6/20/08

Organizers of the Olympic Track & Field Trials knew that one element of the event was out of their control and could wreak havoc on athletes’ performances: the invisible plumes of grass pollen that float through the Willamette Valley every spring.

So they consulted with Dr. Kraig Jacobson, a Eugene allergist who had collected more than 25 years of data documenting the worst days for grass pollen, which usually occur between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Jacobson checked his records and said that by late June, the worst of the pollen season is past. So organizers decided to start the games June 27.