Give Trials to Eugene.

Byline: The Register-Guard

USA Track & Field will decide tonight whether Eugene or Sacramento should be the site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

The choice shouldn't be a hard one. Eugene should win this race going away.

Yes, Sacramento can make a strong argument based on logistics such as housing, transportation, weather and facilities. If you were looking for a great place for a convention, Sacramento would have to be near the top of the list.

But USA Track & Field isn't looking for a convention site. It's determining the location of the nation's most prestigious track and field event, one that's held only every four years, the Olympic Trials.

Let's start with logistics. Eugene more than satisfies every one of the organization's considerable requirements: It has ample housing, including the new 200-unit Living and Learning Center, which the University of Oregon is building across the street from Hayward Field. It has a commitment from organizers to expand Hayward's seating by a full third to 15,000 and to make other major improvements to an already impressive facility. It has extensive and accessible practice facilities. It even has a pledge from the Oregon Sports Authority to provide free shuttle service to and from the Portland Airport.

Sacramento has much to offer, as well - a large regional population base, a ton of hotel rooms, blissful weather and a stadium that seats 24,000. Then there's a resume that includes the successful hosting of the two most recent Trials.

But if the site committee considers more than a checklist of logistical requirements, Eugene should be the clear choice for reasons that start and end with Hayward Field, one of the finest and most storied track and field venues in the entire world.

True track and field fans understand that Hayward Field is to their sport what Wrigley Field is to baseball and what the Rose Bowl is to college football - it is nothing less than holy ground. People who walk into the facility for the first time are struck by its powerful presence and memories that range from Steve Prefontaine's final duel with Frank Shorter to Mary Slaney's 1982 world record in the 5,000 to Alan Webb's smashing of Jim Ryun's national prep record in the mile in 2001. Hayward Field has been the site of Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976 and 1980, of nine NCAA championships and six U.S. championships. Every year, it draws sellout crowds to the annual Prefontaine Classic, one of the premiere events in track and field.

Then there are the fans who pack the bleachers at Hayward - fans who are widely recognized by the sport's premiere athletes as being among the most knowledgeable, dedicated and supportive anywhere. At Hayward, athletes know they're as likely to get a standing ovation for an extraordinary personal effort as they are for winning a race. Ask any distance runner whether he'd rather be striding into the homestretch to a stomping, animal roar at Hayward Field or at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento. The answer will be swift and emphatic: Hayward.

There are many other compelling arguments that can be made in support of Eugene's bid, but none should be necessary. Eugene should win the race for the 2008 Trials in a walk, a leap, a vault and, yes, a run.