Alberto Salazar to Speak in Eugene on August 8th

Alberto Salazar to Speak in Eugene on August 8th
Press Release
July 26, 2006

Alberto Salazar will appear at the Eugene Running Company on Tuesday, August 8th at 12 noon. He'll speak about his incredible career as well as the history and future of the sport in Tracktown, USA. After his talk, Alberto will be available to sign autographs. Raffle prizes courtesy of Nike and the Eugene Running Company. Additional information available at www.eugenerunningcompany.com . Information on the Road to Eugene ’08, an elite high-performance meet benefiting the Professional Athletics Association, on Tuesday, August 8, to be held at the University of Oregon’s legendary Hayward Field can be found at www.oregontrackclub.org .

In 1980, Alberto Salazar won the New York City Marathon while he was a student at the University of Oregon. It was the fastest marathon debut in history. The following year he returned to New York and shattered Derek Clayton's world record which had stood for twelve years. In 1982, Alberto won his third straight NYC Marathon. To this day, it is the last time an American has won the prestigious race. Earlier in the same year he won the Boston Marathon in a thrilling duel with Dick Beardsley.

Alberto Salazar was born in Havana, Cuba. His family emigrated to the United States and Alberto later became a high school track star in Wayland, Massachusetts. He was recruited to run track and cross country at the University of Oregon under legendary coach Bill Dellinger. With his friend and teammate, Rudy Chapa, he led the Ducks to a National Cross Country Championship in 1977. Alberto was just a college sophomore when he defeated the King of the Roads, Bill Rodgers in the 1978 Falmouth Road Race. After college, Alberto trained and lived in Eugene with his wife and family. He broke six American Records, the World Record and was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. In 1994 he made a brief return to world class competition and won the world's most prestigious ultra marathon, the 54 mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa.

Alberto Salazar now coaches some of the most accomplished distance runners in the country including Olympians Dan Browne, Adam Goucher and Oregon sensation Galen Rupp. He continues to be one of the most inspirational and influential figures in the sport and is helping lead the renaissance in American Distance Running.