Unearthing a new track-and-field tradition in Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. — It's hallowed ground.
The late Steve Prefontaine, rock-star distance runner, consecrated it back in the early 1970s, burning up the track at Hayward Field on the way to owning the American record at every distance from 2 kilometers to 10.
In the decade that followed, Hayward Field, oft described as the Carnegie Hall of track and field, regularly welcomed the world's greatest athletes, hosting the sport's marquee event, the U.S. Olympic Trials, from 1972 through 1980.
Hallowed, pure and simple.