by Larry Eder
Paul Banta, circa 2009, photo from Facebook.com/paulbanta.3
I first met Paul Banta in the early 1990s, as I ventured to his adidas Oregon Track Classic. An important meet in the Northwest, Paul, with the support of his sponsor adidas, tried some innovative approaches to track & field.
Paul held the shot put one hour before everything else at the meet. A nice turnout, around 1,000 fans, watched the shot put, as it became an important fixture on the circuit. I believe that we had covers from the adidas Oregon Track Classic three years in a row on American Track & Field (John Godina, Adam Nelson).
I spent a lot of time on the phone with Paul while he was working for Running USA. I enjoyed Paul’s sense of humor, his laugh and his love of endurance sports. Even after the adidas Oregon Track Classic lost its title sponsor, Paul fought hard to revive the meet he loved. It just not was to be.
Paul Banta wants to keep his newsletter, Endurance Sports Weekly, going. One of my partners in media, Dan Kesterson, and Paul’s son, Tommy, are working on plans to keep the project going. We will provide details on the plans and also, support the plans. Paul would have wanted that.
A very nice obituary, written by Beth Salinger, appears below. Please keep Paul and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Consider those you love in your next walk or run.
RIP Paul Banta, 1955 – 2012, by Beth Salinger
Paul Banta, known for founding the Oregon Track Classic along with co-founding Oregon International Athletics, passed away at his home surrounded by his family Friday. He was 57.
A significant voice in the sport of track and field, Banta created the adidas Oregon Track Classic and built it from a strong regional meet to a nationally television stop on the IAAF Grand Prix Circuit before the meet eventually lost its sponsor in 2005. Additionally, he directed the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, DC, for three years, during which the race doubled in size.
He co-founded and managed Oregon International Athletics, a regional post-collegiate track and field team, developing the team into one of the nation’s top clubs with 26 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers in 1992. He led European competition tours and directed the Eugene Indoor, Brathwaite Memorial, and Oregon Indoor track meets.
Banta was also the President of OSE Productions, Inc., a sports promotion and events management enterprise. He managed membership and annual conferences for Triathlon America and Running USA. He produced the weekly Endurance Sports Business Newsletter for industry professionals.
Banta was born on February 4, 1955, and attended Davidson College where he worked in the sports information office and developed his passion for track and field. He then moved to Oregon in 1980 to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Oregon. He is survived by his wife Judy Andres, three sons Christopher, Tommy and Peter, his mother Rosemary and siblings Peter, Sarah and Manon Banta.
A memorial will be held at Lake Oswego United Methodist Church, 1855 Southshore Blvd., Lake Oswego Ore., Wednesday at 2 p.m. (Pacific Time). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Paul’s name to the Melanoma Research Foundation or the Lake Oswego School District Foundation.
A significant voice in the sport of track and field, Banta created the adidas Oregon Track Classic and built it from a strong regional meet to a nationally television stop on the IAAF Grand Prix Circuit before the meet eventually lost its sponsor in 2005. Additionally, he directed the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, DC, for three years, during which the race doubled in size.
He co-founded and managed Oregon International Athletics, a regional post-collegiate track and field team, developing the team into one of the nation’s top clubs with 26 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers in 1992. He led European competition tours and directed the Eugene Indoor, Brathwaite Memorial, and Oregon Indoor track meets.
Banta was also the President of OSE Productions, Inc., a sports promotion and events management enterprise. He managed membership and annual conferences for Triathlon America and Running USA. He produced the weekly Endurance Sports Business Newsletter for industry professionals.
Banta was born on February 4, 1955, and attended Davidson College where he worked in the sports information office and developed his passion for track and field. He then moved to Oregon in 1980 to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Oregon. He is survived by his wife Judy Andres, three sons Christopher, Tommy and Peter, his mother Rosemary and siblings Peter, Sarah and Manon Banta.
A memorial will be held at Lake Oswego United Methodist Church, 1855 Southshore Blvd., Lake Oswego Ore., Wednesday at 2 p.m. (Pacific Time). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Paul’s name to the Melanoma Research Foundation or the Lake Oswego School District Foundation.
To leave a message on his Facebook page, please go to www.facebook.com/paulbanta.3
