Springfield marathoner sets sights on 2028 Olympic Trials

On a sunny Tuesday morning in July, Logan Auxier ran one-mile repeats on the red track outside South Eugene High School.

“I was shooting for five flat,” he said, looking at his watch. His first mile clocked in at 4 minutes and 54 seconds.

Auxier, 23, ran track and cross country at Springfield High School and Lane Community College. But it wasn’t until he took second in the Eugene Marathon this spring, in 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 26 seconds – his debut marathon – that he realized he might have a shot at qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

Auxier has nearly three years to try to achieve the qualifying standard for the marathon, which is 2 hours, 16 minutes for men. He’ll have the help of a local running club coached by an Olympian. 

The next U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the marathon will be in early 2028. According to USA Track & Field, men need to clock a 2:16 marathon or faster in an eligible race during the qualifying window, which opens Sept. 1 of this year and will close 60 days before the 2028 trials. That date hasn’t been set yet, but the last marathon trials took place Feb. 3, 2024.

“If you want to get to the Olympic Trials, you have to run 2:16. So that’s 5:10 per mile,” Auxier said. “You have to be able to roll with the punches. You have to know your body pretty well. And on the day, you should be able to tell if you’re ready to go.”

Enjoying the process

Auxier wasn’t a standout runner early in his high school career. But as he continued to train, he enjoyed seeing the culmination of his hard work throughout the seasons.

“He was genuinely interested in the nuts and bolts of training and understanding the ‘why’ behind the workouts,” James March, Auxier’s high school coach, told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “Because he wasn’t winning races early on, his joy in running has never been linked to outcomes and instead is rooted in process.”

Auxier said March emphasized loving the sport more than performance. 

“And I wanted to perform well, but I’m glad he took that approach because now I’m starting to see those results on a lot larger scale, and I’m still really enjoying doing it,” he said. 

After he graduated from high school in 2020, Auxier attended Lane Community College, where he ran track and cross country and continued to prove himself as a runner. He led the Titans to victory at the Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships in 2022, taking first place in the 8,000 meters with a time of 24:48 (an average pace of 4:59 per mile). 

After college, Auxier took time off because of a stress fracture in his foot. When he started running again, March suggested his former student join Big Timber Running Club, a team of runners of all levels created by local running store Run Hub Northwest.

Olympic 1,500-meter runner Ben Blankenship coaches the team, along with Lauren Calcagno, who ran for the University of California, Berkeley. Auxier started training with the club last year.

Auxier said he has always loved running with a team — having teammates to train with and encouragement from coaches. As he got ready for the Eugene Marathon, his coaches took a conservative approach to his training to avoid more injuries.

“The two weeks leading up to it were the best I’ve ever felt mentally and physically,” Auxier said. “That morning, as soon as I started out, I knew I knew it was going to be a good day.”

He felt emotional during the last mile of his race. He had grown up watching the country’s top runners compete on Hayward Field, and this was going to be his first time running on the track. It felt rewarding to experience the culmination of all his hard work.

Calcagno said she and Blankenship were speechless watching Auxier cross the finish line. 

“With all the variables involved in distance running, it’s very rare to have an A+ day, especially in your marathon debut, and Logan did just that,” she said. 

Auxier plans to spend the next year and a half building strength and speed with his coaches. In December 2026, he’ll toe the line at the California International Marathon for his second attempt at the distance and to hopefully get closer to the 2:16 he needs.

Auxier will balance all this with his full-time job at Target in Eugene. He said being on his feet all day actually helps him recover and keeps him from getting too stiff.

“Logan’s secret is that he doesn’t need a race on the calendar to motivate or inspire him,” March said. “He truly enjoys the process and absorbing all the wisdom and support from all the people the sport of running has put in front of him. An Olympic Trials qualification run would be a celebration of that community Logan has built for himself.”

Blankenship described Auxier as the “epitome of a great distance athlete” who wants to work hard and is willing to sacrifice to chase his goals.

“He grew up here in Eugene, Tracktown, USA, where he’s been to copious numbers of trials, and then to put his name on that starting list, I think will be a full circle moment for him,” Blankenship said.