Echo Summit is the 100th World Athletics Heritage Plaque recipient
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Echo Summit, the site of the 1968 U.S. Olympic men’s track and field trials, was recognized in 2014 as a California Historical Landmark. Now, just 10 years later, it was awarded the 100th World Athletics Heritage Plaque, which recognizes locations with “an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track & field athletics and of out of stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.” It’s also the fourth site on the West Coast to receive this honor.
On October 2, the USDA Forest Service, along with members of the 1968 Olympic team, representatives from USA Track and Field, and members of the city of South Lake Tahoe gathered to recognize the site and its impact. Echo Summit was used as a training grounds for the 1968 Olympics, which would be held in Mexico City, at altitude. Four sites in total were considered for the trials, but South Lake Tahoe won out—in no small part due to Walt Little, the city’s parks director at the time.
Bob Burns, the author of “The Track in the Forest”, a book about the creation of the 1968 site, was one of the key speakers. Burns was a major part of advocating for Echo Summit to be recognized as a California Historical Landmark and to receive the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.
Burns recounted the history of the high-altitude track that was built (then later donated to South Lake Tahoe’s intermediary school) and the intensity of politics at the time. Burns said, “The whole world was on edge in 1968.”
He then introduced John Carlos, Bill Toomey, Norm Tate, and Ron Whitney, who are still recognized as part of one of the greatest Olympic teams in history.

Carlos said during the panel that, “The chemistry here was what made the Olympic team in 1968 so great.” Carlos is famous, alongside his teammate Tommie Smith and Australian athlete Peter Norman, for their victory-stand protest for civil rights with the Olympic Project for Human Rights. “I had my own ideas about how society should be—how we should show love and compassion and humility to others,” said Carlos. “I showed them tough love too. That’s what that was all about.”
Toomey, who is often called the world’s greatest all-around athlete and lives in Incline Village, said “Making an Olympic team is probably the best thing to happen in your life.” Toomey had previously placed fourth in the 1964 Olympics final trials, which he quipped was like light beer— “Fourth place just doesn’t get the job done.” However, he was proud that he persevered to the 1968 Olympics and that, “spending time with these guys brings back the good times and the memories.”
Tate, like Toomey, also competed in the 1964 trials and got eighth place. But he was determined to try again after a coach told him that he wasn’t a bad athlete—he was eighth-best in the world. Tate recalled driving around the mountain bend from Reno to South Lake Tahoe, seeing the lake, and saying, “This is a beautiful place to train.”
Tate was one of the drivers of the team and took them around to see the area when they weren’t training. One of his more stunning recollections was of his teammate Jim Kim, who collapsed during training and was found to have sickle cell anemia. From then on, Tate also drove twice a week to Sacramento to deliver blood samples from the athletes, ensuring they didn’t have sickle cell as well.
“I sometimes say that all of these athletes were part of my DNA,” he joked. “Tahoe changed the trajectory of my life, not only because of my awareness as a Black athlete, but because of the lasting friendships I made. We weren’t just friends, we were like brothers. I love these guys to death,” said Tate.
Whitney said, “Making a decision to have an altitude training camp was a big deal.” He had actually written his Masters’ degree thesis on the effect of altitude on athletes, which was the only study on humans at the panel he presented it at. Whitney recognized Little for his efforts in bringing the trials to South Lake Tahoe, especially when they had Black athletes. “Our athletic administration was so goddamn biased… but this place allowed us to be able to achieve our own goals,” said Whitney.
Lori Little, the granddaughter of Walt Little, was touched to hear the recognition of her grandfather from the whole team. “My grandfather truly lived his life for you guys. What he gave up for you, he would do it all over again,” she said.

Peter “Duffy” Mahoney, the now retired Chief of Sport Performance for USA Track and Field recognized the team for its historical significance. “As good as we think we’re getting, I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to achieve what the 1968 team did again,” said Mahoney. He also highlighted the facility built at Echo Summit, saying, “It was the first real advancement of ‘live high, train low.'”
A statement from Sebastian Coe, an Olympic athlete who competed in the 1980 and 1984 games, was read at the closing. It said, “The story of Echo Summit is compelling… where athletes emerge from the depths of the El Dorado National Forest to shine in Mexico City.”
Little spoke to the Tribune and said, “Throughout reading [Bob Burn’s] book, I learned more about my grandfather’s history. I didn’t know about his character or how generous he was.” Little recounted that her grandparents’ house went into foreclosure, and he paid out of pocket to house and take care of the Olympic athletes. “He was there to help them. He really treated them like his own children.”
Carlos also spoke to the Tribune and said, “Being back here… it’s like a Mecca for us. A lot of legacies were established here. Being able to reflect on my youth like this are like precious jewels of memories.” He expressed a desire to bring his wife and kids to the area and hoped that the site could be used for training again in the future.
“My friends who couldn’t make it here are here through me,” said Carlos. “And once an Olympian, always an Olympian. It’s a special group to belong to.”
Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.

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