A Domestic Invitational in August

Usually, the USATF championships mark the end of the line as far as elite competition in the USA goes. The big meets are all in Europe and you simply can't get enough stars to come home for a meet. This year looks a little different, as the Eugene Register-Guard reports.

"Former Olympic gold medalists and world champions are among the athletes who have committed to compete in the innovative track and field meet - titled the Road to Eugene '08 - scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 8, at Hayward Field."

The meet is mostly going to be junior competition, as the US team will assemble in Eugene for a training camp shortly before departing for Beijing's World Junior Championships. There will also be several elite races, and the whole shebang is already lined up for a 2-hour live broadcast. The idea for a meet apparently came from Vin Lanana, the former Stanford coach who was hired to be the U. of Oregon's "Director of Track & Field" (a title which implies acting as a combined coach, sub-AD, and meet organizer). The timing is nice, too, coming in the middle of a two-week break in the World Athletics Tour and a week before the World Junior Championships.