My first day in Eugene proved to be full of fun and excitement both on and off the track. After getting to Tracktown, USA, (by the way, Eugene rocks! Runners everywhere!), I sat down with Christian Smith, Games qualifier in the men’s 800m. If you haven’t heard already, Smith literally dove over the finish line to snag third place by six hundreths of a second! Although he said he felt no pain at the time, he now has some pretty killer battle wounds…they made me hurt just looking at them! Chatting with Christian was a blast. I walked away from the interview in awe and totally inspired.

I continued to be inspired as I met up with the 800m Trials winner, Nick Symmonds. Not only is this guy one speeeeedy runner, but he’s also one of the nicest individuals. He graciously allowed me and several others to tag along with him for part of his day. Man, is this guy busy! We met him up with him in the early afternoon at NIKETOWN Eugene and hardly stopped for hours.

First up for Symmonds was a quick mile swim (cross training day) at a local gym. Five minutes after finishing, Nick was out the door and ready for the next stop, an autograph signing, where he smiled through loads of photos and happily signed poster after t-shirt after program. After a short break, it was off to the Nike tent at Hayward Field for another autograph signing. When we arrived, the line was already 200+ deep and growing.

Once again, Symmonds happily greeted fans, posing for everyone’s pics and offering up his John Hancock for longer than you can imagine. But Nick wasn’t done yet. He settled himself in front of a NIKEiD kiosk inside the tent and created a pretty sweet Air Max 360. Shortly after, Symmonds bid us farewell for the night as he took off for yet another autograph signing!

At this point, it was time for some action on the track. The marquis events for the evening? The Women’s and Men’s 400m finals. Perched in the stands for the Women’s event, I could feel the buzz of excitement pulsing through the crowd. Hayward erupted as the field stepped to the blocks; the roar grew even louder when Sanya Richards name was announced. And then, BANG! They were off. Richards’ first 200m seemed conservative, but as she rounded the final curve, she turned on the heat and steamed to a smokin’ win in 49.89. Nike teammate Mary Wineberg gutted out tough for the final 100m to secure second place (50.85) and a ticket to Beijing.

I headed trackside for the Men’s 400m final and it proved to be just as exciting. Packed with an exceptional field, it was anyone game, but Nike’s LaShawn Merritt showed Hayward how to run fast, pulling away from the field for a decisive 44.00 win. Nike’s David Neville, national indoor champion, captured third with an equally decisive 44.61.

The night capped with the Women’s 3000m steeplechase and it was a fitting finale to the evening. Nike’s Anna Willard ran a blazing 9:27.59, setting a new American record and securing her spot on the Team. Lindsey Anderson, also a Nike athlete, took second (9:30.75), breaking the old Trials record by nearly nine seconds!

Indeed, it was another exciting day at the Trials and tomorrow looks to be yet another amazing one. On tap: the Women’s 5000m final featuring Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan (both qualifiers in the 10,000m) and the Men’s 10,000m final including Adam Goucher, marathon qualifier Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Josh Rohatinsky and so many more.

Check back here to find out how day six unfolds in Tracktown, USA.