Olympian and Boston Marathon Champion Jon Anderson will speak at the Eugene Running Company on Monday, April 9, at 7pm. The event is free to the public and celebrates the upcoming Eugene Marathon on April 29. Raffle prizes courtesy of Nike and the Eugene Running Company.

Jon Anderson is an icon in the long distance running community. A lifetime resident of Eugene, his story highlights the epic events that catapulted Eugene to the forefront of the running boom in the 1970s.

Influenced by Bill Bowerman, Jon Anderson became an Olympian on the 1972 Olympic Team in the 10,000 meters race. In Munich, Germany, Jon experienced the terrifying ordeal of the Israeli athlete massacre that would forever redefine international terrorism.

The following year, Jon Anderson overtook the defending champion Finland’s Olavi Suomalainen on Heartbreak Hill then strode to victory in the 1973 Boston Marathon. The 23-year-old graduate of Sheldon High School in Eugene and Cornell University thus became the first person to win a major sporting event wearing Nike shoes. A photo of Jon with his arms raised in victory graced the pages of the Boston Globe and was broadcast around the world. Eugene’s reputation as Tracktown, USA, was immeasurably enhanced.

On May 30, 1975, the legendary Steve Prefontaine died in an automobile accident on a winding road just blocks from the start of the Eugene Marathon. Jon Anderson served as a pall bearer in Pre’s funeral.

You’re invited to join us for a rare opportunity to hear from Eugene’s own Jon Anderson, a pivotal figure in American running culture.