Eugene, Oregon—In response to the increasing popularity and sold-out crowds at the annual Prefontaine Classic, organizers have arranged for free shuttles from the Autzen Stadium parking lot to Hayward Field and return for both Friday's “Distance Night in Eugene” (May 27) and Saturday's Main Event (May 28). Parking in the area around Hayward Field is extremely limited.
Last year, Friday's free Distance Night attracted a crowd of approximately 10,000, and an even larger attendance is anticipated in 2016. Saturday's attendance was 13,278, the 12th consecutive sell-out at the IAAF Diamond League Prefontaine Classic.
This year's Friday events begin with the men's Hammer Throw at 7 p.m. and will end at approximately 9:45 p.m. The Autzen-Hayward shuttles will begin at 5 p.m. and the last return to Autzen Stadium will be at 11 p.m.
Saturday's competition begins at 12 noon and concludes with the iconic Bowerman Mile at 2:50 p.m. Shuttles will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Spectators are encouraged to park for free at Autzen Stadium and take the shuttles, which will drop off and pick up at Hayward Field right outside the Agate Street gate.
Fans can follow the event lineups on eugene.diamondleague.com. The direct link to current start/entry lists is posted HERE and will include updates to all announced fields. Additional news, photos, and videos may be found on PreClassic.com, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Tickets for the 42nd annual edition of the Prefontaine Classic, to be held May 27-28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., are available now at www.GoDucks.com as well as from 1-800-WEBFOOT.
The Prefontaine Classic is the longest-running outdoor invitational track & field meet in America and is part of the elite IAAF Diamond League of meets held worldwide annually. The Pre Classic’s results score has rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the world in each of the last five years by All-Athletics.com, the official data partner of the Diamond League. Sponsored by NIKE continuously since 1984, the Prefontaine Classic will be shown live to an international audience and by NBC and NBC Sports Network.
Steve Prefontaine is a legend in the sport of track & field and is the most inspirational distance runner in American history. He set a national high school 2-mile record (8:41.5) while at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, that is the fastest ever in a National Federation-sanctioned race. While competing for the University of Oregon, he won national cross country championships (3) and outdoor track 3-Mile/5000-meter championships (4), and never lost a collegiate track race at any distance. As a collegiate junior, he made the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and nearly won an Olympic medal, finishing 4th in the 5K at the 1972 Munich Olympics, at age 21. After finishing college in 1973 and preparing for a return to the Olympics in 1976, he continued to improve, setting many American records. His life ended tragically on May 30, 1975, the result of an auto accident, at age 24. The Pre Classic began that year and has been held every year since.
