Your guide to the Penn Relays
Old? Who's old? The Penn Relays Carnival may be celebrating its 122nd anniversary over the next three days, but the excitement it brings to so many - as evidenced by a current run of 12 straight years of attracting more than 100,000 people to Franklin Field - always seems fresh and new.
Old? Who's old?
The Penn Relays Carnival may be celebrating its 122nd anniversary over the next three days, but the excitement it brings to so many - as evidenced by a current run of 12 straight years of attracting more than 100,000 people to Franklin Field - always seems fresh and new.
Speaking of new, the historic West Philadelphia stadium has a new track, which was installed last summer and unveiled in October. There are now six lanes outside the rail that marks an exact 400 meters for one lap and three lanes inside.
And for you Thursday Night at the Relays fans, the steeplechase pit is now at the northwest corner of the stadium, moved from the northeast corner - or, as we like to call it, the "wooo" corner, where the runners pick up speed to the finish. So expect the crowds to move there now to see if any tired runner does a splashdown.
Other than those track improvements, the Penn Relays is pretty much the same - another 36 hours of competition Thursday, Friday, and Saturday featuring nearly 1,100 high schools and more than 200 colleges from 35 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and even South Africa, which is sending 16 high schools.
Outside Franklin Field, the carnival village attracts many visitors, with sponsor AT&T once again operating a speed lab that will feature athletes DeeDee Trotter and English Gardner.
Olympic prospects. This is an Olympic year, meaning the six USA vs. the World races take on more meaning. The U.S. contingent is brimming with past Olympians, including Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers, Jeremy Warimer, Sanya Richards-Ross, DeeDee Trotter, and Carmelita Jeter. Keep your eye on 18-year-old Floridian Kaylin Whitney, who will contend to be on the team for Rio this summer. Of course, Jamaica is loaded again, so dueling shouts of "U-S-A" and "Ja-mai-ca" will be raining down from the stands.
Welcome to our centenarian. The Masters mixed 100 meters for runners 80 years old and older features 100-year-old Ida Keeling of New York (she doesn't turn 101 until May 15). Among her challengers will be a younger man – 99-year-old Champ Goldy of Haddonfield.
NCAA champs in the house. Some national champions - individual and relay - from last month's NCAA indoor championships will be on hand: Tennessee's Christian Coleman (men's 200) and Felicia Brown (women's 200), Eliud Rutto of Middle Tennessee State (men's 800), Raevyn Rogers of Oregon (women's 800), Kaela Edwards of Oklahoma State (women's mile), and the women's distance medley relay team from Georgetown.
Field notables. Two major field event figures will be competing 90 minutes apart on Saturday. Penn senior Sam Mattis, holder of the American college record in the discus, will be throwing at the Mondschein Complex. Inside Franklin Field, Tennessee senior Jake Blankenship will attempt to become the first pole vaulter in carnival history to win four championships in his specialty.
Like father, like son. The exploits of Leroy Burrell from his days at Penn Wood High School and Houston are still remembered at the Penn Relays. He still holds the college record for 100 meters (10.10 seconds) set in 1990. Burrell, an Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder, returns as head coach of Houston, a team that includes his son, Cameron, who finished second at last month's NCAA indoor 60-meter dash by an eye blink.
Book dinner later. The shadows are long, and the crowd is thinning by the time the sprint medley relays are conducted Friday evening. But the men's SMR this year is chock full of the nation's best 800-meter runners competing on the anchor leg. Look for Penn State, Florida, Middle Tennessee State, Brigham Young, and maybe Villanova to make it a tight race.
Saying goodbye? The number of SEC teams present at Penn this year has dwindled to full teams from Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee, with a few athletes from Florida and Vanderbilt. With the SEC Relays looming on Penn Relays weekend next year, could this be the last time we see any teams from one of the nation's premier track and field conferences?
Stuff to know. Ticket prices are $18 and $24 for Thursday and Friday and range from $40 to $70 on Saturday. A Penn Relays program, which contains 168 pages of entries, records, past performances, and other vital information, costs $10 - still one of the best bargains anywhere. Parking is extremely limited around Franklin Field, so your best bet is SEPTA. Trains to the airport, to Wilmington, and to Media/Elwyn stop at University City Station right across the street.
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