The World Athletics Championships are in Eugene, Oregon from July 15-24, 2022. This is the first time in history that the championships are held in the United States. This esteemed event brings athletes from around the world to compete at Hayward Field in TrackTown USA (Eugene OR.)
Women’s Track Event
This is a BIG DEAL!
I’ll share a couple of links to articles that describe more about the event and why it’s such a big deal, not only for Eugene but for the USA:
Hayward Stadium Hosts World Athletic Championships in Eugene
I watched Hayward Stadium being built, and the process itself was incredible (if a tad inconvenient for us residents.) It truly is a world-class stadium, and a perfect venue for this event. The USA can be proud of hosting this event for the first time, and proud of Eugene for creating such a world-class event space.
For those who didn’t already know, Eugene has long been home to track and field events, and an area where runners come to practice and compete. Eugene’s “nickname” is Track Town — for that reason.
Any time of year you will see runners on streets, paths and byways; we’re used to them and take good care to protect their spaces. In fact, we’re kinda proud of them and salute their efforts.
This week, though, the town has exploded with visitors and their entourages — runners, trainers, coaches, fans, families, and — of course — international media. We’ve provided spaces for all of our new visitors to sample some of our fabulous cuisine, local merchants including wonderful organic farm markets, and entertainment. It’s festive and cheerful, truly an international celebration for everyone.
The traffic is quite a bit heavier, but the city has thought through how to handle that — and it’s flowing remarkably well, considering. It’s quite a cheerful and celebratory atmosphere, with white tent tops and kiosks popping up wherever there’s room for them.
And then there’s Hayward Field itself — a shining hub of activity with daily events filling the 25,000 person stadium. It’s an impressive and imposing venue, with well planned use of all its spaces — really an architectural feat. It’s beautiful.
My personal schedule didn’t have room for me to attend live, but it’s fun to watch highlights (including some broken records) during the week — and to realize how much planning and effort goes into making an event like this successful.
I’m so proud to live here. It’s a breathtakingly gorgeous place to live — nestled between mountains to the east and the sea to the west (a few miles) — green, vibrant and peaceful. I love it here, and this week showcases the best reasons why: it’s a healthy place to live, work, and play. I love it here and am so happy the rest of the world now gets to see why.