Runnerville

The remainder of the 2008 Olympic Track & Field Trials could well be hard pressed to match the spirit of the of Day One in Eugene. After a 28-year absence, the sport’s premier national meet returned to the hallowed grounds of Hayward Field on the university of Oregon campus under glorious blue skies and an array of fluttering American flags. A record 20,964 track-hungry fans spilled out of the gussied up grand dame of American tracks, carrying 10th grader Laura Roesler of North Dakota down the homestretch and into the semifinals of the women’s 800 meters. Pretty in pink (singlet), the Fargo prep notched a 2:04.03 fourth place finish in heat one to stir the crowd for the first of what promises to be many times over the next nine days.

But the story of Day One belonged to University of Arkansas grad Amy Begley (nee Yoder) who had to dig down into the soul of Hayward Field in the final laps of the women’s 10,000 meters to secure her ticket to Beijing with a head down dash to an Olympic “A” standard qualifier.

In the first final of these Trials, favorites Shalane Flanagan, the American record holder, and Kara Goucher, the bronze medalist at last year’s IAAF World Championships, were considered locks, but who for third? And if not 2004 fourth placer and sentimental fav Katie McGregor of Team USA Minnesota, or Notre Dame grad Molly Huddle, who both held the 31:45 “A” standard, then could whoever beat them nip under that time to insure their berth to Beijing on what was a warm, windy evening? Unlike in previous Olympic years, if you didn’t either have the “A” standard going in, or get it at the Trials, there was no chasing it after the fact. This was it. Now or never.

It came down to two sets of three. Goucher, Flanagan, and Begley separated into a distinct front pack with McGregor, Lisa Koll, the NCAA champ, and Sarah Slattery, the ex- Colorado Buff, well back involved in their own tussle. Huddle rested in seventh, but holding that elusive “A” standard.

26:54 with a mile to go. Begley was going to need a sub-4:50 to realize her dream. With three laps to go Goucher put in the boot, Flanagan followed easily, but Begley got dropped. Could she hold on?

Goucher was racing now. Still a newcome to Eugene with her husband Adam (who qualified in the men’s 5000m earlier in the eveining), she drew on the crowd as hers for the taking. 29:18 with two to go. 70.7 for that 400. Flanagan still looked poised to strike with 500 remianing. The rhythmic clapping of the Hayward Field crowd took on an urgency that only flows from such a critical mass of track knowledge. 30:28 at the bell. 69.9 for that lap. The crowd was in full-throat now, as Flanagan began her bid. Shoulder to shoulder the two whipped by lapped runners, the tempo at a fever pitch. Begley was holding strong, but need a sub-70 final spin of the track to make her third place finish mean what it might.

With 250 left Flanagan’s pitch perfect stride took her past Goucher’s choppy action. This was only her second 10,000 meters ever, but looked born for the distance. The backstrech stands rose as one, rroaring. But as Shalane opened her winning margin, the crowd’s attention turned back to Begley. Her’s was the lap that mattered most. Had she let it go too long in cruise control? Had she waited too long in that mid-race lull to move out in front of her two better-credentialed rivals to lift the pace back near that “A” standard territory?

Around the final bend, and it might as well have been Pre himself the crowd was urging on. Begley put her head down, literally. Her arms like hammers, the last 100 meters a testament to track’s enduring ability to lift athlete and fan alike into realms well beyond the prosaic. In a roar that shook the old grandstands’ timbers, Begley flew across the line. All eyes sought the clock. Then the annoucement. By just 1.4 seconds she had done it. And in that moment, with Begly prostrate on the track, these long-awaited Trials had been christened anew, joining 1972, `76, and the boycotted 1980 Trials in Eugene as legacies that live in the hearts of those fortunate enough to witness the glory first hand.

This was Begley’s first race in Eugene since 2001, when she won the NCAA 10K title by running herself once again into exhaustion. This time she didn’t need the two IVs to get her going again. The importance of the moment lifted her, as she and Kara Goucher, both coached by former U. of O. superstar Alberto Salazar, began a dance of jubilation.

Yes, Shalane Flanagan broke Mary Decker Slaney’s 26 year-old Hayward Field record. Yes, the three shot putting amigos, Adam Nelson, Reese Hoffa, and Christian Cantwell took but one throw each to advance to today’s shot put finals. And, true again, many shook their head in bewilderment when Galen Rupp pointed finger-to-the-heaven’s in winning the second qualifying heat of the men’s 5000 meters. Spare me the histrionics of a qualifying round when you’re not even going to be running in the final, because your real aim is the 10,000. But never mind such moments. Chalk it up to a local kid overwhelmed by the home support. We knew Eugene was special. But when you couldn’t swing the proverbial dead cat without running into friends from every chapter of your life walking the grounds, enjoying the Fanfest, or scheduling runs and meals, then it’s hard to fully appreciate what a venue like Eugene means to the fortunes of a sport crying out for this kind of special presentation.

If Day One is any indication, keep your hands on the wheel, and tighten those seat belts in back. This is going to be one wild ride.

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