I went to the Penn Relays for the first time last year (because my brother goes to Penn), and, well, it was a track meet featuring (or not featuring) event after event after event. That was the downside. The upside was one of the most unique track events in the world. There is no better place for fans of relays, high school track, and Jamaican sprinters.
The 2014 Penn Relays went from Thursday to Sunday this past weekend. Besides the endless stream of high school heats, the major events not requiring preliminary rounds were the college four by mile and the USA vs. the World series (which is really just U.S.A. versus Jamaica), among others.
The University of Oregon's loaded team won the mile relay in 16:09, the fourth fastest in meet history. With a less tactical start, they might have had a shot at the mythical 16:00 mark, a feat I don't believe has ever been accomplished at the collegiate level. Despite their time, freshman and defending cross country national champion Edward Cheserek was the only one of the four to dip under four minutes. He did so easily in around 3:57, according to letsrun.
The U.S.A beat the world in one of the most fun events of the day, the DMR (one of four relay titles the U.S. won). Leo Manzano finished the mile finale in 3:57 for the win.
For most, the event of the day is the 4 x 100. Always, it is the U.S.A vs. Jamaica, a rivalry enhanced by the unreal amount of Jamaican fans who annually attend. When I went last year, the stadium was about 30 to 40 percent pro-Jamaica, which was enough to out-cheer the less enthusiastic U.S. spectators.
The fans, however, weren't enough last weekend. Despite a small tangle in leg 1 (The U.S. sprinters are famous for bigger relay snags), anchor leg Walter Dix held off Jamaica's Oshane Bailey for the win in 38.01. (Usain Bolt wasn't in attendance, but he has competed before.)
"Every time I come to the Penn Relays I never ran the anchor leg," Dix, who attended Florida State, said. "Due to injuries in the past, I haven't done it as much in the Relays. However, I have done it in the Olympics. So being able to run the anchor leg today and pulling the win out for my team, was something special. It was definitely a close race in the end, but I knew right away that I won the race for team USA. I think the crowd knew also. For a race to come down to the wire the way this did, is what you live for as an athlete. You prepare for moments like this. A win like this is huge for us. It brought us closer together as a team, as well as show what we are capable of doing. What we did out there today, is only half of what we will be doing in the upcoming Olympics. Its definitely going to be something great to see."
