These Track Photographers Are Giving Back to an Oregon Community Hit Badly by Wildfires

Just weeks after photographing a track meet in the area, they are selling photos to help with recovery.

The night prior to the Big Friendly track meet on July 17, Jake Willard was so excited he couldn’t sleep.

It had been months since the Eugene, Oregon-based photographer covered a race of any kind, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. And he couldn’t wait to shoot the elite-only competition at the McKenzie Community Track, situated among towering pine trees next to the McKenzie River in Vida, Oregon.

On July 17, Willard and fellow photographers Howard Lao and Tim Healy took pictures of some of the world’s best athletes. They watched world bronze medalist Shannon Rowbury run 8:40.26—the fastest performance in the world at that point—to win the women’s 3,000 meters. Olympic silver medalist Nijel Amos ran a world lead in the men’s 600 meters. And three professional training groups competed against each other in a rarely contested mixed-gender relay, among other standout performances.

The meet at the McKenzie Community Track was the second of five competitions in the Big Friendly Series, which were COVID-adjusted events organized by Portland Track this summer. With most tracks closed during the pandemic, Portland Track scrambled to coordinate competitions with different facility organizers. And the McKenzie Community Track board of directors was one of the groups that offered to help.

We thought [hosting the meet] was a really good gesture,” Duane Aanestad, vice president of McKenzie Community Track and Field, told Runner’s World. “We got the track here, there’s nothing going on, go for it.”

Big Friendly organizers required negative tests from everyone in attendance, didn’t allow spectators inside the facility, and asked the competitors—some racing for the first time this year—to socially distance. While documenting these unprecedented moments, Willard felt at peace for the first time in months.

“It felt like a good day, and the athletes had fun with it,” Willard told Runner’s World. “There was a noticeable camaraderie for everyone in attendance, a lot of smiles, a lot of laughing, a lot of elbow bumps instead of high-fives. It was cool to see everyone there enjoy that for a moment, life was normal. Track was the center of our universe.”

But weeks after the Big Friendly meets, the same community that welcomed local track athletes needed major assistance. In early September, the region was nearly decimated by the Holiday Farm Fire, a 173,000-acre blaze that burned more than 430 homes and infrastructure in the McKenzie River Valley. As reported by The Oregonian, the photographers and Portland Track organizers responded to the crisis by giving back to the community that opened its doors to them.

“[McKenzie board of directors] were such a great, welcoming community when we were trying to figure this out,” Michael Bergmann, president of Portland Track, told Runner’s World. “We were literally flying by the seat of our pants, and so we just wanted to return that favor as part of the track and field community in bringing that care for a community that’s in pain.”

As Lao monitored the fire from his home in Portland, he emailed Willard and Healy on September 12, suggesting they sell prints of their photographs from the competition and donate the proceeds. In coordination with Portland Track, the photographers each donated three photos for an Etsy shop, where funds from every photo sold goes to the McKenzie Community Recovery Fund. As of November 10, the Portland Track Store has made 12 sales.

“It was a really big team effort from everybody,” Lao told Runner’s World. “We’re just trying to get some relief down to the people there. The track was used for a track meet in the summer and then it was used for a safe meeting place during the fire. It’s more than just a track.”

Retired track coach Jeff Sherman is one of the local contacts that helped coordinate the Big Friendly. When the fire hit the McKenzie community, Sherman and his family were able to evacuate to eastern Oregon. But many were unable to leave because debris blown over by the blaze blocked the roadways. Residents took refuge in the track infield, where a fire crew worked tirelessly to protect them from the flames.

“[The fire] burned right up to the fencing on the track and a metal building with hurdles stored inside, it scorched the back of that,” Sherman said. “From what I understand, people were there for about four or five hours.” He said rescue crews ultimately led residents to safety with road-clearing equipment around 5 a.m. local time.

Weeks later, the McKenzie community is working to rebuild after the fire’s mass destruction. But the gesture from Portland Track and the photographers is providing a bright spot in a time of need.

“[Portland Track] were reaching out from the get-go to ask if we needed help,” Aanestad said. “It seemed like we were part of a family, and you take care of family.”

posted Saturday November 14th
by Runner’s World