Volume 87 | April 2018 Download a PDF of this newsletter here! Join Us at the Pepsi Meet, Member Appreciation The Club’s annual Member Appreciation Event will be held during the University of Oregon’s Pepsi Invitational meet on Saturday, April 7 at Hayward Field. OTC members are invited to gather on the patio space above the Weights and Measures building on the southeast corner of the track. Food, beverages and camaraderie will be served at this event. This is one of the many benefits of belonging to OTC. There is no charge to attend but members are reminded they will need to purchase a meet ticket to access Hayward Field. The appreciation bash starts when the first running event commences at the Pepsi meet. Throwers Take Center Stage The Prefontaine Classic is not just about races on the track. Did you know that more 70-foot shot puts have been thrown in the Pre Classic than at any other meet in the world? And the two best javelin throwers of this century will be competing at this year's Pre? A field featuring every medalist from the last three global championships will set the stage for another epic shot put competition. Heading the field are 2016 Olympic Champion and Oregon native Ryan Crouser and 2017 World Champion and 2018 World Indoor Champion Tom Ryan Crouser Walsh. Crouser has a lifetime best over 74-feet, as has entrant Joe Kovacs. There have never been two 74-foot throwers in a Pre Classic shot field. The two-year-old Prefontaine Classic and Hayward Field record in the men’s javelin is in serious jeopardy, as the two farthest throwers in the world lead the best field ever assembled in this event at the Pre meet. Most of the focus will be on German rivals Johannes Vetter and Thomas Röhler, who won the gold medals at the London World Championships and Rio Olympics, topped the Track & Field News world rankings the last two years and produced the three longest throws since the turn of the century. The current Hayward Field and Prefontaine javelin record of 286.7 feet (87.37 meters) was set in 2016 by Ihab Abdelrahman of Egypt. Last year Vetter and Röhler threw farther than that mark a combined 38 times! Given good weather, the Pre Classic and Hayward Field records will almost surely fall. The Pre Classic is May 26-27. Tickets are available from 1-800-GODUCKS or at goducks.com. OTC Butte to Butte Offers Many Run and Walk Options The 45th OTC Aquafina Butte to Butte is scheduled for Wednesday, July 4 in Eugene. The event offers several options: a 10K run, 4-mile Mayor’s Walk and a 5K Run or Walk. There is also a team participation option as well as a unique high school Alumni Challenge option. This event helps support the many programs of the Oregon Track Club. Registration is open at ButtetoButte.org. Remember, there is no race day registration, so register early and read all event details on the Butte to Butte website. Shuttle buses pick up every 5 minutes at the bus stops on 5th and Pearl Streets for 10K participants and on 4th and Mill Streets for walk participants. The 5K has an out and back course, starting and finishing on 5th Street between High and Pearl. Post-race festivities will take place in the 5th Street Public Market parking lot, where finishers can see results and enjoy complimentary refreshments. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, July 4th. Remember, there is no race day registration, so register early and read all event details at ButteToButte.org.​ Membership Committee ​Seeks New Members Are you bursting with OTC pride? Are you always telling your friends and family about how much you love being a member of one of the most highly regarded track and field organizations in the world? Do you love talking to people, especially to strangers? Well, we have an opportunity for you! It’s the OTC Membership Committee! The committee is a group committed to making sure everyone in our community knows how important our organization is and has the opportunity to join. The first committee meeting this year will be Friday, April 6, at 8:30 a.m. at COUNTRY Financial, 497 Oakway Road, Suite 240, Eugene. Contact James Conners at 541-225-3900 if you have questions. Other Club committees are also seeking new members: By Laws, Equipment, Finance, Grassroots Grants, Hospitality, Marketing, Merchandise, Officials, Runners Outreach, and Youth. Serving on an OTC committee is an excellent way to earn the ability to visit the Nike Company Store this year. Email [email protected] for more information. Out of the Blocks: False Start by Kevin Marbury, OTC president Happy April! Those of us who are sprinters know how frustrating it is to false start. Depending on the level of competition, the first time may allow you to try again but the second one will definitely get you disqualified. Unfortunately this month’s column is the victim of several false starts and so my “lane” will be empty. I’m confident you find much to enjoy in the Kevin Marbury other “lanes” as there is plenty of great stuff in this month’s newsletter. As for me, I’ll be back next month with a fresh take on something I can share. I would be remiss if I didn’t plug the Pepsi invitational which will include two masters races, the 3000m and 100m as a part of the schedule. Even more exciting is the news that the two races will be embedded into the heart of the meet giving the competitors a chance to race in front of the crowds this year. Good luck to all those competing! May your starts be fast and clean! Coach Bill Hayward ​and a Jigger of Wizardry Track and field fans know that Hayward Field was named in honor of Bill Hayward, the former University of Oregon coach. But what do you really know about Bill Hayward? In his younger days he was a fireman in Canada. He performed in a vaudeville show. Bill was the first full time track coach at UO. Bill Hayward His family name was not spelled H-a-y-w-a-r-d. Bill was passionate about fly fishing. Read the full article OTC Elite’s Niyonsaba ​Strikes Gold at World Indoors By Curtis Anderson, Oregon Track Club Elite Press Officer Oregon Track Club Elite made a highly successful trip to the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, U.K., last month. Francine Niyonsaba, a native of Burundi, successfully defended her World Indoor title in the 800 meters with a thrilling charge off the final bend, and Team USA’s Ben Blankenship fought his way to a fifth-place finish in the 1,500 meters. Read the full article Francine Niyonsaba Eugene Marathon Offers Discounts The Eugene Marathon is this month! If you have not registered for the April 27-29 marathon, there is still time. Use your OTC member discount codes: Full or Half Marathon $10 off: OTC18EM. 5K $5 off: OTC185. Consider volunteering if you are not planning to run or walk the event. There are a lot of fun opportunities to help participants have the best racing experience in TrackTown USA! Go here to volunteer. Do not miss the last marathon “preview run” of the season, April 14th. RSVP and invite others here. Vin’s TrackTown: Making History by Vin Lananna, Associate Athletic Director at the University of Oregon, ​President of TrackTown USA and President of USATF One of the guests lined up for our next TrackTown Tuesday show is a member of the Eugene running community whom you may have seen on Pre’s Trail, circling the Amazon loop, or logging miles around town. Vin Lananna Justin Gallegos is a sophomore at the University of Oregon and a member of the UO Running Club, coached by Tom Heinonen. He always had the dream of wearing the “O” across his chest, and he is living out that dream today. Gallegos also has cerebral palsy. He began running as a freshman on his high school cross country team. It took him a little while to get into the swing of things, but Gallegos has steadily improved his times with resilience and determination and continues to inspire others to do the same. Read the full article Connie Milliman, ​World Record Holder at 90 by Don McLean Colleen Milliman was born 8/21/26. She is 5 feet, 1/2 inch and 105 pounds. Milliman is the first woman over age 90 to record a time for the track mile (indoors or out) at the 2017 Hayward Masters Classic. She finished the race with a clocking 13:26.46 and a world record. Please pause and reflect on that historic, astonishing accomplishment. That was also a personal record for the mile, having started her track career in 2017. Born and raised at altitude (6000') in Utah, Colleen moved to Oregon in 1950. She raised two sons, Greg and Roger, both now living in Oregon. At age 75, Colleen decided she needed more exercise, joined the Obsidians walking club and loved the hiking in town and in the Cascades. But what is life if not continuing to improve, master new challenges and have more fun? Read the full article Colleen Milliman Hayward Classic Deadline Dates One of the nation's premier Masters events, the OTC Hayward Classic features age-group awards in track, field and race walking events as well as an age-graded mile run.