EUGENE, Ore. — Jenny Barringer thought there was nothing special about iconic Hayward Fielduntil she raced at the Oregon Relays earlier this year.
The steeplechaser from the University of Colorado harkened to a scene in “Hoosiers” where the coach measures the basketball court at the state tournament and, sure enough, it’s the same dimensions as every other court.
“I shared that story with (coach) Mark Wetmore on our way over there,” Barringer said. “I said, ‘Come on, it’s a 400- meter track. Yeah, it’s exciting, the Olympic Trials will be there, but in the end it’s just like any other track.’ ”
She learned otherwise.
“You step out on Hayward Field and there’s some magic there,” Barringer said. “I experienced that as a little bit of a skeptic, so it’s all that much more real to me.”
Barringer steps on that track for tonight’s steeplechase prelim at the Olympic Trials as the favorite, having run the second- best time for an American woman at the recent NCAA championships.
John Meyer, The Denver Post
