USATF Awards 2020 Olympic Trials to Mt. Sac

While lodging around time was tough in Eugene, we stayed in the dorms in 08 and 12 and got the meal plan and we robbed them blind. The dorms were dirt cheap and the food was decent. No TV in the room, but it wasn't needed as we were at the meet most of the day and by the time we grabbed dinner and got back to the dorm (right next to Hayward Field) it was usually time to turn in anyway.

In looking at Mt. Sac's website I'm not seeing similar options, but it's proximity to the greater LA area should offset that nicely. Like a previous poster, I have family in the area so if it comes down to that we'd do what we need to in order to secure housing. It should be fun.

Too bad people want to bad mouth Mt Sac which has been a hub of the community for our sport in SoCal, Similar to Eugene for the Northwest. I was thrilled when Mt Sac announced the renovation with the intent of hosting the 2020 trials.

As for attendance, I have no doubt the SoCal fanbase could fill that stadium alone - but it will be a sure sellout with the national attention.

Lastly, I think you can't discount the value of being near the media center of LA.

Looking forward to seeing it in SoCal and can't wait for tickets to go on sale!

No big deal for L.A. since most of the medalists are from the So Cal area.

Welcome to Walnut California America.

I've been to Indianapolis, New Orleans, Atlanta and Eugene for the Trials. Missed LA 84 when a teammate of mine made the squad and won Gold. I had no money to go then. Missed Sacramento due to where I was in my family life with two little ones.

New Orleans was hot and humid with plenty of drama (men's 400) and lots of nightlife after the meet. Eugene last year was a great experience, glad I went. In my opinion, if you love the sport and haven't been there, you don't understand and shouldn't make negative comments. I shared an air b&b with 2 friends, rode my bike to the stadium often but had easy access with bus from Springfield. It was perfect for my interests at this point in my life.

The common thread for me will always be....you go to support the athletes, enjoy great competition and be with a lot of other people who have a deep passion for the sport. After that, you and your friends, old and new, will find plenty to do in the off hours when not at the meet.

I do think it's good for the sport to move it's Championships around but I hope to revisit some of my favorite places again.

I'm guessing that since Eugene will host the World Championships 2021 and Paris lost out to London for 2012, it will return to Europe in 2024 then back to North America.

Uberoth did a hell of a job keeping LA 84 in the black though and that has to be an attractive feature. Paris is in a bit of turmoil with Muslim immigration and security could be a concern.

Get Modern tolerance wrote:

Engrish prease wrote:

Can you try that again without your damn autocorrect on?

Far and away most people have learned to tolerate typos in the modern world of online forums, over the last ten years since smart phones.

Has anyone ever told you to "go _uck yourself?"

Consider it done!

No one I respect has done so. And that still holds true. If you can understand the gibberish vomited out by the OP, good on ya.

Available lodging??? I had my choice of an AirBnB place blocks from the stadium or the dorms minutes away. And this was just a month before the Trials began. I choose the dorms as I enjoyed living amongst many of the athletes & coaches.

I found a nice room in a hotel in Eugene. Not expensive. A 10 minute walk to the Trials. I booked it a month before the Trials. Eugene is the best location for the Trials. By a country mile.

I've lived in SoCal for the past 20 years and even though it's a hotbed for high school running the college and pro scene doesn't get much love. Here's why Mt. Sac is a problematic venue based on location, USATF, and the "running culture" here.

1. Home Depot used to host elite meets but nobody paid attention so they stopped.

2. The high school scene is bonkers but a lot that is due to the sheer population base and parents who live vicariously through their kids. Most of the the high school parents know don't care about the collegiate and pro scenes. They’ll rattle off their beloved son’s PRs from back in 5th grade and those of his top competitors but if you mentioned seeing Jenny Simpson they’ll ask if she’s still fat since because they thought you meant Jessica.

3. Arcadia Invitational and Mt. Sac Cross Country Invite are amazing, well attended meets with a lot of distance depth but see number 2. I haven't been impressed with attendance at the Mt. Sac track meet.

4. Oxy High Performance meet has decent attendance despite absolutely zero publicity. This year most people found out about it two days before the meet. The meet starts at 6 pm even though it lasts barely two hours. Meanwhile the OXY Invite and Distance Carnival run til midnight. LA traffic makes it difficult to get to many places before 8. This speaks about USATF logistics which inhibits media coverage and fan support.

Despite what LRCers may think about Centro and Mo, USATF can't get their ___ together to give advance notice and publicize a race between the OG 1500 champ and the OG 5000 and 10000 champ. If Tom Brady, LeBron James, Messi, or any other well known athlete was going to perform in a sports governing body sanctioned event, the fans in the area would know about it well ahead of time.

5. The Olympic Marathon Trials was another amateur hour demonstration. USATF expected fluid check in volunteers to pay for their $20 parking lot fee. On race day the course volunteers got a sack lunch befitting of a Title I free lunch program. Meanwhile NIKE RUN CLUB set up VIP seating with a nice spread for their hobby joggers at the starting line. USATF bequeathed volunteers with ugly ill fitting generic shirts that of course read, "USATF." The LA Times wrote three articles during the week of the trials and one on the results. But Ken Goe can pen three articles on Hannah Cunliffe's balky hamstring in one week. Other local newspapers had similar or worse trials coverage. USATF can find the time to send out incorrect edicts about uniform and sponsor policies but they can't get it together to send out targeted releases on the trials.

6. 2015 PAC 12 Outdoor Champs at UCLA. I saw

Jenny Simpson, Allyson Felix and maybe 200 other non participating/coaching spectators there. Many high school league finals have more parents spectating.

7. Eugene, Sacramento, and Des Moines have apparatuses in place to run great trials. LA does not and USATF is of little help.

8. Walnut is in the armpit of the San Gabriel Valley. It's 25 miles from downtown LA but it’s more like 35-120 mins away. Yeah that's right, in LA no one says how far another place is they say how long it takes to get there. Lots of two star hotels. Good luck finding anything decent within 15 miles which is 30-90 minutes away. If you want to be around decent restaurants, watering holes, nightlife, etc you’re gonna have to suck it up and stay in expensive downtown LA. I recommend AirBnB as an alternative.

9. Possible solutions

Get the high school kids involved to increase attendance. But USATF is and charge and MT SAC can't even attract non parent spectators to their own premier track meet.

There are a gazillion hobby joggers here in the land of social media and botox. Right now USATF can't even connect to the track aficionados here. What chance do they have connecting to people who adore Ryan Hall, wear hydration belts for 10Ks, and do yassos 800s at 9 min pace?

10. The good news is because of all the things I've mentioned and left out, people who do attend will be able to find good seats and parking. Can't wait to party with the BroJos and the rest of the LRC motley crew in 2020!

All you people who stayed in Eugene hotels and dorms are suckers, the UO is near the city boundary and you can camp legally on county land.

Too late now, though, Track Town is busted.

UCLA Track Star, LAPD Lieutenant, LA City Councilman, and L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley invented the first profitable Olympic Games patterned after Pete Roselle's Los Angeles Rams and Pete's NFL. Glad to see USATF decide to return back to Los Angeles along with two NFL franchises.

Thanks for all this. Nice post. Selfishly, I am hoping (and believing) you are correct in that this will be a bust attendance wise and that your #10 comes to fruition. Am so bummed about this move out of Eugene, but the prospect of not having to deal with long lines and the continued accessibility to the athletes, coaches & media, will help to assuage my ire.

YES!!!!!

I live 10 minutes from Mt. Sac. This is going to be awesome!

Not a Coach wrote:

YES!!!!!

I live 10 minutes from Mt. Sac. This is going to be awesome!

Replying to myself...

Quick info about the Mt. Sac Area:

- 10 minutes from awesome running trails to both the north and south (Saw Centro out there a couple months ago) and surrounded by great running routes all over the place

- 10 minutes from the Ontario Airport and lots of Hotel options

- 30 minutes from downtown LA if you'd rather stay there and make a bit of a trek

- In the middle of one of the most competitive road racing areas in the US with lots of fans who are now very excited

- Lots of parking

- The air quality is not bad as one or two of you have mentioned. I grew up here in the 90's when it was actually really bad, but it's all good now. If you look at the air quality index, the area compares favorably to anywhere else in the US

- #1 thing by far: I can run there

Possible negatives:

- It will very likely be hot, but no hotter than Sacramento was this week (It was actually about 10 degrees cooler here than there)

- Traffic is pretty bad around that area especially on weekdays, so that sucks

- Public transportation isn't great in So Cal, and especially in that area

That's all. Hope everyone comes out in 2020! Drop me a line if you want to go for a run that week

In response to Lauren's comment on the home page- she is an idiot. "Track' is not going to be "built,"or "rebuilt" in the USA. The era of Track being a popular spectator sport - except for a few select events every 4 years is GONE. Track may have missed the boat or it may have been a $$ decision on the part of the networks. I live in LA, and the area around Mt. SAC was hot as hell last week - much like Sacto was. Why put athletes and spectators through this unpleasantness?

Mt SAC (Walnut, CA) is NOT Los Angeles.

Is Eugene the same as Corvallis?

Is San Francisco the same as Oakland?

I live 30 miles from Mt. Sac and the odds of someone getting from downtown LA to Mt. Sac in 30 minutes are highly unlikely unless you are driving in the middle of the night. LA traffic is horrible and wildly unpredictable. Plan on more like an hour. Up to 2 hours if you leave downtown LA after 3pm on a weekday. Ontario airport is a nice nearby option and there are some decent places to run nearby (Bonelli Park). The area lacks quality hotels and very little restaurants/bars are within walking distance to the stadium. They will likely have to set up a parking shuttle, especially if the crowds are near capacity. Average highs in the area are mid 80s at the end of June, but the evenings are usually pleasant.

Fin Planner wrote:

I live 30 miles from Mt. Sac and the odds of someone getting from downtown LA to Mt. Sac in 30 minutes are highly unlikely unless you are driving in the middle of the night. LA traffic is horrible and wildly unpredictable. Plan on more like an hour. Up to 2 hours if you leave downtown LA after 3pm on a weekday.

Yeah, I might have been a little generous with the 30 minute estimate. I have made it to LA in that time, but never on a weekday between 6am and 7pm

I thought LDR & HP were going to split away from USATF and move to the next to ESPN in Downtown L.A.