Tom Jordan And Pre

By Matt McGowan - Last weekend I attended The Running Network winter meeting - http://runohio.com/read_blog/running-network-houston-meeting and the USATF Half Marathon National Championships - http://runohio.com/read_blog/usa-half-marathon-championships and the Chevron Houston Marathon - http://runohio.com/read_blog/chevron-houston-marathon-ordway... .

Attending the meeting were a number of the representatives of the various running publications of the Running Network including Tom Jordan representing Track and Field News “ the Bible of the Sport since 1948” - http://www.trackandfieldnews.com. I first meet Tom four summers ago when the Running Network held a summer meeting in Utica, New York during the Boilermaker 15km. One of the events during the Boilermaker 15km weekend was the National Distance Hall of Fame induction. That year Ohio’s Bob Schul who won the 1964 Olympic Gold Medal in the 5,000 meter was one of the honoree. Read RUNOHIO’s interview with Bob Schul at the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials - http://www.runohio.com/read_blog/few-minutes-gold-medalist-b... Also, read Elaine Binkley’s Book Review - A Closer Look at - Bob Schul, "In the Long Run” - http://www.runohio.com/archive/news/07-28-04Book_review_schu...

During the summer meeting in Utica my brother Jeff and I had the chance to talk with Tom Jordan about track and field. We also shared a few complementary beers from Saranac Beers which was a sponsor of the Boilermaker 15km. By the way, did you know Saranac is brewed at Matt’s Brewery. The Matt Brewing Company was founded in 1888 by German-born immigrant Francis Xavier Matt, or F.X. as he liked to be called. After Prohibition they are said to be one of the first breweries to tap a keg when they took one to the Utica Hotel for the tapping.

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field I was able to talk briefly with Tom Jordan and that interview is below. Last weekend I again had the pleasure to talk with Tom about running. We also shared a ride back to the airport and had lunch together before we headed home. Tom is a true fan and leader of the sport with his nearly lifetime work on the Prefontaine Classic and his work leading up to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field in Eugene. Plus, his book Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine is a must read for any fan of the sport. The Prefontaine Classic will he held July 3rd at historic Hayward Field and this year is part of the IAAF Diamond League series. The Diamond League will be composed of the 14 most prominent meets in the world, spread across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S.

More on Tom Jordan….

For more than three decades, Tom Jordan has carried the torch for the late, great Steve Prefontaine. Tom authored the book Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine. He also served as consultant on the 1998 Warner Brothers movie "Without Limits".

For 34 years, Tom Jordan has produced the Prefontaine Classic. It is the premiere track and field meet in the United States and the only stop in North America for the prestigious World Athletics Tour. The IAAF ranks it first among all meets held annually outside of Europe. Tom is responsible for bringing the greatest athletes in the world to the Eugene community each year - http://www.runnerspace.com/PreClassic This year the Prefontaine Classic will be held July 3rd and will be part of the IAAF Diamond League series.

Read Elaine Binkley’s Book Review of - Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend - http://www.runohio.com/archive/news/05-06-book-review.html

Read other Book Review by Elaine Binkley - http://www.runohio.com/read_new/runohio-book-review

Check out my interview with Tom Jordan at the - 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - http://www.runohio.com/read_blog/few-minutes-tom-jordan

Matt McGowan recounts his visit to the Pre Rock during the Olympic Trials - http://www.runohio.com/read_blog/pre%E2%80%99s-trail-prefont...

Check out Matt McGowan’s visit to the Pre Rock photos during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - http://www.runohio.com/view_gallery/us-olympic-tf-trials-day

Other photos from the 2008 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials - http://www.runohio.com/show/galleries?page=3
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Check out the Running National News on RUNOHIO National News page - http://www.runohio.com/national-news

The Running Network LLC Partners http://www.runningnetwork.com/RNW are:

American Track & Field - http://www.american-trackandfield.com
Athletes Only - http://www.atf-athlete.com
Athletics (Canada) - http://www.athletics.ca
Austin Runner - http://www.austinrunner.com
California Track & Running News - http://www.caltrack.com
Coaching Athletics Quarterly - http://www.coachingathleticsq.com
Colorado Runner - http://www.coloradorunnermag.com
Get Active! - http://www.healthclubs.com
Greater Long Island Running Club's Footnotes - http://www.glirc.org
Latinos Corriendo - http://www.latinoscorriendo.com
Michigan Runner - http://www.michiganrunner.net
Missouri Runner & Triathlete - http://www.morunandtri.com
New York Runner - http://www.nyrr.org
Racing South -
Road Runners Club of America - http://www.rrca.org
Running Journal - http://www.running.net
RunMinnesota - http://www.runmdra.org
RUNOHIO - http://www.runohio.com
Track & Field News - http://www.trackandfieldnews.com
USATF's Fast Forward - http://www.usatf.org
USATF/New England's Exchange Zone - http://www.usatfne.org/index.shtml
The Winged Foot (NYAC) - http://www.nyac.org
The Winged M (MAC) - http://www.themac.com
Youth Runner - http://news.youthrunner.com