The inside track: Life as credentialed media at the Prefontaine Classic (Part 1)
So you want to know what it's like to be behind the scenes at a major sports event? You've come to the right place.
I’ve been a formal part of SB Nation in some capacity for 12 years. I began covering combat sports at Bloody Elbow, split time between BE and covering the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks at Field Gulls, and currently work as Field Gulls’ full-time producer. I’ve had my fair share of opportunities to attend MMA, boxing, the NFL Draft, and NFL scouting combine as credentialed media and never went. Consider it a mixture of bad timing and lack of interest. Maybe I’m unique in not heavily valuing creds and access to areas typically walled off to the general public.
Naturally, the first time I’ve ever been credentialed media for a sports event is… track and field?!
Background
Yes, I write about the Seahawks for a living, but I pinch-hit for SBNation.com from time to time. Last year I wrote a (not planned) news story on Sha’Carri Richardson’s 100m gold medal run, followed by a separate Noah Lyles profile piece during the World Athletics Championships in Hungary. This caught the attention of TrackTown USA, and I was offered credentials for that year’s Prefontaine Classic, which for the first time ever doubled as the Wanda Diamond League championship final. Of course, with the Seahawks in action that weekend (and hotel prices outrageous), I had zero chance of accepting, but I said to put a pin on that offer until next year’s meet.
As a lifelong track and field fan and now a long-time Oregon resident, this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’ve spectated a few events in this state, including the 2022 PreClassic and last year’s Team USA championships. The Prefontaine Classic is the only major global meet the United States sees on an annual basis, and there was always going to be extra interest this year since the Paris Olympics are around the corner.
For the five people who are reading this right now, bring your pillow and blanket because I’m going to chronicle my first-time journey as credentialed media. This is also the first time I’m doing a journal for anything about myself, so bear with me because this is probably a three-part series to make everything digestible.
Thursday, May 23: Travel day
It’s about a two-hour drive south from Portland to Eugene. I don’t drive, so I hitch a ride downtown to take the Amtrak from Portland’s Union Station. Much to the chagrin of any riders on the Northeast side of the country, Amtrak Cascades is only a few minutes late.
Throughout the week I’d been working on a preview article for SBNation.com, highlighting the top races of the meet. Amtrak advertises wi-fi on this line, which I’ve used successfully before, so this is the ideal outcome for me to be all wrapped up with my piece by the time I arrive.
This is Amtrak, so the wi-fi naturally doesn’t work. Occasionally I’m a brilliant thinker, which means before I left my home I saved a local copy on my laptop, which I’d then transfer to our story editor once I checked into my hotel.
If you don’t know what Oregon looks like between Portland and Eugene, it’s basically a whole lot of this:
Sprinkle in some farm animals and you’ve got the full picture.
Morning clouds in Portland give way to afternoon sun in Eugene. If you’ve ever wondered what happened to comedian Paula Poundstone, wonder no more.
Other than ordering some food and buying a few “just for the trip” groceries, I’m in my room for most of the day. Before I head to bed, I write down some quick notes on my notepad on a few of the athletes, as well as some key dates for Olympic trials in different countries.
Tidbits
At the start of the week, we received the media guide, which includes the complete events schedule, dos/don’ts for broadcast rights, permitted equipment (laptops, professional cameras, and other stuff the general public isn’t allowed to bring), and most importantly the forbidding of asking the athletes for selfies or autographs. You know, basic standards of journalism.
By mid-afternoon, I get emails from the race organizers confirming the event startlists (which include a couple of high-profile athlete withdrawals that prompt me to erase a couple of sentences in my preview), as well as the press conference participants for Friday morning.
I promise it gets more interesting once we reach the Friday portion of this series.