Travel Lane County displays national award

Track and Field Roundtable partners team up for a national award. During public comment Jan. 14, J.B. Carney:

J.B. Carney: My name is J.B. Carney, and I’m the senior director of sport at Travel Lane County. Before I begin, I’d like to recognize a few individuals who are in the room with us today. First: Michael Riley from TrackTown USA; Aaron Wasson from the University of Oregon; Becky Radliff from the Eugene Marathon; and Travel Lane County staff.

[00:00:29] We’re here today to share a remarkable achievement. In 2024, our community earned the Destination Branding and Marketing Campaign of the Year Award from the Sports Events and Tourism Association.

[00:00:41] This prestigious national honor recognizes our efforts in positioning Lane County as a global sports destination.

[00:00:48] You see, TrackTown is more than just a title. It’s a reflection of our collective dedication. Event organizers, volunteers, participants, and local government contributed to our success.

[00:01:02] In 2024 alone, our track and field and running events brought an estimated $50 million in economic impact to our communities.

[00:01:11] These events helped bring thousands of athletes, coaches, fans, and volunteers to our community Benefiting local businesses and generating tax revenue. Our success is due to the collaboration of the Track and Field Roundtable, a strategic partnership of key organizations including the Oregon Track Club (OTC), TrackTown USA, the University of Oregon, Eugene Marathon, Travel Lane County, and others.

[00:01:42] Together we have developed unified branding, engaged our community in new ways, and increased participation at every level. See, TrackTown is not just about the professional collegiate athletes that visit every summer. Every year thousands of local youth and adult participants take parts in events like the Eugene Marathon, Butte to Butte, and the OTC All Comers Meets.

[00:02:05] These events foster a shared sense of identity and community pride.

[00:02:10] Looking ahead, 2025 will be no different. We’ll kick off the season with the Eugene Marathon, followed by the Big Ten Championships, the NCAA Outdoor Championships, 50th anniversary of the Prefontaine Classic, and the USATF Outdoor Championships.

[00:02:27] These events give us another opportunity to showcase TrackTown to the world. So I pose this question to you. How have you, as community members and leaders, participated in track and field? Perhaps it was as an athlete, a fan, or a volunteer. Your involvement underscores the pride that defines TrackTown.

[00:02:47] Together we have built something extraordinary. Let’s continue working together to make Eugene and Lane County a dynamic hub for track and field, running, and all sports. Thank you for your support. Together we will keep this legacy alive.

[00:03:01] Presenter: Commissioner Heather Buch:

[00:03:02] Commissioner Heather Buch: Thank you for coming out. It was lovely to see the award. I am a big fan. I especially like to bring my child to events at the University of Oregon so that she can be exposed to a world stage, which it most certainly is whenever we have professional athletes come along. And I know that it doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of hard work that happens throughout the year to make those events special.

[00:03:36] Thank you for doing that work. I am very proud of it, and when I do speak to people who are not from Oregon, either around the country or around the world, I can easily say that this is a reference, TrackTown USA, and people know what that means in different countries. That is a proud thing to say for us here locally.

[00:03:59] Presenter: Commissioner Pat Farr.

[00:04:01] Commissioner Pat Farr: We all benefit from the recognition that our local community gets; and the travel that surrounds athletics; and the men, women, children, and everyone who participate and watch athletics.

[00:04:12] I’m a track athlete, but my distances were—this will age me—I ran the two mile, and I ran the mile, and I ran the quarter and a half. I didn’t run the 1500 or the 5K or 10K. But, really, the discipline that you learn from being an athlete, many of us in this room have done athletics at some level, is important to carry forward.

[00:04:33] Presenter: Commissioner David Loveall.

[00:04:34] Commissioner David Loveall: J.B., you asked a question that’s still burning in my soul, and it said, what each of us do in the sport of track.

[00:04:41] Well, we don’t usually answer questions at this dais, but let me tell you, I was a pole vaulter, and I ran the Boston Marathon at age 49, and so the Boston Marathon was only done because we had a great marathon here in our county that I had to run (cough) twice to qualify, but thank you for allowing me to do that.

And you said that one of the things, we had skin in the game, and that one was I bought the first pair of Nike waffle shoes in 1972 with six months of savings that I put aside from a paper route.

[00:05:25] So I hope that that kind of commitment to our economy at $50 million, because $50 million, people don’t realize how much that impacts our community, from small business to the guy who sells ice cream to the guys who pick up trash on the streets, all of that, it affects every fiber of our county.

[00:05:41] And so I’m proud to be with you serving at Travel Lane County and proud to have this kind of stake in the ground that we’re famous for, and that’s TrackTown USA. So hats off to you and salutes. Thank you so much.

[00:05:52] Presenter: J.B. Carney and Travel Lane County share news of a national award and point out that the Ducks will host the Big 10 championships this spring, May 16-18.