Team XO, a group of post-collegiate track and field athletes based in Eugene, has disbanded.

Ross Krempley, a former University of Oregon runner, and one of the team’s founders six years ago, delivered the news to about 50 athletes on Wednesday night in a personal blog posted on his Web site at RunnerSpace.com.

The 30-year-old Krempley said the decision was driven by financial considerations.

“The business model for XO was based on a small team that was easy to manage and relatively cheap to run,” he wrote. “But as the years passed by, the team kept increasing while the budget stayed the same.”

Krempley said Team XO was able to survive on a minimum annual budget of $15,000, but as the club grew and added members with each passing season, there was no corresponding rise in funding or sponsorships.

Too often, he was forced to make up budget shortfalls out of his own pocket, once having to choose between buying flowers for his wedding or sending an athlete to the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

“It’s discouraging when you can’t even get $15,000,” Krempley said. “That’s not an extraordinary amount of money.”

The decision to shut down Team XO wasn’t that surprising, especially to those closest to the situation. Former UO high jumper Kyley Johnson, one of the club’s original founders who now lives in Portland, could see it coming.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t heartbreaking, but I totally understand it,” he said. “Ross was trying to do the whole thing by himself, and when it got to be over 40 people, we just ran out of resources and he wasn’t left with much of a choice.”

Team XO had six provisional qualifiers at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene last summer. The club also competed in..... READ MORE

All the advice I had been given was to start out conservatively or else you would blow up late in the race, so that is what I did - running the first two miles at about 5:35 pace. Then it was time to climb up the ladder and attach myself to a group. Thankfully I was able to work with Trent Briney (who finished 6th overall) to get back in touch with the group that was right ahead of us. From there until about mile 18 -20 it was group work (big thanks to fellow Team XO runner Dan McClean!). When we hit the final hilly section at about mile 20 it was time to start moving. My legs were heavy and starting to sieze up because of the cold, wind, and rain but praise be to God that I was able to keep pushing through. The last 3 miles of the race I had no idea what place I was in but I just kept passing by runners that were ahead of me. Then with about 1k to go my friend Nick Scheutze (who was riding the course cheering) yelled at me that I was in 12th place. Was I ever shocked to hear that! I was able to hold on till the end - with my mind repeating the lyrics to one of Lecrae's new songs from the album 'Rebel' - and finished in 12th place with a time of 2:22:31. What an experience!

The two biggest regular season high school track meets -- by most every measure -- happen at the same time on Saturday.

The 44th Centennial Invitational, annually notable for its size and quality, comes with a $500,000 facelift to the Centennial High track this year. The track has been redone, with "D" shaped curves that narrow the oval slightly and are a favorite of distance runners. The javelin area is improved, there is a new discus area, an added long jump pit. Coach Greg Letts has lots to be proud of, and so does the Centennial School District for getting this done.

Of course, Centennial remains a mid-season destination for many.

But some teams are peeling away to take part in the Oregon Relays, formerly the XO Invitational, the brainchild of former Sherwood and Oregon runner Ross Krempley. The enterprising Krempley is full of innovative ideas and has pulled off some good events over the past few years. There is a rock band to play during intermission. There is a ultra-slick website with records and videos of past meets. There are prizes for winning teams.

This year, the event runs over two days and goes side-by-side with college and pro events on the schedule.

And for high school coaches, Krempley's meet provides a great chance to run at Hayward Field ... and what high school track athlete doesn't want to...