As thousands of runners gathered at Autzen Stadium early Sunday morning, University of Oregon student Justin Gallegos was counting down the minutes before he could run in his second Eugene Marathon.
“Last year I ran it in two hours and three minutes,” Gallegos said, referring to the 13 mile half marathon. “This year I’m prepared to beat that.”
Like most people running in Eugene’s 13th Annual Marathon, Gallegos has been training for the better part of a year. However, his training looks a little different.
Gallegos was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects muscle coordination. This adds an extra challenge to every step he takes towards the finish line. This year, he’s worked tirelessly to improve on speed, pacing and distance, including going on regular 10 and 11 mile runs as practice.
“Longer distance races have always been more appealing to me,” Gallegos said. “It’s important for me to continue challenging myself with my running career.”
Gallegos is a member of the UO running club and has experience running the shorter distances associated with track and field. He became a NIke sponsored athlete in 2016. Since then, he’s advocated for athletic shoes built for people of all ages and abilities.
Because of the ongoing construction at Hayward field, this years marathon featured a new route that started on Leo Harris Parkway outside of Autzen Stadium and ended inside the football venue on the 50-yard line.
Both the half and full marathon began at 7 a.m. Willie Milam was the first to complete the half, coming through the tunnel and onto the field at 8:03 a.m. The second place runner, Kenneth Kosgei, finished exactly two minutes later.
Not everyone knew that the route change would be well-received. Justin Hanes, director of communication for the marathon, was relieved when the move away from Hayward Field didn’t detract from the roughly 4,000 participants registered to compete.
“Even though Hayward is gone, I think the stadium is a huge deal for us,” Hanes said. “There are participants from 50 states and a plethora of countries here.”
In its current form, the Eugene Marathon has been happening since 2007, but before then Eugene had the Nike Oregon Track Club Marathon, which ran from 1973 to 1984. Carl Oslund ran in the first Nike Marathon and returned this year to see his niece compete in the full marathon.
“It’s inspiring,” Oslund said. “It’s such an individual sport. You just have to have the desire to do it.”
Oslund, who’s currently at the tail-end of a battle with bladder cancer, hasn’t ran in several years. For now, he’s glad he can be here for his niece as she completes the 26.22 miles of the marathon.
”I enjoy the spectacle,” Oslund said. “The training is intense. You can see the commitment when they’re running.”
To get ready for race day, runners will often join a training camp in January to help begin the pattern of running on a weekly basis. Eugene local Rachel Harris ran the marathon for the fourth time this year, training beforehand with Run Hub, a camp specifically designed to help people get ready for the marathon.
“Run Hub always has great coaches who have lots of experience and are a wealth of information,” Harris said. “It’s an opportunity to grow physically and mentally and the coaches are there to help.”
Before the race, Harris expressed a goal of completing the half marathon under two hours. After she crossed the finish line, her official time was recorded as two hours and 18 seconds, narrowly missing her goal.
“There was no place on the course where I could have shaved off those 19 seconds,” Harris said. “I’m most proud that I kept pushing myself to the end, even though I felt like I had no idea how I could continue.”
As for Gallegos, his goal of beating his two hour and three minute run last year was realized, as he ran through the famous tunnel into Autzen stadium just before 9 a.m. His final time was one hour, 56 minutes and 36 seconds. Seven minutes faster than last year.
“I couldn’t have done it without my pacers and my dad keeping me on track to finish under 2 hours,” Gallegos said. “I’m definitely returning to Eugene in 2020 with a bigger goal and bigger dream.”
