by RBR Admin
Bob Hodge is one of my favorite runners and writers. If you have not read this fine marathoner’s writing, go now to http://bobhodge.us/
Bob will be in the stands at Hayward Field and the Wild Duck Cafe, getting in some good vibes and good beer and perhaps writing a few columns for RunBlogRun on his journey from June 20 to June 30, 2024, in Eugene, Oregon.
Eugene OR Hayward Field– still got that new car smell.
Bill Bowerman’s image looks like a cross between an FBI Agent in the 1940s and Leonard Cohen.
“Miles of Trials” “I heard time’s winged chariot hurrying near.”
Preview 2024
This will be my ninth trip to Eugene, the first time as a 21-year-old hobo tourist in 1977 and the last as an Uber fan at the 2021 trials. I’m back again, making the present the past and the future.
I will be reporting, and color commentating for RunBlogRun as Foghorn Leghorn is a window to the trials. I hope to be a talisman for every athlete. I wish them Godspeed.
I was turned down for a media pass by USATF on two occasions, so rather than a fly on the wall, I will be “as heard in the stands or at the Wild Duck establishment.” I will also write a longer summary of the ten-day ordeal for the “Like the Wind” print publication in the UK.
I don’t mean to be tendentious, but I am attempting to promote our sport, something USATF (sponsored by Nike Corp) has a very poor record of doing. I think any semi-legit media organization should get credentials.
Foghorn —“Go, I say go away, boy, ya bother me.”
I have many reservations about our sport of athletics but I will try and put that aside for now so as not to get bogged down so much and just be able to enjoy and take in all that I see and hear on a purely competitive spirit level and remember and be tantalized by the human performances and top three provided you got the points etc. https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/10000m/men?regionType=world&page=1&rankDate=2024-06-04&limitByCountry=4
My old main track event, the 10,000 meters, will be run on Friday night, June 21st, and will be the first final of these trials. With an Olympic Standard of 27:00https://olympics.com/en/news/athletics-track-combined-events-at-paris-2024-the-entry-standards
A time that only five Americans have ever run:https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/u-s-all-time-list-men/#10K and only three current athletes at these trials have so far obtained.
Certainly, World Athletics and the Diamond Leaguers have marginalized the 10K as an event, so there are fewer opportunities to run it in a world-class meet.
Perhaps the Olympic race should be limited to athletes who have run the last 400m of a 10K in 52 seconds… Foghorn doesn’t play that either.
Before I sit myself down in my bougie seat in the still-feeling new Hayward to take it all in, I have to get there from my home in Clinton, MA, to my AB&B converted garage blocks from the venue. Wish me luck.
As I get older and befuddled, it can be a challenge—but hey, Foghorn’s chill.
The loosely organized fun run, formerly Hootie 5K, will be held on Saturday, June 22nd. This year’s run will be dedicated to the one and only Mike Fanelli, who passed away last year, leaving a huge void and marking a huge loss for the athletics and long-distance running community.
Mike’s commitment, knowledge, and promotion of the history of our sport with his unique library and collection of memorabilia dubbed the “Track & Field Garage,” which I once had an opportunity to visit —are sorely missed.
The “Brewnelli” will begin at 8:30 @ the Holiday Inn Express on Franklin.
More to come…
“The future ain’t what it used to be.”
Laughing:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxKHIpnFk8
(Editor’s note: one of my favorite photos of Bob Hodge, with the late Dick Quax, duking it out, old style, at NIKE OTC Marathon)
