Running commentary

Through early summer showers most days, the Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene provided 10 days worth of stellar performances to determine the representatives for the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Those present experienced jubilant cheers for record performances, air sucked out of the stadium after falls and close calls, and a general atmosphere of being part of a world-class event.

Those days were blissful for a guy like me, who attended U of O and has been involved with track and cross-country since 1974. I came to fully appreciate a simple fact:

There is no other assembly in America of more talented athletes at one time than the Track and Field Trials. These men and women are so finely tuned, so strong, so swift that you wonder if they are real human beings.

And, on top of that, when you listen to them speak they tend to be humble, grateful, and genuine.

And it all took place just two hours away from Sisters.

Ashton Eaton, whom I wrote about last week, might be the epitome of all these qualities, but there were many others, although no world-record breakers, who inspired me, and the capacity Hayward Field crowd through the week-and-a-half of competition.

The trials produced drama after drama as the prelims became semis and the semis became finals and the top three punched tickets to Great Britain.

I have to admit that one of the most thrilling moments of the entire meet was not in a running event - it came in the men's discus, when Lance Brooks approached his sixth and final throw needing to toss over 213 feet 3 inches to make the Olympic "A" standard and qualify for London. The entire stadium hushed for a moment, and then as Brooks moved to the ring the Hayward crowd began its traditional clap...clap...clap..clap..clap..clap..clap and Brooks uncorked his best throw, 213 feet 9 inches. Goosebumps.

It was satisfying to watch Max King, who lives in Bend and finds time in his busy training schedule to work with youth runners, including kids from Sisters, meet his goal of making the final in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and proceeding to run the best time of his career while placing a very respectable sixth. His down-to-earth charm belies the fact that he is an internationally recognized trail runner who decided only recently to try to qualify for the Olympic Trials. This is the same guy who had 25 middle school kids at his house in Bend last fall for a spaghetti feed. Impressive.

We've never seen a tie for the 100 meters or a subsequent run-off. Throughout the debate over how to break the tie, the two women involved, Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh, demonstrated restraint, patience, grace and focus while the media picked the issue to death. (Ed. note: Tarmoh withdrew on Monday.)

In a much longer race, the women's 5,000 meters (3.1 miles), the difference between third and fourth place was a mere .04 seconds, yet Julia Lucas of Nike's Oregon Track Club Elite made no excuses about getting caught in the final step and not advancing to London.

She tried her hardest and got beaten. She is a role model that I hope all of the runners I coach can emulate.

That's not to say that she won't have sleepless nights wondering what microscopic thing she might have done differently to have that blink of an eye go in her favor.

On the final day of competition, two University of Oregon alums qualified in the 1,500 meters and showed true appreciation for their supporters. There was no cockiness, no trash talk-simply thankfulness.

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Centrowitz was quick to acknowledge the support and wisdom of his father, Matt Centrowitz, an accomplished Duck runner in his own day, while Andrew Wheating, who was battling a very sore left foot, made it plain that had he been running anywhere but Eugene, he would not have pulled through.

"The Hayward Field crowd makes the last 400 meters at least 10 percent easier, which was all the difference for me today," he said, after finishing third to qualify for his second Olympics.

If indeed Eugene wins the bid to host the Olympic Trials again in 2016, I know that I will be there, and I urge everyone who wants to see some of the best athletes in the world compete in a setting that is electric to join me.