37 years after the death of Steve Prefontaine, the Pre Classic lives on

What was originally staged as the "Hayward Field Restoration Race" in 1975, the Prefontaine Classic, now in it's 38th year, continues to live on as the premier track and field event in America.

I was lucky enough to attend last year (and kept a journal my time in Eugene) and couldn't pass up the return trip to Eugene (via Portland) for the 2012 edition. If you're a track fan, this is something you need to see in person.

The distance action heats up Friday night with "Hollister Night at Hayward." The event is free to attend and will be webcast starting at 7:25pm Pacific (10:25pm Eastern) at PreClassic.com.

The Women's 800 kicks things off at 7:30pm with Molly Beckwith, Heather Kampf, Gena Gall, LaTavia Thomas, Alysia Montano and Maggie Vessey leading the way. This is the race that put Vessey on the map. Her win in 2009 out of nowhere paved the way to where she is now. Expect her to challenge for the win. This will also be an excellent chance to see where Montano's fitness is, as we haven't seen much out of her this year (yet).

The Men's International Mile is up next, at 7:37pm, with a stellar field of Americans, including Russell Brown, Matt Centrowitz, Will Leer, Jeff See, Dorian Ulrey and American Record Holder, Alan Webb (who set the American High School Record in 2001 here). Alfred Kirwa Yego, Nicholas Kemboi and Mohammed Shaween lead the foreign contingent. This event has become a new standard at Pre and expect the winner to be close to 3:50.

Vessey, Schmidt and Montano will
take on the world's best
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Women's 1500 goes off at 7:46 with another excellent American field of Gabrielle Anderson, Katie Mackey, Lauren Johnson, Brenda Martinez, Treniere Moser, Anna Pierce, Shannon Rowbury, Jenny Simpson and Phoebe Wright. Sheila Reid, Jemma Simpson and Tizita Bogale will lead the foreign contingent. Simpson will try to regain the form that found her running 3:59.90 here in 2010, as much of the rest of the field will take aim at the Olympic A Standard of 4:06.00.

The Women's 10,000 is up next at 7:56pm. Expect Tirunesh Dibaba to go away with this one, but pay attention to Lauren Fleshman. She's been injured and is rabbiting. It will be a good chance to see what kind of form she's in before the trials. Alisha Williams will take aim at the Olympic A Standard of 31:45. She has the B right now and will want to get this out of the way before the Olympic Trials in 3 weeks. (Nevermind, she was just rabbiting through 3000)

Closing out the night is the ballyhooed Kenyan Olympic Trials in the 10,000. Athletics Kenya decided to stage it here due to the similarity in elevation to London and it should be quite a run. The top two will qualify, with the last choice going to the committee. 10 of the Men entered have run under 27 minutes and I would expect this race to be won in the 26:45 range. Micah Kogo and Eliud Kipchoge seem to be the favorites, but it's Kenya. There are new stars emerging yearly. Expect the unexpected. I'll be pulling for "36 year old" Mark Kiptoo.

The 38th Annual Prefontaine Classic goes off Saturday, as usual, with excellent sprints, distance and field events. It will be broadcast at noon Pacific (3pm Eastern) on NBC. The Women's Steeplechase kicks off the distance events at 11:46am with Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek and Sara Hall lining up against the best in the world. Milcah Chemos looks to be the ace of the field. Coburn and Franek went 1-2 last year at USA Outdoors and look to be the favorites to make the team once again. Hall has yet to show the form that she showed towards the end of the 2011 season. This will be her chance to show whether or not she's a threat to make the team.

The Women's 3000 goes off at 12:11pm with Jackie Areson, Angela Bizzarri, Brie Felnagle, Sally Kipyego, Molly Huddle, Lisa Uhl and Amy Hastings duking it out. Talk about an American distance fans dream race. This one should be a lot of fun.

Symmonds won in 2007 and would love
 to win Pre again
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Men's 800 is next at 12:24pm with Nick Symmonds taking on the world's best (sans David Rudisha). Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Abubaker Kaki, Adam Kszczot, Mohammed Aman and Boaz Lalang will make it a tough one. Add Americans Khadevis Robinson and Tyler Mulder to the mix and you've got a very strong 800. Matt Scherer will lead them around.

The Men's 5000 is at 12:50pm with Matt Tegenkamp and Galen Rupp taking on an incredible field of Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele, Craig Mottram, Collis Birmingham, Isiah Koech, Sam Chelanga, Yenew Alamirew and Augustine Choge. Will Rupp go under 13:00 finally? and on American soil? He's gonna have to if he wants to compete in this field!

Closing out the classic will be the Bowerman Mile at 1:19pm. The American contingent will be comprised of Andrew Wheating, Leo Manzano, Lopez Lomong, David Torrence and Bernard Lagat. Silas Kiplagat, Asbel Kiprop Amine Laalou and Nick Willis will lead the world challengers. Kiprop's been tough here, but Kiplagat recently got the better of him in Doha. Expect a scorcher!

All in all, an event that Pre would be proud of!

I'll be tweeting and running around all over Eugene from Thursday night on... with stops at Track Town Pizza, Ninkasi Brewing, Pre's Trail, Rogue Public House, Morning Glory and of course, Hayward Field!

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5 Questions with World Indoors competitor, Jackie Areson

Jackie Areson on her
way to a World's bid
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The IAAF World Indoor Championships, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, are a week away and we'll try and do a few 5 Questions with interviews with the competitors during this period as we ramp up for the last international competition before 2012 Summer Olympics!

Jackie Areson is now almost a year into her professional career as a runner. After an excellent career at the University of Tennessee, Areson has begun to make her marks on the pro circuit. Things started going in a positive direction around Thanksgiving with her win at the famed Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, and most recently, she was the runner up at the USA Indoor Championships (in the 3000), gaining her a spot on the World Indoor Championship Team. Follow her on Twitter here.

5 Questions with Jackie Areson

1. Writing About Running: First off, congrats on making the Worlds team. Was this the goal race all indoor season? Did it unfold as planned?

Jackie Areson: Initially, my only hard effort for the indoor season was going to be at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix. I ended up not being in the race I wanted, so it was more of a lesson in pushing a race and learning to push from the front. The goal from the start was that I wasn't going to run at USA Indoor Champs. But things ended up changing quite a bit. I found out the night before the race that I was running, after running a workout that Thursday, and 10 miles the day before. So needless to say it definitely didn't unfold as planned. I went into the race really relaxed, knowing I was in shape and ready to run with anyone, but not really expecting much considering the circumstances. I ended up feeling much better than expected, even with the slow early pace. I was unsure about going to World's as I'm extremely focused on getting that 5000m Olympic A standard in April, but I figured I can't pass up an experience like this. I figured, this is why I run, right?

2. Writing About Running: You've been with the Oregon Project for almost a year now. How has the transition been from college student-athlete to professional runner?

Jackie Areson: The mindset is completely different, at least it is for me. In college, I would just go from meet to meet, not necessarily having a concrete plan. Just trying to run fast. There was always the thought... "there's always next year, next season." But now, it's much more planned, much more focused on the few races you have. For me, I raced so often in college, and I took that for granted. Now I race much less, and it gives me a much more aggressive mindset when it comes to racing. In terms of the actual transition... it was extremely hard for me. My training was going to great when I moved out to Oregon, but my racing was going in the opposite direction. I always thought people were being ridiculous when they would say the transition is hard, I didn't believe it. But it really was hard on my body, even though I have no explanation for it. But my body is finally coming around to the racing again and I'm excited. Even though it has been hard, the fact that I have an amazing coach in Steve (Magness) really keeps me at ease. I have complete faith in his abilities and I know he's the only person that can get me to where I know I can be, whether it be this year or the next. It will happen. Another aspect that is really exciting and different is the fact that I am learning a lot about coaching. Steve and I have countless meetings and discussions on training, anything you can imagine, it's been discussed. That's exciting for me, because when it makes sense and I know exactly what everything does for me, I get excited.

Areson had quite a career
as a Tennessee Volunteer
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

3. Writing About Running: Speaking of college, you had quite a career at the University of Tennessee, which included a national title at the 5000 indoors. What were some of your most proud moments as a Vol?

Jackie Areson: I can't deny that my national championship was an extremely proud moment. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and overcoming a lot of injuries and illnesses and hurdles throughout my college career. But it was almost more of a stress reliever. I was extremely happy I won, but, it took a toll on me. Now, the further out of college I get, the more the team moments stick out in my mind and the more they make me proud to be a Lady Vol. I would say the 2 relays I was on at 2010 Penn Relays. And the 2010 and 2011 SEC DMRs. Those are the most special to me.

4.  Writing About Running: Looking ahead to outdoor, what will be your focus leading up to the trials? and what are some meets you are targeting?

Jackie Areson: My focus, like many others, will be on getting that Olympic A standard in the 5000m. As of now, the plan is to run a 5k at the first Stanford meet, to get a good effort in and to remember what it feels like to run a hard 5k before I try to go for that sub 15:20 at Mt. Sac 2 weeks later. After than, maybe some 1500's and then most likely the Prefontaine 5k.

Areson is part of the Oregon Project and
 is coached by Steve Magness

5. Writing About Running: Finally, what does being able to run for Team USA mean to you and what do you hope to get out of your trip to Istanbul?

Jackie Areson: What I hope to get out of this trip to Istanbul, is to stay focused and not let being in a different country stress me out and affect my training and racing. I didn't do a good job with that last summer in Europe, and it's something I really want to get down before I go back this summer. As for being able to run for Team USA, it's an amazing opportunity, I feel lucky to have come back from a disastrous summer to be in this position and on my way back up to the level that I think I belong. But at the same time, I approach it as any other meet, just another chance for me to be aggressive but also have fun and race girls much better than me. It will definitely be humbling.

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Thanks again to Splitcaster for sponsoring the blog this week. If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.

The Run Down: Jenny Simpson's double at USA's leads a big weekend

Simpson had lots to smile about in Albuquerque
 (photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

It was another incredible weekend to be a Track and Field fan. Whether you were competing or spectating, it was hard to keep up with it all. The USA Indoor Championships were happening in Albuquerque, NM, tons of conference meets were going on all over the country (USTFCCA has an excellent page with links to all results) and the Brooks PR Invite ended the weekend for the top preps the in country.

Jenny Simpson's performances led the way, as she repeated her 1500/3000 double at USA's. On Friday, she bided her time in the 3000 and took the win in a tactical 9:19.15 over Jackie Areson and Sara Hall and Saturday, she held off a hard charging Brenda Martinez and the newly signed to Nike, Sara Vaughn. It looks like she'll be skipping World's in Instanbul, so the above four ladies will be booking their tickets. Also, it should be noted that Erica Moore looked superb in the 800, winning in a very nice 2:01.08, and pulling her teammate, Phoebe Wright, along with her for a trip to Turkey.

Introducing Erica Moore...
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

On the Men's side, Bernard Lagat said it best with the line (to the AP): "I just wanted to show those guys that Daddy can still kick." That may have been the understatement of the night, as he left Lopez Lomong, a 1:45 and 3:32 guy in the blocks with a 25 second last lap in the Men's 3000. Duane Soloman made it look easy in the 800 and pulled Michael Rutt along with him to Worlds, while Leo Manzano outkicked an unknowing Matt Centrowitz in the 1500. Centro may indeed have heard him coming after he went past Galen Rupp, but it sure didn't look like it.

In the collegiate world, Southern Utah's Cam Levins quadrupled to help the Thunderbirds take the Summit League Men's title. There was also an 800 round he had to run in there to complete this impressive feat. Here's how his weekend went:

Friday - qualified in 800 semifinal (1:54) then won the 3000 final in 8:19 (meet record).

Saturday - at 1:20 pm, he won the Mile in 4:10. At 2:45 pm, he won the 800 in 1:50 (meet record). Finally, at 3:25 pm, he won the 5000 in 14:35. What a weekend. Hope he's got something left for NCAA's and Outdoor!

Martinez runs out of real estate in the
 1500 (photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Finally, the Brooks PR Invite was back and produced some excellent results. Molly Seidel continued her excellent season by winning a competitive two mile in 10:13.45, while Texas' Daniel Vertiz ran a very strong race from the front and broke the meet record (in the same event) with a nice 8:59.15. He also led North Dakota's Jake Leingang under 9 in the process. Check out Flotrack's Crack Recap here.

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Thanks again to Splitcaster for sponsoring the blog this week. If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.