Thank you, fans!
Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry poses with a young fan at the 50th edition of The Prefontaine Classic. Photo by Evan Poulsen.
To the fans, athletes, staff and volunteers who made this past weekend’s 50th edition of The Prefontaine Classic possible: Thank you.
For 50 years, The Prefontaine Classic has brought the world’s best to Hayward Field – and this year was no exception. In front of a sold-out crowd, Beatrice Chebet smashed the Women’s 5000m world record, becoming the first woman to ever run under 14 minutes in the distance (13:58.06)., Later in the afternoon, Faith Kipyegon took to the track and broke her world record in the Women’s 1500m, making history as the first woman to ever run under 3:49 (3:48.68).
Seven meeting records were broken on the track and on the field, those athletes forever etching their names into the Pre Classic history books. These performances led to this year’s Pre Classic becoming the highest scoring single-day invitational meeting ever recorded by World Athletics. The only invitational meeting to ever score higher? The 2023 Prefontaine Classic, which spanned two days while serving as the Wanda Diamond League Final.
12,606 ticketed spectators brought the energy for every single event – from Rudy Winkler’s American record in the Men’s Hammer Throw opening competition which started at 10:00 a.m., to Faith crossing the line with her new world record just before 3:00 p.m.. It was five straight hours of Hayward Magic!
The magic didn’t only reach the track and field, though.
204 kids participated in the Pre Classic’s Youth Buddies program, a truly unforgettable experience for the next generaltion of track and field superfans to meet and walk out on to the field of play with the world’s best athletes.
We welcomed back dozens of alumni athletes, staff and volunteers who made a significant impact on the Pre Classic during its first 49 iterations. Many of the athletes were making their first return to Hayward Field after retiring from professional athletics.
Thousands of fans gathered before and after the meet at the Marshfield District, where they played in the TrackTown USA Kids Club Kids Zone, left their mark on custom items with Will Leather Goods, met up with fellow women’s sports fans at the TOGETHXR pop-up, secured exclusive Pre50 merchandise, and ate and drank with new and old friends alike at multiple local food and beverage stands.
We welcomed hundreds of fans to the Lexus Legacy Experience, the first-ever all-inclusive pre and post-meet VIP experience at the Pre Classic. Guests witnessed FloTrack’s “Athlete’s Lounge” live show, celebrated with champagne pops from multiple event winners, ate gourmet local bites from Shield Catering, and sipped TrackTown USA’s own “Winged Foot” wine from Walnut Ridge Winery as well as cocktails from Honeysuckle Bartending.
No matter the part you played at this year’s Pre Classic, thank you for being there.
We can’t wait to see what next year’s event has in store.
Sincerely,
The Prefontaine Classic team