The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and is now part of the Diamond League. The meet is one of the few international competitions to host the imperial distances of the Mile run (Bowerman Mile) and 2 Mile run.

History The first Prefontaine Classic was held in 1975. The meet had its genesis with the Hayward Restoration Meets of 1973–74. The Hayward Restoration meets were launched to help replace the deteriorated wooden West Grandstands at Hayward Field. It was to become the "Bowerman Classic" in 1975 to honor longtime University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, and was scheduled for June 7. With the unexpected death of University of Oregon distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontaine in an automobile accident on May 30, the Oregon Track Club changed the name, with Bowerman's approval, on June 1; the first "Pre Classic" was held six days later. Nike has been the primary sponsor since 1978. The 2019 edition moved to Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field, Palo Alto, California because of restoration of Hayward Field in anticipation of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2021. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, the Prefontaine Classic was held as the Diamond League Final for the first time.

Editions

+ Prefontaine Classic editions Meeting Series Date 1973 Hayward Restoration Meet 20 Jun 1973 1974 Hayward Restoration Meet 8 Jun 1974 1975 Prefontaine Classic 7 Jun 1975 1976 Prefontaine Classic 5 Jun 1976 1977 Prefontaine Classic 14 Jun 1977 1978 Prefontaine Classic 31 May 1978 1979 Prefontaine Classic 2 Jun 1979 1980 Prefontaine Classic 6 Jun 1980 1981 Prefontaine Classic 6 Jun 1981 1982 Prefontaine Classic 5 Jun 1982 1983 Prefontaine Classic 4 Jun 1983 1984 Prefontaine Classic 21 Jul 1984 1985 Prefontaine Classic 1 Jun 1985 1986 Prefontaine Classic 7 Jun 1986 1987 Prefontaine Classic 6 Jun 1987 1988 Prefontaine Classic 2 Jul 1988 1989 Prefontaine Classic 3 Jun 1989 1990 Prefontaine Classic 1 Jun 1990 1991 Prefontaine Classic 21 Jun 1991 1992 Prefontaine Classic 6 Jun 1992 1993 Prefontaine Classic 5 Jun 1993 1994 Prefontaine Classic 4 Jun 1994 1995 Prefontaine Classic 4 Jun 1995 1996 Prefontaine Classic 1996 IAAF Grand Prix 26 May 1996 1997 Prefontaine Classic 1997 IAAF Grand Prix 25 May 1997 1998 Prefontaine Classic 1998 IAAF Grand Prix 31 May 1998 1999 Prefontaine Classic 1999 IAAF Grand Prix 30 May 1999 2000 Prefontaine Classic 2000 IAAF Grand Prix 24 Jun 2000 2001 Prefontaine Classic 2001 IAAF Grand Prix 27 May 2001 2002 Prefontaine Classic 2002 IAAF Grand Prix 26 May 2002 2003 Prefontaine Classic 2003 IAAF Grand Prix 24 May 2003 2004 Prefontaine Classic 2004 IAAF Grand Prix 19 Jun 2004 2005 Prefontaine Classic 2005 IAAF Grand Prix 4 Jun 2005 2006 Prefontaine Classic 2006 IAAF Grand Prix 28 May 2006 2007 Prefontaine Classic 2007 IAAF Grand Prix 10 Jun 2007 2008 Prefontaine Classic 2008 IAAF Grand Prix 8 Jun 2008 2009 Prefontaine Classic 2009 IAAF Grand Prix 7 Jun 2009 2010 Prefontaine Classic 2010 Diamond League 3 Jul 2010 2011 Prefontaine Classic 2011 Diamond League 4 Jun 2011 2012 Prefontaine Classic 2012 Diamond League 2 Jun 2012 2013 Prefontaine Classic 2013 Diamond League 31 May–1 Jun 2013 2014 Prefontaine Classic 2014 Diamond League 31 May 2014 2015 Prefontaine Classic 2015 Diamond League 30 May 2015 2016 Prefontaine Classic 2016 Diamond League 27–28 May 2016 2017 Prefontaine Classic 2017 Diamond League 27 May 2017 2018 Prefontaine Classic 2018 Diamond League 26 May 2018 2019 Prefontaine Classic 2019 Diamond League 30 Jun 2019 2020: Meet canceled due to COVID-19 2021 Prefontaine Classic 2021 Diamond League 21 Aug 2021 2022 Prefontaine Classic 2022 Diamond League 28 May 2022 2023 Prefontaine Classic 2023 Diamond League 16–17 Sep 2023 2024 Prefontaine Classic 2024 Diamond League 25 May 2024 2025 Prefontaine Classic 2025 Diamond League 5 Jul 2025 2026 Prefontaine Classic 2026 Diamond League 3–4 Jul 2026

World records Over the course of its history, nine world records have been set at the Prefontaine Classic.

+World records set at the Prefontaine ClassicYearEventRecordAthleteNationality197519.92198215:08.2620111:26:47.41:12:25.42023Pole vault6.23 m14:00.21202428:54.1420253:48.6813:58.06

Other notable performances and records 2001: Alan Webb's high school mile record At the 2001 Prefontaine Classic, Alan Webb competed against elite international runners, in a field that included world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics 1500m bronze medalist Bernard Lagat.

Webb ran 3:53.43 in the Bowerman Mile and broke Jim Ryun's national high school record that had stood for 36 years. This was also the fastest mile by an American in three years.

1993–2008: Maria Mutola in the 800 m Maria de Lurdes Mutola won 16 consecutive (1993–2008) women's 800 m races at the Pre Classic.

2023: Jakob Ingebrigtsen's mile & 3000m double In the 2023 Prefontaine Classic & Diamond League Final, on September 16, Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the Bowerman Mile, in a time of 3:43.73, with the aid of pacing lights and pacemakers Erik Sowinski & Cameron Myers.

Ingebrigtsen missed Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record by .60 seconds, still having run the fastest mile in 24 years and the third fastest mile in history at the time.

Ingebrigtsen was closely followed by Yared Nuguse, who finished in an American record time of 3:43.97, breaking Alan Webb's former American mile record of 3:46.91 by almost three full seconds and running the fourth fastest mile in history at the time.

The race was reminiscent of El Guerrouj's 1999 world record run in Rome, where El Guerrouj won in 3:43.13, but was being closely tracked by Kenyan athlete Noah Ngeny, who came in second place at 3:43.40. El Guerrouj and Ngeny held the first and second fastest mile times until Josh Kerr broke the world record on July 18th, 2026 at the London Athletics Meet.

These men (El Guerrouj, Ngeny, Ingebrigtsen, Nuguse) remained the only ones in history to have run a mile under 3:44.00 until Kerr joined them in 2026. Noureddine Morceli, with his 1993 time of 3:44.39 is now 6th all-time.

The next day, Ingebrigtsen would go on to win the 3000 m, in a time of 7:23.63, beating Yomif Kejelcha by only one hundredth of a second. At the time, this ranked Kejelcha at #4 all time and Ingebrigtsen at #3 all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj's 7:23.09 and Daniel Komen's world record of 7:20.67.

Meeting records

Men

+Men's meeting records of the Prefontaine Classic EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeetVideo100 m9.80 Steve Mullings4 June 20112011200 m19.52 Noah Lyles21 August 20212021300 m31.30LaShawn Merritt7 June 20092009400 m43.60Michael Norman28 May 20222022800 m1:42.80Emmanuel Wanyonyi17 September 202320231000 m2:13.62Abubaker Kaki Khamis3 July 201020101500 m3:28.76Jakob Ingebrigtsen16 September 20232023Mile3:43.73 Jakob Ingebrigtsen16 September 202320233000 m7:23.63Jakob Ingebrigtsen17 September 20232023Two miles8:03.50Craig Mottram10 June 200720075000 m12:50.05Berihu Aregawi28 May 2022202210,000 m26:25.97Kenenisa Bekele8 June 2008200825,000 m (track)1:12:25.4Moses Mosop3 June 20112011 30,000 m (track)1:26:47.4Moses Mosop3 June 20112011 110 m hurdles12.86 Jamal Britt4 July 20262026400 m hurdles46.39Rai Benjamin16 September 202320233000 m steeplechase8:01.71Ezekiel Kemboi30 May 20152015High jump2.41 mMutaz Essa Barshim30 May 20152015Pole vault6.23 mArmand Duplantis17 September 20232023Long jump8.74 m Dwight Phillips7 June 20092009Triple jump18.11 m Christian Taylor 27 May 20172017Shot put23.15 mRyan Crouser21 August 20212021Discus throw71.32 mBen Plucknett4 June 19831983Hammer throw83.33 m Ethan Katzberg3 July 20262026Javelin throw93.72 m (old design)Tom Petranoff4 June 1983198389.88 m (current design)Thomas Röhler25 May 20182018

Women

+Women's meeting records of the Prefontaine Classic EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeet100 m10.54 Elaine Thompson-Herah21 August 20212021200 m21.57 Shericka Jackson17 September 20232023400 m49.34Ana Guevara24 May 20032003800 m1:54.97Athing Mu17 September 202320231000 m2:32.33Maria Mutola4 June 199519951500 m3:48.68 WRFaith Kipyegon5 July 20252025Mile4:17.49Nikki Hiltz4 July 202620262000 m5:31.52Vivian Cheruiyot7 June 200920093000 m8:18.49Sifan Hassan30 June 20192019Two miles8:59.08 Francine Niyonsaba27 May 202220225000 m13:58.06 WRBeatrice Chebet5 July 2025202510,000 m28:54.14 WRBeatrice Chebet25 May 20242024100 m hurdles12.24 Kendra Harrison28 May 2016201612.24 Masai Russell4 July 20262026400 m hurdles51.98Femke Bol17 September 202320233000 m steeplechase8:45.25Winfred Yavi5 July 20252025High jump2.04 mMariya Lasitskene30 June 20192019Pole vault4.86 mKatie Moon16 September 20232023Long jump7.31 m Marion Jones31 May 19981998Triple jump15.35 m Yulimar Rojas16 September 20232023Shot put20.94 mChase Jackson5 July 20252025Discus throw70.68 mValarie Allman5 July 20252025Hammer throw78.88 m Camryn Rogers5 July 20252025Javelin throw67.70 mChristina Obergföll31 May 20132013

Notes

References

External links Diamond League – Eugene Official Web Site Official Prefontaine Classic website Official Steve Prefontaine website Pre Classic Results / Records Home at RunnerSpace.com