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The 2025 Prefontaine Classic is set to be packed with fans despite an increase in the price of the tickets. The prestigious track and field meet is held annually at Hayward Field in the University of Oregon and the stadium's capacity of 12,650 is expected to be filled on Saturday, July 5th.
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the most high profile track and field meets held during the year, with it's 50th edition set to take place this weekend. The meet is part of the Diamond League series, with many top athletes such as Sha’Carri Richardson, Letsile Tebogo, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set to participate this year. The meet was renamed in 1975 in honor of the late Steve Prefontaine, who was an Olympian and Oregon distance runner.
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As recently as Wednesday, the event's ticket prices ranged from $750 to $900 for a seat. It was reported that last week VIP sections were priced at as high as $1,000. On Monday it was reported that standing tickets would go for $230, and for a physical seat at a minimum it would be around $429. However, despite the increase in the price of tickets, this year's event boasts the biggest expected crowd since the Hayward Field got renovated in 2020.
With this year's meet marking the 50th anniversary of the Prefontaine Classic, it is not a suprise to see the stadium packed with fans from 49 states and 4 countries attending.
Notable records set at the Prefontaine Classic
Numerous records have been set at the Prefontaine Classic, with the meet in 2023 seeing two world records, twelve national records, and seven meet records. Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis set the world record at the time, recording 6.23m. Gudaf Tsegay also broke another world record that year, running the Women's 5000m with a time of 14:00.21.
At the 2024 Prefontaine Classic, the world record for the Women's 10,000m was broken by Beatrice Chebet who posted a time of 28:54.14. Several national records were also set that year, including Marco Arop who ran the 800m with a time of 1:42.85 and Australia's Matthew Denny who broke the national record in the Men’s Discus recording a distance of 68.43m.
This year, multiple athletes will be looking to continue their strong performances this year, such as Julien Alfred who has two Diamond League wins so far this season. Sha’Carri Richardson will also look to perform strongly as she is yet to run under 11 seconds this year.
