# Prefontaine Classic

The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and is now part of the Diamond League. The meet is one of the few international competitions to host the imperial distances of the Mile run (Bowerman Mile) and 2 Mile run.

## History

The first Prefontaine Classic was held in 1975. The meet had its genesis with the Hayward Restoration Meets of 1973–74. The Hayward Restoration meets were launched to help replace the deteriorated wooden West Grandstands at Hayward Field. It was to become the "Bowerman Classic" in 1975 to honor longtime University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, and was scheduled for June 7. With the unexpected death of University of Oregon distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontaine in an automobile accident on May 30, the Oregon Track Club changed the name, with Bowerman's approval, on June 1; the first "Pre Classic" was held six days later. Nike has been the primary sponsor since 1978. The 2019 edition moved to Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field, Palo Alto, California because of restoration of Hayward Field in anticipation of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2021. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, the Prefontaine Classic was held as the Diamond League Final for the first time.

## Editions

Prefontaine Classic editions :
| Ed. | Meeting | Series | Date |
| | 1973 Hayward Restoration Meet | | 20 Jun 1973 |
| | 1974 Hayward Restoration Meet | | 8 Jun 1974 |
| 1st | 1975 Prefontaine Classic | | 7 Jun 1975 |
| 2nd | 1976 Prefontaine Classic | | 5 Jun 1976 |
| 3rd | 1977 Prefontaine Classic | | 14 Jun 1977 |
| 4th | 1978 Prefontaine Classic | | 31 May 1978 |
| 5th | 1979 Prefontaine Classic | | 2 Jun 1979 |
| 6th | 1980 Prefontaine Classic | | 6 Jun 1980 |
| 7th | 1981 Prefontaine Classic | | 6 Jun 1981 |
| 8th | 1982 Prefontaine Classic | | 5 Jun 1982 |
| 9th | 1983 Prefontaine Classic | | 4 Jun 1983 |
| 10th | 1984 Prefontaine Classic | | 21 Jul 1984 |
| 11th | 1985 Prefontaine Classic | | 1 Jun 1985 |
| 12th | 1986 Prefontaine Classic | | 7 Jun 1986 |
| 13th | 1987 Prefontaine Classic | | 6 Jun 1987 |
| 14th | 1988 Prefontaine Classic | | 1 Jul 1988 |
| 15th | 1989 Prefontaine Classic | | 3 Jun 1989 |
| 16th | 1990 Prefontaine Classic | | 1 Jun 1990 |
| 17th | 1991 Prefontaine Classic | | 21 Jun 1991 |
| 18th | 1992 Prefontaine Classic | | 6 Jun 1992 |
| 19th | 1993 Prefontaine Classic | | 5 Jun 1993 |
| 20th | 1994 Prefontaine Classic | | 4 Jun 1994 |
| 21st | 1995 Prefontaine Classic | | 4 Jun 1995 |
| 22nd | 1996 Prefontaine Classic | | 26 May 1996 |
| 23rd | 1997 Prefontaine Classic | 1997 IAAF Grand Prix | 25 May 1997 |
| 24th | 1998 Prefontaine Classic | 1998 IAAF Grand Prix | 31 May 1998 |
| 25th | 1999 Prefontaine Classic | 1999 IAAF Grand Prix | 30 May 1999 |
| 26th | 2000 Prefontaine Classic | 2000 IAAF Grand Prix | 24 Jun 2000 |
| 27th | 2001 Prefontaine Classic | 2001 IAAF Grand Prix | 27 May 2001 |
| 28th | 2002 Prefontaine Classic | 2002 IAAF Grand Prix | 26 May 2002 |
| 29th | 2003 Prefontaine Classic | 2003 IAAF Grand Prix | 24 May 2003 |
| 30th | 2004 Prefontaine Classic | 2004 IAAF Grand Prix | 19 Jun 2004 |
| 31st | 2005 Prefontaine Classic | 2005 IAAF Grand Prix | 4 Jun 2005 |
| 32nd | 2006 Prefontaine Classic | 2006 IAAF Grand Prix | 28 May 2006 |
| 33rd | 2007 Prefontaine Classic | 2007 IAAF Grand Prix | 10 Jun 2007 |
| 34th | 2008 Prefontaine Classic | 2008 IAAF Grand Prix | 8 Jun 2008 |
| 35th | 2009 Prefontaine Classic | 2009 IAAF Grand Prix | 7 Jun 2009 |
| 36th | 2010 Prefontaine Classic | 2010 Diamond League | 3 Jul 2010 |
| 37th | 2011 Prefontaine Classic | 2011 Diamond League | 4 Jun 2011 |
| 38th | 2012 Prefontaine Classic | 2012 Diamond League | 2 Jun 2012 |
| 39th | 2013 Prefontaine Classic | 2013 Diamond League | 1 Jun 2013 |
| 40th | 2014 Prefontaine Classic | 2014 Diamond League | 31 May 2014 |
| 41st | 2015 Prefontaine Classic | 2015 Diamond League | 30 May 2015 |
| 42nd | 2016 Prefontaine Classic | 2016 Diamond League | 27–28 May 2016 |
| 43rd | 2017 Prefontaine Classic | 2017 Diamond League | 27 May 2017 |
| 44th | 2018 Prefontaine Classic | 2018 Diamond League | 26 May 2018 |
| 45th | 2019 Prefontaine Classic | 2019 Diamond League | 30 Jun 2019 |
| 2020: Meet Cancelled due to COVID-19 |||||
| 46th | 2021 Prefontaine Classic | 2021 Diamond League | 21 Aug 2021 |
| 47th | 2022 Prefontaine Classic | 2022 Diamond League | 28 May 2022 |
| 48th | 2023 Prefontaine Classic | 2023 Diamond League | 16–17 Sep 2023 |
| 49th | 2024 Prefontaine Classic | 2024 Diamond League | 25 May 2024 |

## World records

Over the course of its history, seven world records have been set at the Prefontaine Classic.
World records set at the Prefontaine Classic :
| Year | Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality |
| 1975 | 220 yard dash | 19.92 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica |
| 1982 | 5000 m | 15:08.26 | Mary Decker Slaney | United States |
| 2011 | 30 km (track) | 1:26:47.4 | Moses Mosop | Kenya |
| 2011 | 25 km (track) | 1:12:25.4+ | Moses Mosop | Kenya |
| 2023 | Pole vault | 6.23 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden |
| 2023 | 5000 m | 14:00.21 | Gudaf Tsegay | Ethiopia |
| 2024 | 10,000 m | 28:54.14 | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya |

## Other notable performances and records
### 2001: Alan Webb's high school mile record

At the 2001 Prefontaine Classic, Alan Webb competed against elite international runners, in a field that included world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics 1500m bronze medalist Bernard Lagat.
Webb ran 3:53.43 in the Bowerman Mile and broke Jim Ryun's national high school record that had stood for 36 years. This was also the fastest mile by an American in three years.

### 1993–2008: Maria Mutola in the 800 m

Maria de Lurdes Mutola won 16 consecutive (1993–2008) women's 800 m races at the Pre Classic.

### 2023: Jakob Ingebrigtsen's mile & 3000m double

In the 2023 Prefontaine Classic & Diamond League Final, on September 16, Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the Bowerman Mile, in a time of 3:43.73, with the aid of pacing lights and pacemakers Erik Sowinski & Cameron Myers.
Ingebrigtsen missed Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record by .60 seconds, still having run the fastest mile in 24 years and the third fastest mile in history at the time.
Ingebrigtsen was closely followed by Yared Nuguse, who finished in an American record time of 3:43.97, breaking Alan Webb's former American mile record of 3:46.91 by almost three full seconds and running the fourth fastest mile in history at the time.
The race was reminiscent of El Guerrouj's 1999 world record run in Rome, where El Guerrouj won in 3:43.13, but was being closely tracked by Kenyan athlete Noah Ngeny, who came in second place at 3:43.40. El Guerrouj and Ngeny still hold the first and second fastest mile times respectively as of 2023.
These four men (El Guerrouj, Ngeny, Ingebrigtsen, Nuguse) remain the only ones in history to have run a mile under 3:44.00 as of 2024, with the #5 fastest miler of all time being Noureddine Morceli, with his 1993 time of 3:44.39.
The next day, Ingebrigtsen would go on to win the 3000 m, in a time of 7:23.63, beating Yomif Kejelcha by only one hundredth of a second. At the time, this ranked Kejelcha at #4 all time and Ingebrigtsen at #3 all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj's 7:23.09 and Daniel Komen's world record of 7:20.67.

## Meeting records
### Men

Men's meeting records of the Prefontaine Classic :
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Meet |
| 100 m | 9.80 (+1.3 m/s) | Steve Mullings | Jamaica | 4 June 2011 | 2011 |
| 200 m | 19.52 (+1.5 m/s) | Noah Lyles | United States | 21 August 2021 | 2021 |
| 400 m | 43.60 DLR | Michael Norman | United States | 28 May 2022 | 2022 |
| 800 m | 1:42.80 | Emmanuel Wanyonyi | Kenya | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 1000 m | 2:13.62 | Abubaker Kaki Khamis | Sudan | 3 July 2010 | 2010 |
| 1500 m | 3:28.76+ | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Mile | 3:43.73 DLR | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 3000 m | 7:23.63 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Two miles | 8:03.50 | Craig Mottram | Australia | 10 June 2007 | 2007 |
| 5000 m | 12:50.05 | Berihu Aregawi | Ethiopia | 28 May 2022 | 2022 |
| 10,000 m | 26:25.97 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 8 June 2008 | 2008 |
| 25,000 m (track) | 1:12:25.4+ | Moses Mosop | Kenya | 3 June 2011 | 2011 |
| 30,000 m (track) | 1:26:47.4 | Moses Mosop | Kenya | 3 June 2011 | 2011 |
| 110 m hurdles | 12.90 (+1.6 m/s) | David Oliver | United States | 3 July 2010 | 2010 |
| 400 m hurdles | 46.39 DLR | Rai Benjamin | United States | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:01.71 | Ezekiel Kemboi | Kenya | 30 May 2015 | 2015 |
| High jump | 2.41 m | Mutaz Essa Barshim | Qatar | 30 May 2015 | 2015 |
| Pole vault | 6.23 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Long jump | 8.74 m (−1.2 m/s) | Dwight Phillips | United States | 7 June 2009 | 2009 |
| Triple jump | 18.11 m (+0.8 m/s) DLR | Christian Taylor | United States | 27 May 2017 | 2017 |
| Shot put | 23.15 m | Ryan Crouser | United States | 21 August 2021 | 2021 |
| Discus throw | 71.32 m | Ben Plucknett | United States | 1983 | 1983 |
| Hammer throw | 82.65 m | Koji Murofushi | Japan | 19 June 2004 | 2004 |
| Javelin throw | 89.88 m | Thomas Röhler | Germany | 25 May 2018 | 2018 |

### Women

Women's meeting records of the Prefontaine Classic :
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Meet |
| 100 m | 10.54 (+0.9 m/s) DLR | Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica | 21 August 2021 | 2021 |
| 200 m | 21.57 (+0.3 m/s) | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 400 m | 49.34 | Ana Guevara | Mexico | 24 May 2003 | 2003 |
| 800 m | 1:54.97 | Athing Mu | United States | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 1000 m | 2:32.33 | Maria Mutola | Mozambique | 1995 | 1995 |
| 1500 m | 3:50.72 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Mile | 4:21.25 | Mary Slaney | United States | 1988 | 1988 |
| 2000 m | 5:31.52 | Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya | 7 June 2009 | 2009 |
| 3000 m | 8:18.49 DLR | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands | 30 June 2019 | 2019 |
| Two miles | 8:59.08 DLR | Francine Niyonsaba | Burundi | 27 May 2022 | 2022 |
| 5000 m | 14:00.21 WR DLR | Gudaf Tsegay | Ethiopia | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 10,000 m | 28:54.14 WR DLR | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya | 25 May 2024 | 2024 |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.24 (+0.7 m/s) | Kendra Harrison | United States | 28 May 2016 | 2016 |
| 400 m hurdles | 51.98 | Femke Bol | Netherlands | 17 September 2023 | 2023 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:50.66 | Winfred Yavi | Bahrain | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| High jump | 2.04 m | Mariya Lasitskene | Russia | 30 June 2019 | 2019 |
| Pole vault | 4.86 m | Katie Moon | United States | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Long jump | 7.31 m | Marion Jones | United States | 31 May 1998 | 1998 |
| Triple jump | 15.35 m (+1.7 m/s) | Yulimar Rojas | Venezuela | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Shot put | 20.76 m | Chase Ealey | United States | 16 September 2023 | 2023 |
| Discus throw | 69.32 m | Sandra Perković | Croatia | 30 May 2014 | 2014 |
| Hammer throw | 77.76 m DLR | Camryn Rogers | Canada | 25 May 2024 | 2024 |
| Javelin throw | 67.70 m | Christina Obergföll | Germany | 31 May 2013 | 2013 |