University to host 2016 Olympic trials


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The U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon is scheduled for Saturday in Los Angeles. A section of the marathon will take place on the University Park Campus, where the race is expected to start at 10:06 a.m. and end at approximately 2 p.m.

Participants will enter campus at Gate 3 on Figueroa Street, then turn south onto Watt Way, east onto Childs Way and then south onto Pardee Way, where they will exit campus and proceed onto the next part of the race.

Starting at 9 a.m. parts of Figueroa, Jeffferson Boulevard, Exposition Boulevard and Flower Street will be closed off in order to accommodate the trials.

The men and women’s races will be staggered throughout the morning. The men are expected to reach campus at 10:25 a.m. while the women are expected at 10:45 a.m.

The trials features a record $600,000 prize purse, according to its website. Half of that sum will go to the top ten male finishers and the other half to the top ten females.  First place for both genders will be awarded $80,000

Parking will not be allowed on 34th Street east of Watt Way or on Childs Way east of Hahn Plaza due to safety concerns, and Gate 3 will be closed and cars parked in Parking Structure X will not be able to exit until 1:30 p.m.

USC students will be able to watch the race from the “cheer zone” at Hahn Plaza. This is one of six cheer zones designated throughout Los Angeles for spectators to watch the race without endangering the athletes.

The Olympic Team Trials were previously held in Houston, Texas in 2012. The winners will proceed to compete for the United States in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.