**Update Tuesday 2/7/12 10:45am** The University of Oregon released a statement about the passing of Geoff Hollister, who was part of the “Men of Oregon” starting in 1965 and lettered as a steeplechaser in 1966 and 1968.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of a great friend not only of the University of Oregon, but of the entire running community,” said Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. “Geoff was not only a visionary, but also one of the indelible spirits in our profession.

To read the rest of the statement, click over to goducks.com

**Update 4:15pm** Since posting this blog Monday morning, the sad news came about Geoff Hollister passing away after a long fight with cancer.  Our condolences go out to his wife Wendy and the rest his family. His influence on our sport and the track and field community goes unparalleled.  TrackTown USA is what it is today, largely, because of the him. Thank You Geoff. Rest in Peace.

Geoff Hollister, Man of Nike & University of Oregon, RIP – by Larry Eder of RunBlogRun

Geoff Hollister, an original Nike employee and former University of Oregon track runner, dies – by Allan Brettman, The Oregonian

Happy Birthday Geoff!

This past Friday (February 3rd), the University of Oregon track team and Oregon Track Club Elite members stopped to dedicate their workouts to the very influential and esteemed U of O Alumnus Geoff Hollister.  Mr. Hollister played a pivotal role in the success and growth of Nike with his business expertise and a true understanding of the core goals Bill Bowerman wished to build the company on.  Their objective was to encourage America to get excited about running by helping athletes chase their athletic dreams.  The company provided material and financial assistance by producing and selling state-of-the-art equipment and Hollister was their first salesman.  During the first few years, he could be found at track meets and road races throughout Oregon selling running shoes from the back of his car. The other way Nike planned to help athletes was through the support of the community and team environment.  Mr. Hollister, along with Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight were the ‘Founding Fathers’ of the American running team, Athletics West which has evolved into what is now the Oregon Track Club Elite.   Though currently fighting a long, hard battle with cancer, he has continued to be an advocate for Bill Bowerman, Nike, and all things running.  To learn more about his life and journey, check out his personal account in the video interview below.

Buy his autobiography, Out of Nowhere!

The beautiful weather on Feb 3rd drew many runners to Hayward Field and many of them took a moment away from training to participate in a video ‘Birthday card’ for Mr. Hollister!

Happy Birthday Geoff from TrackTown USA!

Weekend Recap

This weekend saw another crop of Indoor Meets and stellar performances.  Most notably, Oregon runners Matthew Centrowitz, Russell Brown, Mo Farah, Galen Rupp and former OTCElite member Ben Bruce laced up for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Centrowitz and Bruce raced a tough field in the Mens 3k placing 7th (7:46.19) and 9th (7:59.10), respectively.  Brown, Farah, and Rupp appeared in the Mens Mile.  Rupp ran 3:57.10 for third place immediately followed by Farah and Brown who crossed the line in 3:57.92 and 4:00.79.

Oregon Track Club Annual Dinner

Tuesday night will be the annual Oregon Track Club Dinner and Annual Meeting.  It is set to take place at 5pm in Autzen Stadium and will feature a small program including TrackTown USA updates and Prefontaine Classic meet information. There will also be representatives from the University of Oregon Track Team and the OTC Elite  to summarize how preparation is going for upcoming events.  OTC Elite Runner Lauren Fleshman will be the events keynote speaker.