It’s a tradition in the Twilight Mile
Breaking the four-minute mark
By ART BUSH NELL
Of U»e Emerald
The race is called the Twilight Mile.
It’s been a tradition in Eugene since
1960. Everywhere else it’s a legend. No
other individual race has contributed so
heavily to the roll of sub-four minute
milers.
One night a year the men of Oregon run
the mile just as dusk falls over Hayward
Field. Usually they run against each other.
Once in a while a notable outsider has
come to spur on the competition. But this is
more than a race; it’s an assault on both
the record book and the clock.
The tradition began when Dyrol
Burleson was a sophomore at Oregon. It
will continue Friday night.
Bill Bowerman remembers that first
race well.
“We had promised that the first time we
got a break in the weather we’d have some
people try to break four minutes in the
mile. It had never been done in Oregon; it
had only happened one time in the United
states.
“It was in April at the middle of the week
when the weather finally broke. We got the
kind of day we woe looking for and at 4
p.m we sent word to the dorms that the
Twilight Mile would be run.
“The students just poured in. Tbe stands
were full. And Burleson ran under four
minutes. He was the only one to break the
barrier and it was his first time. The next
year we decided to see if we could do it
again. We did and it's become a part of
Oregon.”
The Twilight Meet has gone through
many phases since that original I960
spring evening.
In 1966, the meet became a benefit for an
injirod Oregon trackman.
The week after a long jumper Bob
WooddeO won his event in a dual event
against UCLA, he was paralyzed in a freak
spring accident. The fraternity float he
was working on for the canoe fete tipped
over on top of him. His life hung in the
balance for days. By June it was apparent
he would survive, but that his medical
expenses would be heavy.
The Twilight Meet became the Bob
Wooddell Invitational and the Oregon
athletes dedicated their performances to
their fallen comrade. Burleson returned to
again win the mile, this time in 3:57.3.
Burleson was a regular in those early
Twilighters — even after be graduated.
The meet has consistently been a
showcase for Oregon runners past and
present. Generally, it has been a showcase
dominated by the milers.
For two years in the 1980’s, the milers
didn’t concentrate on their event. Instead,
they combined to assault the world four
mile relay record. Both times the record
was broken. Both times it was disallowed
for technical reasons.
Bowerman considers the record broken.
He just says both of the new records
“remained unofficial because of
technicalities.
“One time we changed teams just before
the race. A pretty good wind had come up
and changed our plans. Before that we had
two teams and we had wanted both teams
to break the record. But little guys are
affected more by the wind and we put all
the big guys in the same team. They ran
under the world record by three or four
seconds.”
Even so, it has been the Twilight Mile
that has remained the meet’s feature
event.
Bowerman says as much, “though all
the Twilight Meets have had something
outstanding about than.”
And current head coach Bill Dellinger
says the same thing. “The Twilight Mile
has always been the feature event of this
meet and it will be no different this year.
“The meet is kind of a home-town
party,” says Bowerman. “It’s low-key but
very exciting. It’s a tradition and
everybody’s always enjoyed it.”
It’s not hard to enjoy a meet with this
much history. Recent years tell the tale as
well as any others in the history of the
Twi lighter.
It took Steve Prefontaine three tries
before be could even win a Twilight Mile.
His first two attempts saw him run
identical 3:57.4 times (the first is still an
Oregon freshman record) — and finish
second.
In Pre’s first year, when he was setting
that frosh record, Roscoe Divine beat him
to the tape in 3:56.3. Behind than came
Oregon graduates Dave Wilborn and Norm
Trerise and student Steve Savage. Savage
ran a 3:59.2. All five had crossed the finish
line in less than four minutes.
In 1971, Pre finished second to the Oslo
Flyer, Arne Kvalheim. Kvalheim ran
3:56.4.
Last year, Prefontaine finally won the
Twilight Mile, running his lifetime best
3:56.7. That time is the third best Oregon
mile ever. This season, Pre has missed
equaling it by one-tenth of a second.
Bowerman thinks this year’s Twilight
Mile will be just like those of the past.
“Headed by Pre there are several
fellows that very likely without dual meet
pressure might enjoy the rare privilege of
becoming a sub-four minute miler.
“Besides Pre, there’s Paul Geis, Mark
Feig, Scott Daggatt and Steve Bence.
That’s five right there, so at least that
many are capable of running under four
minutes.”
The runners, too, know the Twilight Mile
is something special.
They agree with Bowerman that
something special could happen at
Hayward Field Friday evening.
Says Daggatt, “There’s about eight
people that want to break four minutes. I
want to get second place behind Pre.
That’s all I’m saying.”
That’s enough about the race.
But Daggatt also had some thoughts
about the meet itself.
“The Twilight Meet just means a big
mile race, a super mile. I could run 3:56
and still get second.”
Geis feels the same way.
“A month ago I would have promised a
sub-four minute mile, but I’m behind in my
speed work. Now I’ll just run with
everybody and see how I feel. But I think
there will be more than one sub-four
minute miler this week. I could get last
place and still run my fastest mile.”
Dellinger agrees that the Twilight Mile
is something special.
But all that tradition has him a little
worried.
He points out that the timing of this
year’s Twilight Meet is different than in
the past. Instead of taking place in mid
June, the race is bong run in April. And
instead of providing competition between
the Pac-8 and the NCAA meets, the
Twilighter comes before either one.
“Traditionally this meet has been used
to sharpen everybody for the NCAA during
that long break between important meets.
But now the NCAA is moved up and that
puts a crimp on the Twilight.
“It puts it a little earlier than we might
like it to be. I’d like for the guys to take it in
stride.”
Besides being a good meet for milers,
Dellinger points out that the Twilight get
together is the Oregon Track Club’s one
“big money-making event of the year. It’s
their fund-raiser and from this they hold
their summer all-comers meets and send
some of our guys to the national AAU
championships. It’s the life-blood of the
OTC.”
Life-blood or not, Dellinger doesn't want
this meet to go to his runner’s heads.
“I don’t want this mile to be the fastest
time of the year for my guys. I want them
all to run well. We’d like to see how many
of them are capable of mining down
around four minutes.
“But I want our runners to know they
have some big races craning up; this is not
their big effort of the year. But I’m a little
worried about the tradition psyching them
up too much.”
Dyrol Burleson
“The students just poured In. The stands
were full. And Burleson ran under four
minutes. He was the only one to break the
barrier and it was his first time. The next
year we decided to see if we could do it
again. We did and it’s become a part of
Oregon.’’ — Bill Bowerman.
There may not be much need for psyph.
The caliber of the field might do the work
all by itself. Dellinger himself says all of
the entrants are capable of “running a 4:07
or better.”
And around 7 p.m. Friday night things
might just start happening.
It’ll be about then that Prefontaine,
Geis, Daggatt, Bence, Feig, Knut
Kvalheim, Gary Banger, Gary Williams,
Mike Long, Dave Weicker, Lars Kaupang
and Todd Lathers will take off with the
starter’s gun.
Some of them should be done in less than
lour minutes.
It’s a tradition in Eugene.
Gluttonous 12-4 win over Unfield
Ducks continue mastery of non-loop teams
The Oregon varsity baseball team’s
ravenous appetite for non-conference
opponents continued Wednesday with a
gluttonous 12-4 victory over Linfieid at
Howe Field. The Ducks smacked nine hits,
including four home runs, and boosted
their season record to 16-8.
Unfortunately, it seems to be feast or
famine for the Ducks, with the famine
falling in crucial weekend games against
conference rivals. Although Oregon has
scored 27 runs in this week’s three non
conference games with Linfieid and
Portland, they could muster only four runs
in last Saturday’s doubleheader with
Washington. The loss of that twinbill cost
the Ducks any hopes of a Pac-8 Northern
Division title. Oregon will get a chance for
revenge this weekend when they meet the
Huskies at Howe Field in a single game
Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.
Wednesday’s game with Linfieid
featured two home runs by Oregon
shortstop Rich Chase, another round
tripper for Don Reynolds, a two-run shot
by Pat McNally and the traditional ex
perimenting by coach Mel Krause. Fifteen
Oregon players saw action, with third
baseman Steve Wolf trying his hand at
second, first baseman Jim Willis playing
third and F'red Kay substituting for the
injured Guy Krause in right field.
Craig Husband pitched six innings for
the Ducks, scattering three hits while
giving up five walks and two runs.
Reliever Dick Galloway was the victim of
a three-hit. two run Linfield rally in the
eighth, but the Wildcats never threatened,
as reliever Eric Gilmore finished them off
on three ground balls in the ninth.
After the game, Krause commented on
his experimenting with McNally at first
and Willis at third. “I’m preparing Willis
to play third in case McNally develops as a
hitter,'* he said. The head coach added
that he would go with his regular lineup of
Willis at first and Wolf at third for the
weekend contests. But since Wolf is a
senior and both McNally and a recruit
from Southern California will get a shot at
first for next year, Willis may end up at
third. Willis, a freshman from The Dalles,
had another good day with the bat in going
2 for 4 against the Wildcats.
Krause will go with his regular starting
trio of Mike Shoup, Greg Richards and
Brian Shandera against Washington this
weekend. The only change in the regular
lineup will be in right field, where Kay will
replace Guy Krause, who injured his ankle
tast weekend against the Huskies. Krause
might be available for pinch-hitting, the
coach said.
Linescores:
r h e
Linfield 001 010 020 4 7 3
Oregon 203 430 OOx 12 9 1
Winning pitcher: Husband Losing pit
cher :Waritz
Women lose two games to OSU
At least first game jitters are out of the
way for the women’s softball teams. Both
the A and B teams lost games against
Oregon Kate Tuesday. Today both Oregon
squads go to Monmouth for 4 p.m. games
against Oregon College of Education.
The OSU B team won its game 9-4. Diane
Smith pitched seven strike outs for
Oregon, however, and drove in two runs
with her double hit.
Doris Vance, also an Oregon B team
player, had two hits of her three times at
bat.
1116 Oregon A team lost 11-7. But the A
team out hit their opponents 0-6. Carolyn
Pura pitched for Oregon.