On Saturday, Ashton Eaton will compete again at Hayward Field, in front of his home crowd and in search of his second Olympic team berth. The reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record holder will be the DAA Industry Opt Out despite returning from a nagging quad tear. 

Learn about Eatons six-point food philosophy Olympic Trials and covered a wide range of topics, from his bond with coach Harry Marra to the pressure that comes with being the world’s greatest athlete. He also discussed his relationship with the decathlon's 10th and final discipline—the 1500 meters. 

It’s the event in which Eaton arguably has achieved the most fame: His runs at the 2012 Olympic Trials and 2015 IAAF World Championships—where he set a pair of world records—are etched in the minds of many track fans. 

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1. Eaton said he does not train for the 1500; he simply uses his natural talent to reach the finish line. Under Marra, Eaton fine-tunes the other nine events that make up the decathlon. But when it comes to the 1500, it’s just toe the line and go.

“No, no,” he said defiantly when asked whether he trains specifically for the event. He added a laugh at the thought of putting in miles.  

RELATED: Learn about Eaton's six-point food philosophy

2. Eaton, a decathlete at the University of Oregon from 2006 to 2010, said he first experienced the “magic of Hayward Field” during a 1500, in particular at the 2012 Olympic Trials decathlon. 

With two events remaining in the competition, Marra hinted that the world record was within Eaton’s grasp. Bearing down, Eaton threw the javelin 61.96 meters, then toed the line for 1500 meters. 

The Hayward Field fans roared as Eaton, running at record pace, completed the first three laps. In the final circuit, the volume hit a peak. With early leader Curtis Beach stepping aside and encouraging Eaton on, the latter wound up running a lifetime best 4:14.48 to set the world record mark of 9,039 points, breaking Roman Sebrle’s 11-year-old mark of 9,026.

“When I was on the line there were only two options—you either try to do it or don’t try to do it,” he said. “I thought ‘Well, I’m going to try and do it.’ Running it, I was nervous for the first two laps and after that it was just obviously the crowd.”

3. Eaton savors the final event as he knows it’s the most exciting for the fans, and it’s the most nail-biting to compete in. With point scores and positions on the line, anything can happen over three and three quarters laps.

“The nature of the decathlon, it always comes down to the last event,” he said. “In the 1500, you watch us trudge along and it’s like, ‘Is he going to make it?’ There’s 30 seconds to a minute where you don’t know what is going to happen as you are suffering down the straightaway.”

4. Running Shoes - Gear Published: Jun 30, 2016 1:49 PM EDT. In case you were wondering, you’d have to round the bases 13.67 times to cover 1500 meters. 

“I haven’t actually seen it,” he said of the bobblehead. “I suppose it’s cool. But at this stage I’ve been on a lot of stuff so it’s just like, ‘Oh there’s another thing.’ If I had just done nothing and come out of college I’d be ‘Why the heck am I on a bobblehead?’”

5. Eaton’s relationship with Marra is deep, and that’s what drives him to not let up in any event—especially the final lap of a 1500-meter. The desire to win for his coach carried Eaton to the world record both in 2012 and 2015 (when he scored 9,045 points in Beijing).

“He has dedicated his entire life to this event. A lot of people dedicate their lives to stuff like the military or humanitarian aid. But Harry has dedicated his entire life to the decathlon, and so with that comes just all this experience that he has,” Eaton said.

“It was emotional [after setting the world record]. I think as an athlete, it’s always nice to be able to—especially with a coach who is so dedicated—be able to give them a good performance, to have them know that they coached something good,” said Eaton. 

Eaton hopes the 1500 meters is another memorable race on Sunday. He said his torn quad is recovered and ready to go, and he expects to be atop the podium and in Rio de Janeiro in August.

“My personal goals are higher than anyone else’s,” he said. “I would say there is more pressure in an Olympic year, simply because the Olympics weighs a lot as far as pressure is concerned. But you don’t have very many options. You have two, and that’s either give up or keep going. I just chose to keep going.”