Oregon youth runners invited to compete, participate in TrackTown12 Relay

May 21, 2012 - PRLog -- June 21, 2012 Oregon youth runners will have the opportunity to complete at historic Hayward Field the same week as the nation’s best track and field athletes compete for a spot on Team USA. The TrackTown Relay finals, a statewide high school marathon relay competition will be held in conjunction with TrackTown12.

Organizers announced the dates and locations for the six regional qualifying competitions throughout the state, at left; the top two finishing girls’ and boys’ teams from each region, along with the next four fastest teams throughout the state; a total of 32 teams will advance to the finals June 21.

TrackTown Relay qualifying competitions will take place as follows:

  Portland metro | Lincoln HS: June 17, 9 a.m.
  Valley | Corvallis HS: June 16, 9 a.m.
  Coast | Marshfield HS: June 16, 9 a.m.
  Eastern | Pendleton HS: June 9, 9 a.m.
  Central | Summit HS: June 10, 9 a.m.
  Medford | N. Medford HS: June 16, 8 a.m.

In addition to competing on Hayward Field, members of the final 32 teams will also participate in TrackTown12 opening day ceremonies and attend the first day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field June 22. Teams will be hosted for two nights in Eugene and receive official Nike competition sweatshirts.

Incoming high school freshman through graduating high school seniors are eligible to form six-person teams to challenge the current men’s and women’s world marathon records. The relay consists of 25 one-mile legs and a final 1.2-mile leg. Each of the qualifying teams will represent and be named for an Oregon track and field legacy athlete such as Steve Prefontaine, Joni Huntley, Bill Bowerman and Dick Fosbury.

Registration is open until June 5, 2012 on the TrackTown Relay Facebook page at facebook.com/TrackTownRelay. Registration is free thanks to partnerships from SamFit, a first-of-its-kind gym created by Samaritan Health Services that focuses on total health, and American Family Insurance.

The current men’s marathon record of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 38 seconds was set in 2008 at the Berlin Marathon Patrick Makau of Kenya. American Paula Radcliffe set the women’s record at the London Marathon in 2003 with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field is one of the greatest track and field meets in the world and will select three athletes in each event to represent Team USA in London at the Olympic Games. Among the Olympic hopefuls are 30 athletes with ties to Oregon including Portland’s own Galen Rupp, who set the American record in the 10,000-meter in 2011 and Bend native Ashton Eaton who is the world record-holder in the heptathlon and the 2011 world championship silver medalist in the decathlon. Others, like reigning world champion high jumper Jesse Williams, relocated to Oregon to train.

TrackTown12
Following a successful fan festival at the 2008 trials, organizers have added 40,000 square feet to TrackTown12, a free, 10-day, 20-acre interactive fan experience take place outside Hayward Field from June 22 to July 1, 2012. To extend the energy and pride in the pinnacle of the sport for the athletes the festival will return with entertainment, athlete appearances, partner interactive experiences, Nike merchandise, concessions, and the Starting Block for youth participation. In 2008, approximately 160,000 ticket holders, as well as 40,000 non-ticket holders attended the festival as part of the meet.

Tickets
Ticket to TrackTown12 are close to selling out, so fans are encouraged to purchase tickets as early as possible. All-session and single-session ticket packages are now available online at TrackTown12.com, by phone at 800-932-3668 or in Eugene at the University of Oregon Autzen Stadium.

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field will be broadcast on NBC and its affiliates. For the full competition schedule and TV schedule, visit http://tracktown12.gotracktownusa.com.

About SportsOne
The TrackTown12 fan experience is produced by SportsOne, a leading national sports and entertainment marketing agency based in Beaverton, Ore. SportsOne also produced the fan experience at Eugene 08, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field.

Now in its 17th season, SportsOne creates, manages and executes strategies and experiences for partners ranging from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs. The SportsOne experience roster includes TrackTown12 at the U.S. Team Trials – Track & Field, the Safeway Game Day Experience tour and the Oregon Sports Awards at the Nike World Headquarters, among others. http://www.GoSportsOne.com.