HOME, SWEET, HOME.

Byline: Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard

Go for a jog on one of the many running trails in Eugene these days, and odds are pretty good you'll bump into an Olympian, a U.S. champion, or at least somebody training to reach those goals.

It could be Nick Symmonds, the Division III kid from Willamette University, who beat the gold medalist from Russia in the 800 meters at this year's Pre Classic.

Or you might see Dathan Ritzenhein, one of America's top young distance runners, who made the 2004 Olympic team in the 10,000, and has tremendous potential in the marathon.

There's Lauren Fleshman, last year's U.S. outdoor champion in the 5,000, and Nicole Teter, who is making a comeback after a two-year break due to injuries - another '04 Olympian who was ranked No. 3 in the world in the 800 five years ago.

The list goes on and on.

Without a doubt, with the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials on the horizon, a $7.4-million renovation of Hayward Field under way, and the visionary Vin Lananna in charge of the University of Oregon track and field program, Eugene is witnessing a dramatic rebirth of the postcollegiate track and field scene.

`It's a moment in history,' said Ross Krempley, a former UO runner, who is the Lane Community College cross country coach, and who works for two of Eugene's established post-collegiate clubs.

`This is the beginning, or at least the attempt of the beginning, at the second coming of track and field, and I think there is no other place that's better. It just can't be topped.'

The most tangible evidence is provided by Oregon Track Club Elite.

Under the guidance of highly-respected coach Frank Gagliano, and the financial support of Nike, the group of 20 or so postcollegiate distance runners - covering the 800 to the 10,000 - has thrived since its inception last September.

OTC Elite will send as many as 16 athletes to the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships that begin Thursday in Indianapolis, including five of the top eight performers in the men's 800 this season.

`It's starting to wake people up again,' said Symmonds, the U.S. outdoor runner-up in the 800 last year. `I've read a lot about how things were in the '70s and '80s, and it seemed like it quieted down a bit. Maybe it's just me, but the last six months, I feel like it's really started getting back to that.

`It's cool to go on a run and see Ritz on the trails. After the Pre meet, I was out jogging, and every other person I passed was like, `Hey, great race yesterday,' and that's a great feeling.

"It helps me stay motivated and inspired, so I feel like Eugene is taking pride in being Track Town, USA, again.'

OTC Elite is just beginning to hit its stride.

The combination of temperate weather for training, an abundance of soft-surface trails, high-quality track meets at Hayward Field, and an outpouring of community support, most notably in medical assistance and part-time jobs, has made for an easy transition for those athletes good enough to make the cut.

`In this country, Eugene is the best place to train, there isn't any doubt about it,' Gagliano said. `Our athletes are very comfortable here.

"It took a few months of adjusting to the weather, the pollen and the coaching, but I feel things are going along very well. Now, we have to finish the job.'

On the OTC Elite roster, nobody has worked with `Gags' longer than Teter.

The 33-year-old veteran underwent sports hernia surgery in January of '06, and one year later, she decided to move from Atlanta to Eugene to rejoin her coach as she continued her recovery.

Today, Teter comes into the U.S. meet as one of the better comeback stories.

`This is the best set-up that I've ever heard of,' said Teter, a San Diego native. `And it has to do with Gags, Vin and Nike coming together, so we can make this happen. I am extremely appreciative of that. It's fantastic that so many people are here, it brings a higher sense of quality to everything we do.'

The athletes all point to Gagliano as the key to the formula's success.

`I had to be here in the group for several months to really understand what he means,' said Tom Brooks, a top contender for a spot on the World Championship team in the 3,000 steeplechase.

`Gags makes everything go around.'

When OTC Elite showed up in Eugene last fall, it helped fill a void of postcollegiate buzz that had been lacking since Oregon International exited shortly after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

It wasn't a complete vacuum.

About five years ago, Krempley helped launch Team XO, an ambitious, inclusive club of about 40 like-minded postcollegiate athletes, with a small budget and modest standards.

Team Eugene, a marathon-based group managed by Matt Lonergan, the husband of two-time Olympian Marla Runyan, was also on the scene.

Given the mega-resources made available to OTC Elite - housing, health insurance, part-time jobs and travel - it would have been easy for the other groups to be jealous of the new athletes in town.

But Krempley said months of conversation with Lananna and Gagliano helped diffuse any potential problems.

`It was clear that somebody needed to be in the middle of all this to make sure people didn't get pissed off,' Krempley said.

`If I'm directing Team XO, and I'm assisting OTC Elite, I'm going to make sure I'm not stepping on my own toes.

`That was the big thing. It showed Vin's open-mindedness to have something a little bit different than he had with the Farm Team (in Palo Alto, Calif.), and Gags has so much love, he's been amazing in making things actually work.'

As the Trials get closer, Eugene's appeal gets stronger.

Former UO distance standout Brad Hudson has shifted his group's training headquarters from the altitude of Boulder, Colo., to the sea-level base in Eugene, bringing Ritzenhein with him.

He said ex-Duck Jason Hartmann would join them in July along with one or two other athletes.

Distance standout Gabe Jennings and high jumper Jesse Williams have recently moved to Eugene.

`The energy is a huge factor,' Hudson said. `We're here because Eugene is a great place for training, and because there are meets here.

"If I want to build a team, I need to have athletes race in the same town they're training in, otherwise, it can be very expensive, and that's a big factor for developmental athletes.

`It's great to go to altitude, and we haven't turned our backs on Boulder, but we'll use that more selectively.

"At the end of the day, you have to race and perform, and that's why Eugene is where it's at right now.'

Once the Trials have come and gone, there will be some natural turnover, but don't put OTC Elite in that category.

`This club is here to stay,' Gagliano said. `I don't care what happens with the Trials in 2012, we're going to be right here.'

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