by Aaron Heisen for the University of Oregon SOJC Track Bureau
Shannon Osika sat just beyond the finish line with open arms awaiting her teammates’ embrace. She had just run the final leg of the distance medley relay in February at the Lilac Grand Prix — a mile in 4 minutes, 28.32 seconds.
After Osika’s leg, the scoreboard read 10:39.90. The Nike Union Athletics Club had broken the indoor DMR record by .40 seconds — a goal that seemed out of reach less than a week before.
Sinclaire Johnson, the third-leg in the relay, was dealing with an illness. Raevyn Rogers, the second-leg in the relay, got rear-ended and was hospitalized. The Union’s coach, Pete Julian, began to insist the runners drop out of the event.
“The record seemed impossible when we got into Spokane that night,” Julian said. “Too many things had gone wrong that week. But the women banded together and said, ‘We’ve got this, Coach.’”
As they broke the record, the majority of the club, who had made the trip to Spokane, Washington, celebrated right there with them. That night, Julian returned to his hotel room and reflected on the moment.
“Wow. That’s your upstart team,” Julian thought to himself. “That’s really what I want this team to be. I want them to be doing this not just for themselves, but for each other.”
Julian created the Union in December 2021 as an offspring of the Nike Oregon Project — a club run by coach Alberto Salazar, who received a four-year ban in October 2019 from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. After a further investigation by Safe Sport of the toxic culture that Salazar oversaw, in July 2021, Salazar received a permanent ban from the sport.
Julian worked with Salazar and his group of athletes throughout his time at the NOP, but he said began to separate himself and his athletes well before the club was dismantled. Once he left the NOP, Nike approached him and the Nike Union Athletics Club was born.
With Nike’s backing, Julian gained free rein to construct a track club built upon diversity and his coaching viewpoints. The Union also separates itself from other clubs because it provides the athletes with a creative platform. The athletes helped to create the club’s name in hopes that fans could attach themselves to it.
The Union’s athletes have responded to Julian’s methods. While that DMR record has since been broken, the Union will be well-represented at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 with five athletes — Americans Rogers, Johnson and Donovan Brazier, along with Australian Jessica Hull and German Koko Klosterhalfen.
Even before the genesis of the Union, Julian’s coaching philosophy was predicated on personalized training plans. At the Union, he’s able to instill those ideals, while also building a team-like culture.
“It’s just highly individualized,” said Johnson, a distance runner. “Whatever is right for me on that particular day, Pete’s going to coach my training around. Instead of kind of just looping me in one group.”
Johnson joined the Union after training with the Bowerman Track Club out of college. Her career has taken off since making the switch in large part because of the training sessions that are tailored to her needs.
It showed at the USATF outdoor national championships as Johnson’s blistering kick helped her win in the qualifying rounds and in the final of the 1,500 meters.
Many athletes like Johnson made their way to the Union a few years into their career seeking individualized training plans.
However, Donovan Brazier’s relationship with Julian dates back to 2018.
It’s built upon an immense amount of trust and it has helped him deal with a recurring achilles injury. Under Julian’s training, Brazier captured gold in the 800 at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
He followed Julian from the NOP to the Union and has enjoyed the transition.
“We’re able to start a program new,” Brazier said. “I’ve never been a part of something so cool and so fresh. We’re able to watch it grow and nurture it the right way.”
Brazier also admires the diverse atmosphere at the Union. The club welcomes athletes from the United States, Australia and Germany, who compete at distances from the 800 up to 10,000.
The Union’s athletes live together for up to five months out of the year as they travel between competitions. This cohesive environment allows the athletes to learn from one another.
“Not that I do much training with Raevyn or Donovan, but just like having them around and seeing them on a day-to-day basis – they are both medalists at the world level, which is incredible — so just to be surrounded by that is really beneficial,” Johnson said.
The environment at the Union also helped Jessica Hull break the Australian national one-mile record.
Hull trains in Portland, Oregon throughout the year, and hadn’t raced in a competition since the Prefontaine Classic in May.
Julian believed it was imperative that Hull stay warm as the World Championships approached. However, it was difficult for him to reach out to runners who wanted to race with Hull on short notice.
Without hesitation, her Union teammates — Johnson and Klosterhalfen — answered the call. They raced alongside Hull and set a fast pace that helped her run 4:19.89, 1.49 seconds faster than the previous record.
“Jessica would do that for them, too,” Julian said.
In fact, she had.
In February, when the four American women broke the indoor DMR record, Hull was there, helping to pace the first leg. And as Shannon Osika rounded the turn into the final stretch, Hull stood on the infield cheering her on.
