Penn Relays

From WikiRun

The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It regularly attracts more than 15,000 participants from high schools, colleges, and track clubs throughout North America and abroad, especially Jamaica, competing in more than 300 events over five days. Historically, the event has been credited with popularizing the running of relay races. It is held during the last full week in April, ending on the last Saturday in April. Attendance typically tops 100,000 over the final three days, and has been known to surpass 50,000 on Saturday. The Penn Relays also holds a CYO night for Catholic Middle Schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Preliminaries are run on the Tuesday during Carnival Week, and the Finals are run on Friday.

Events are scheduled all day and run until 11 p.m. at night. The program includes rare events such as the Distance medley relay.

History

Prior to 1893, relay races were rarely held as a part of track meets. That year, the University of Pennsylvania's Track Committee decided to conduct a relay race against Princeton University as a part of its annual "Spring Handicap Track and Field Games." That relay race was also repeated in 1894. In April 1895, Penn opened Franklin Field by conducting the inaugural Penn Relays there. The first year’s schedule included nine relay events, four for high schools and prep schools, four for colleges, and the college championship. All were held at 4×440 yards, what became the classic mile relay, but with only two teams racing in each heat.^[1]

In 1910, the name was changed to "Penn Relays Carnival" to reflect the celebratory atmosphere of the meet, including the large tent village that had come to be set up outside the stadium each year.

The meet quickly expanded to events beyond just the mile relay. A 5-Mile relay was added in 1896, later becoming the 4-Mile Relay, and in 1897 a 2-Mile Relay was added. In 1900, college events not covered by the relays were added: the two sprints, 100 yards and 220 yards; the 120-yard hurdles; and the commonly contested field events of the day, the high jump, pole vault, long jump, shot put and hammer throw.

The scope of teams participating also expanded. In 1898, as the University of Chicago became the first midwestern school to attend. In 1911, ten years before the first NCAA championship meet, each college and high school championship event became known as the “Championship of America.” Until the NCAA conducted its first national championship track and field meet in 1921, the Penn Relays was generally recognized as the only meet which brought together contestants from every part of the country.^[1]

The Relays started to draw international teams in 1914, when a team from Oxford University in England won the 4-Mile Relay. The following year saw the advent of the two-day meet and the addition of the sprint medley and distance medley relays.^[1]

The relay format at track meets became standardized when the Relay Racing Code was adopted in 1910 by the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A). The code allowed a 20-foot zone in front of the starting line, in which a touch-off could be made. Before this, there had been neither batons nor passing zones. The incoming runner had been required to touch the next, who was required to hold his mark at the starting line. The baton and 20-meter exchange zone, 10 meters on either side of the starting line, were introduced internationally in time for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and 1913 saw the first use of the baton at Penn. In 1922, the organizers added the 440-yard Relay and the 880-yard Relay. A final event, the shuttle hurdles was added in 1926, at the suggestion of teams from England, where the event had been contested.

Women’s events first began at the Relays with a 100-yard dash in 1962. The next year saw the first women’s Olympic Development relay, and in 1964, a high school women's relay was added.^[1]

The Carnival switched to a metric orientation in 1976, dropping yard distances in all events but the 4×120 yard shuttle hurdles and the mile run. The Penn Relays first used Automatic timing in 1977.

The next relays will be held April 23-25, 2009.

Distance Classic

This pair of 5k and 20K road races are held the Sunday before the Penn Relays as a kick-off event. Both races start and finish at Franklin Field with the 5K turning around at the Art Museum made famous in the film Rocky and the 20K turning around at a Stone Railroad Bridge beyond the Falls River Bridge.

External links

• Penn Relays Home Page
• Videos from 2008 Penn Relays at Flotrack.org
• Penn Relays 1977 Carnival Track & Field Pennant
• Meet records and list of past winners
• History of Penn Athletic Assoc

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Johnson, Dave. About The Relays. Retrieved on 2008-11-24.