SPRINGFIELD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HOSTS HOSPITALITY EVENT AT OLYMPIC TRIALS RACE WALK

June 24, 2021

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Springfield, OR (June 23, 2021) The Springfield, Oregon community is hosting one of the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials events on Saturday, June 26, a first for the city. The public is welcome to watch and cheer for participants in the 20km (12.43 miles) Race Walk event.

To celebrate this historic event, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce will host a hospitality courtyard with IEQ Technology at the competition start/finish line, 220 5th Street, Downtown Springfield, directly across from the Springfield City Hall Plaza. There will be kids’ activities, giveaways, and the opportunity to purchase a commemorative Race Walk poster for $10.

Good news for early birds. Due to high temperatures forecasted for Saturday and to maximize the ability of the competing athletes to fight for a spot on Team USA, the race walk competition was shifted to an earlier start. The men’s competition will now go off at 7:00 a.m. Pacific and the women’s competition will go off at 7:01 a.m. Pacific. The official course stretches along 5th Street and Main Street in Downtown Springfield. A short welcoming ceremony for competitors and the public will precede the race. The awards ceremony will be held at the Springfield City Hall Plaza immediately following the race.

“The Chamber is working to create a fan festival experience for community members and spectators alike,” said Vonnie Mikkelsen, president/CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. “We are inviting the public to stop by and have a refreshment, purchase special limited-edition t-shirts or commemorative retro posters, and bring your kids to our activity table where they can make an Olympic medal of their own to take home.” The hospitality courtyard is open to all starting at 6:50 a.m. and will remain open throughout all the morning’s festivities.

Sponsored by Parr Lumber and in partnership with the City of Springfield, the Chamber’s hospitality tent will showcase a number of local businesses and community partners including McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, All American Pet, Advance Cabinet Designs, The Flower Market, Sheild Catering, Springfield Public Library, Springfield History Museum, the City’s Development and Public Works Department, Travel Lane County, IEQ Technology, and Eugene Magazine. The Chamber’s 2020 Business of the Year, Bi-Coastal Media will send KPNW radio personality Bill Lundun to broadcast live from the event. Businesses are invited to drop off their promotional items in advance of the event to the Chamber, 101 South A Street. Contact Dani@springfield-chamber.org or call: 541-746-1651.

“It’s an honor to host a globally important event with our many partners and welcome the world—in person and through national media coverage—to Springfield,” added Mikkelsen. “It gives us an opportunity to create a lasting impression and a memorable experience for locals, visitors, and spectators tuning in.”