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On July 5 the Prefontaine Classic celebrated its fiftieth running at Hayward Field, and the meet could not have asked for a more fitting anniversary. World records fell, clutch performances stirred the crowd, and Nike used the occasion to honor half a century of partnership while hosting media and athletes who have helped define the sport. The atmosphere was equal parts nostalgia and future‑facing energy.
The Prefontaine Classic carries a name that echoes through American distance lore. In the spring of 1975 the event was scheduled as the Bowerman Classic, a tribute to Bill Bowerman, the Oregon coach who co-founded Nike. After Steve Prefontaine’s fatal car accident on May 30 of that year, meet organizers and the Oregon Track Club renamed the competition in his honor. Prefontaine had been Bowerman’s star pupil and one of Nike’s first sponsored athletes, and his front‑running style embodied the brand’s earliest identity. Fifty years later the meet still hinges on that legacy: aggressive racing, crowd‑centered presentation, and Oregon as track and field’s spiritual home.
Nike marked the milestone with visible touches. Athletes received gold‑accented uniforms and limited “Pre50” footwear. Fans could purchase commemorative merchandise inside the stadium, where pop‑up displays traced Bowerman’s waffle‑iron prototype to the present day. The company also hosted our Ready Set Go crew—Rodney Green, Justin Gatlin, and production staff—giving them behind‑the‑scenes access to athletes and coaches. For Gatlin, who spent most of his career under contract with Nike, the weekend felt like a reunion. Spectators called his name as he moved along the concourse, proof that Hayward Field still remembers the champions who have raced there.
The headline performances belonged to Kenya. Faith Kipyegon lowered her own 1500‑metre world record to 3:48.68, controlling the pace early before driving the final 300 metres with a precision that only she seems to manage. Moments later Beatrice Chebet became the first woman to break 14 minutes for 5,000 metres, running 13:58.06 and widening the gap on Letesenbet Gidey’s previous mark. Achieving two women’s distance world records on the same afternoon underscores how rapidly the event standards are progressing.
If the distance races carried historic weight, the sprint and field events brought energy, tension, and several standout performances from American athletes.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden delivered one of her best races of the year in the women’s 100 metres, edging Olympic champion Julien Alfred with a 10.75 into a headwind. It wasn’t just a fast time — it was a statement. Jefferson-Wooden’s start was clean, and she maintained poise through the middle segment of the race, holding off Alfred’s late surge.
Kishane Thompson continued to show that his early-season form is no fluke, winning the men’s 100 metres in 9.85 seconds. The Jamaican sprinter is gaining traction not only as a short-distance threat but as a championship contender.
In the 400-metre hurdles, Alison dos Santos held off Rai Benjamin in a wire-to-wire battle, finishing in 46.65. The crowd, locked in from the gun, erupted as the pair hit the final barrier nearly even. Dos Santos leaned first and added another chapter to one of the most exciting matchups in the sport.
And while track took the headlines, the long jump delivered perhaps the most emotional moment of the day. Tara Davis-Woodhall, trailing Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo going into the final round, nailed a huge final jump to steal the win by just three centimetres. Her reaction, stunned, tearful, and overwhelmed, reminded everyone watching why the field events still carry some of the sport’s deepest drama.
Hayward Field’s reconstruction has sometimes drawn debate over cost and scale, but on days like this it feels justified. The stadium was full, and its steep sight lines amplified every surge on the homestretch. Organizers reported a sellout well before race day, and the local community turned out in classic Eugene fashion—knowledgeable, vocal, and ready with hometown signs for Oregon alumni.
The 2025 Prefontaine Classic offered fast times merging fifty years of Nike history, a venue that remains central to United States track culture, and a slate of performances that will shape the sport’s narrative on the road to the World Championships in Tokyo. For Ready Set Go the weekend also underscored why in‑person coverage still matters: relationships built on the circuit translate into conversations that can only happen when microphones come out after the spikes come off.
The sport moves next to Monaco on July 16, but the echoes from Eugene—Prefontaine’s name, Kipyegon’s acceleration, Davis‑Woodhall’s clutch leap—will carry through the remainder of the season. Fifty years after Bowerman and Prefontaine helped set Nike’s trajectory, the meet that bears his name proved once again that Hayward Field is where history tends to repeat itself, then rewrite itself in the span of a single afternoon.
