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July 13th
The second portion of the Olympic Trials were great! It all started with hammer throw on Wednesday. It was open to the public and very well attended with the West Grandstand near the finish line packed with spectators. I was able to watch after volunteering on the entrance team in the morning, and it was the first time the hammer throw was held on the infield at Hayward. Lance Deal, the Olympic silver medalist in hammer at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, was honored for his contributions to the sport and for helping make the Hammer at Hayward a success. After the hammer competition ended, there was an all comers meet held at Hayward which was so much fun! I ran the 100, and my high school teammate Max Zavidow and his mom both ran the mile. It was a great event and I ran into Meb Keflezighi, who won the Boston Marathon in 2014.
On Thursday I didn't volunteer and spectated the meet instead. Thursday featured the women's 1500 and 5k prelims, men's 1500 prelims, and women's 3k steeplechase final. The steeplechase final was fantastic, with Emma Coburn, the newly minted American record holder, pulling away from a strong field.
On Friday my college teammate Gabby Bishop came down to Eugene from Portland, and we were lucky enough to volunteer on the basket crew. The basket crew was really fun, as we went on the track with baskets where the athletes placed their warm up gear right before they raced. Once all of their things are in the basket, we walk off the track in a single file line. It's definitely the most exciting volunteer position, as you get to step on the track while the athletes are racing. Gabby and I were thrilled, as it was so cool to be on the track during competition.
On Saturday, Gabby and I volunteered in the Fan Festival where kids participated in a youth heptathlon. It was so great to see so many kids excited about track and field. After volunteering, we were able to get free tickets to the meet, which TrackTown handed out at a table in the fan festival. We stood by the start line of the 200, and got to watch Allyson Felix run in her semifinal heat. We also got to see the men's 5k final, which was possibly the most exciting race of the weekend. Galen Rupp, who ran at the University of Oregon and now runs for the Nike Oregon Project, took the lead with two laps to go, only to fade in the last 200 meters when the leaders passed him. The crowd roared when Bernard Lagat won the race, as he's a fan favorite at Hayward. Lagat is 41 years old and closed in a 52 for his last lap!
For the final day of competition on Sunday, Gabby and I got tickets in the East Grandstand and had a great view of the women's pole vault final. The first final on the track was the women's 400 hurdles and it was so cool to see Sydney McLaughlin place third! I remember watching her race at SMOC as a freshman and now she's an Olympian! I was the most excited for the 1500 and 5k finals, which were really exciting. Everyone at Hayward cheered when Brenda Martinez placed third in the 1500, who earned her spot on her first Olympic team, even after tripping in the 800 final, typically her primary event. After the last race of the day, the men's 1500 where native New Jerseyan Robby Andrews placed second, Gabby and I left for Portland. We were sad to see the Olympic Trials come to a close, but we're already looking forward to 2020!
I had a great time the eleven days I was in Eugene, and I miss Oregon already! Volunteering and spectating the Olympic Trials was a great experience, and I highly suggest any track and field fan should do the same. If you're interested in volunteering at future meets at Hayward, go here and look out for future events. It's really easy to sign up and a ton of fun! I really hope the Trials are held in Eugene again in 2020, and if they are I hope to be there. Thank you so much NJ MileSplit and Robert Kellert for giving me the opportunity to share my experiences at TrackTown USA!
