University, known for his kick, and Lopez Lamong, a courageous young man who had immigrated from the Sudan as a youth and had run his way to this place.
The first lap went out much as expected with Khadevis Robinson taking command of the race from the start. Only five meters separated the field all the way thoughout the first lap. Through the third turn, the field stayed close together with Khadevis still in charge of the race. Going into the last 150m the battleground changed dramatically. Nick Symmonds charged through the field, almost like a running back breaking out of the line of scrimmage and powered to a commanding finish. With still two more spots to grab for the "Hardest Team to Make" the next four runners literally dove across the finish line with hometown University of Oregon boy Charles Wheaton finishing second and Christian Smith (Oregon Track Club/Nike finishing third and making the team.
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