For Immediate Release (Wednesday, July 9)
By Curtis Anderson / TrackTown USA

Like a Russian nesting doll with multiple layers of surprises, Run TrackTown continues to grow in scope and quality.

The weeklong festival of running, which brings together two major sporting events in TrackTown USA this month – the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships (July 22-27) and the Eugene Marathon and Half Marathon (July 27)  – also features the debut of a High Performance track and field meet on Saturday, July 26 at Hayward Field.

Free to all those attending the World Juniors that night, the meet promises a bevy of world-class men’s and women’s performers competing for $57,000 in prize money in six individual events and two relays.

“This is shaping up to be a fantastic meet with some of the top names in the sport in every event,” said Vin Lananna, president of TrackTown USA. “Whether you’re running the marathon, attending the World Juniors, or simply a fan, you won’t want to miss it.”

Beginning at 5:50 p.m. with the women’s hammer throw, the meet schedule also includes the men’s 110-meter hurdles, women’s 100 meters, men’s mile, men’s triple jump and men’s high jump.

Among the confirmed entries for the 110m high hurdles are reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder Aries Merritt, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Jason Richardson, Spencer Adams and Dwight Thomas.

UO alum Laura Roesler is also in the meet. She closed her senior season with NCAA indoor and outdoor 800m titles before placing second at the USA Outdoor National Championships in Sacramento with a personal best of 1 minute, 59.04 seconds.

Roesler will take part in one of the meet’s highlights in which men’s and women’s 4x800-meter relay teams will take aim at current world and American standards in that event.  

The men’s world best of 7:02.43 was set by Kenya in 2006. The U.S. best of 7:02.82 was established in the same meet in Brussels, Belgium by Jebreh Harris, Khadevis Robinson, Sam Burley and David Krummenacker.

On the women’s side, the American best of 8:04.31 was set by Lea Wallace, Brenda Martinez, Ajee’ Wilson and Alysia Montaño  at the 2013 Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The world best of 7:50.17 was set by the Soviet Union in 1984.

The women’s hammer field will include six of the top eight throwers in the U.S. this year.

Complete fields will be announced soon.