Pre's Trail, located on the north side of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, popularly referred to as "Track Town USA", is a four-mile-long

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

and

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

trail named after heralded

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

athlete

Steve Prefontaine Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who from 1973 to 1975 set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and he w ...

. The woodchip-and-bark trail features

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

scenery, including grasslands,

duck pond A duck pond or duckpond is a pond for ducks and other waterfowl. Duck ponds provide habitats for waterfowl and other birds, who use the water to bathe in and drink. Often, as in public parks, such ponds are artificial and ornamental in desig ...

s, and woods, as well as guide signs with trail maps at each of three primary trailheads. Near downtown Eugene, in Alton Baker Park, Pre's Trail is part of an extensive network of running trails in and around the university town and neighboring Springfield.

History

, or "Pre," was impressed with the style and terrain of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

courses while competing overseas. Upon return from Europe, he suggested to local officials about building a running trail through Eugene's Alton Baker Park. Lane County worked with the

Oregon Track Club The Oregon Track Club (OTC) is an American running organization based in Eugene, Oregon. History Emerald Empire Athletic Association Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track C ...

and

track coach

Bill Bowerman William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic Games, Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 2 ...

to design and build Pre's Trail. Within four months of Pre's death in an auto accident in 1975, the new trail served as venue to a memorial race of approximately five hundred participants in his honor. Situated to the north of, and across the

from, the University of Oregon, Pre's Trail is enjoyed by a variety of recreational users in Eugene's urban core. The venue is often the site of cross country competitions staged by local schools, including Sheldon High (which trains on the trail throughout their Cross Country season), colleges and running clubs. Additionally, a significant portion of the

Eugene Marathon The Eugene Marathon, is a marathon established in 2007, which takes place in Eugene, Oregon. The main event is accompanied by a half marathon, 5K and kids run. The marathon is certified by the USA Track & Field, USATF, and is a qualifying event ...

is on Pre's Trail. A significant portion of Pre's Trail is located on the site of the Day Island Landfill Environmental Cleanup Site. Used as a dump from 1963 - 1974, the site is classified by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as a "suspect site requiring further investigation." Contamination has been documented by the DEQ in ground and surface water in adjacent waterways although no timeline has been created for clean up. A chemical disposal area is located southeast of the radio station well. The Oregon DEQ website provides more detailed information about this hazardous sit
here

Route

Pre's Trail undulates mildly on a typically flat river isle, and features large sections entirely covered by wood chips, with some single track dirt trail, gravel sections, and a short swath of asphalt on the Big Loop. There are three main loops, with interlinking paths: * Southeast (Big Loop), * Center ( Parcourse Loop), .65 miles * Northwest (Bottom Loop), 1.06

Access

Pre's Trail is located off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, near

Autzen Stadium Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone severa ...

. Pre's trail lies within Alton Baker Park, and is accessible from parking lots at three trailhead entrances at each of the three main loops. There are two footbridges, providing access from the University of Oregon campus, located just across the Willamette River. From campus, the Center Loop can be accessed via the Frohnmayer Footbridge (south of Autzen Stadium, half a block north of Franklin and Agate Streets), and to the southeastern Big Loop via the Knickerbocker Footbridge (near Franklin and Riverview Streets).

References

External links

UOregon.edu
- "Pre's Trail Open"
eugene-or.gov (pdf)
- "PresTrail.Map.2.24.2022" {{coord , 44.051 , -123.065 , type:landmark_region:US-OR_dim:2.5km , display=title College cross country courses in the United States Cross country running courses in Oregon Historic trails and roads in Oregon Oregon Ducks cross country courses Sports in Eugene, Oregon 1975 establishments in Oregon

History

Route

Access

See also

References

External links