A Dream of a Field: UC Irvine’s Track a World-Class Venue

Brazilian Coach Carlos Cavalheiro and fellow countryman Luis Pedroza stood astride the starting blocks Sunday at the track and field complex at UC Irvine, basking in sunshine and marveling at the vista, as the county’s northern landscape sprawled before them.

“There are so many places, so many tracks in the world,” Cavalheiro said. “But this is one of the best of them. This is a beautiful, amazing track.”

The rest of the world apparently thinks so too. On any given day the university’s track and field stadium, on a mesa above University Drive with panoramic views of inland Orange County, a sprinkling of skyscrapers and the foothills behind them, is a bustling melting pot of world-class hammer throwers and hurdlers, sprinters and long jumpers, all of whom enjoy the breezes off Newport Beach’s Back Bay as much as they do the top-notch training facilities.

Never was that more evident than Sunday, when an estimated 1,000 athletes from all over the world converged for the annual Steve Scott Invitational. The meet is named for the UC Irvine distance star, a three-time Olympian, now the track and field coach at Southern California’s newest campus, Cal State San Marcos in north San Diego County.

“Irvine is so conducive to training,” said Scott, who set the U.S. record in the mile 18 years ago. “It has more or less that country feel. The beach is close and the international runners have an airport nearby to get them here.”

Indeed, during Sunday’s meet, jets in the distance climbed away from John Wayne Airport. The crowd of brightly covered uniforms reflected a host of nationalities. Officials say more than two dozen countries were represented, and numerous dialects could be heard during the 10-hour event. The event began as a much smaller local college meet in 1973, most people recall.

‘Track Capital of the World’

Blackman Ihem, a Nigerian who graduated from Azusa Pacific University, brought about two dozen world-class runners with his Stars and Strides International track club. That included competitors from France, Germany, Jamaica, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Grenada. This is the eighth year he has entered runners in the Irvine event.

“Southern California is the track capital of the world,” he said, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and ball cap. “Irvine has the beach nearby, and it’s sunny, but when it rains, you can train in the rain too.”

Irvine’s evolution as one of the world’s premier training spots began with a British invasion, this one led by Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson. A handful of area high jumpers and pole-vaulters had fancied the Anteaters’ site from time to time because of its light, favorable breezes. Thompson, while looking for a place to train before the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, heard about it and found he liked the all-weather surface at the UC Irvine track.

As the story goes, Thompson would train during the day and stroll along Newport’s restaurant row at night. Thompson went on to win the 1984 Olympic decathlon, and Irvine’s status in world track circles was established.

Thompson returned to England on Wednesday from UC Irvine, where he was a regular this winter. He now trains British athletes, and much of that training takes place at the Irvine track, February through June.

“I’m from London, and you can’t train outside right now because it’s raining and freezing, which means you can’t do quality workouts,” said Ayo Falola, a British coach who has been training foreign athletes alongside Thompson at Irvine for the last six years. “In Britain we would call this being out in the country; it’s not in the city at all.”

The track has become so popular, in fact, that about three weeks ago Irvine track and field Coach Vince O’Boyle had to call an impromptu meeting of international coaches known to be using the track. Besides Daley’s Brits, among them were Swedes, Norwegians, Germans and athletes from several African nations.

“It was getting too crowded for everyone,” O’Boyle said. “We had to set down some rules so everyone could get the workouts they wanted.”

Scott says the influence of international runners has a profound effect on campus.

“It’s always been a good influence,” Scott said. “Runners who are world-class are good examples for Irvine athletes. They know how to train and their intensity level and willingness to work hard--these are very good examples for younger people.”

On Sunday, competitors and coaches alike seemed to enjoy themselves.

“This is an amazing facility,” said Canadian decathlete Mike Nolan of Windsor after finishing a heat of the 100-yard dash. “In Canada the weather ruins the tracks and we have to run on all kinds of bubbles and bad spots. Here, this meet stays right on schedule too. In Canada, you take it for granted that you’re going to be late.”

And then there was Fatima Yusuf, the champion from Nigeria who finished sixth in the 400-meters at the 1996 Olympics. After winning her race in world-class time, she said she’s fond of the Irvine track, for a quirky reason.

“I love the blue color of the track,” she said. “I do well on blue.”