For the past several years, I've had the good fortune of being able to enjoy the Drake Relays at the track level. I worked in the marketing department at Drake for over three years, and last year was asked to conduct post-race interviews of athletes, an honor I will once again be handling this year.
I've seen a lot of cool things- records being broken, races that were too close to call, and epic battles that came down to the last few inches on the famous blue oval.
While the events during the week are still some of my favorites (see: the Pole Vault in the Mall and the Grand Blue Mile), I figured I'd share a few of the things that I'll be keeping a close eye on this weekend during the actual track meet while on the field. Here are the top 5 things not to miss at this year's Relays:
5. Shelby Houlihan (SC East) and Alex Gochenour (Logan-Magnolia), HS Girls Events
I know it's sort of a cop-out, but these two young ladies are going to be big stars in the track world someday. Gochenour (one of the best interviews on the track last year) will defend her titles in the 100h and 400h. She'll attend LSU next year (a former Iowa prep star named Lori Jones did the same thing). Houlihan is a distance runner, and has some of the top times in country in the 1500m and 800m. She lost a couple of very close races last year on way to winning the girls 800m (setting a new Relays record in the process). Both should provide memorable performances and compete for the most outstanding performer.
4. The Invitational Pole Vault and High Jump
My second cop-out in a row, but don't miss these events. Brian Brown is a former world class jumper, and the fields for these events are always loaded. The pole vault is a crazy event, and the field is full of former Olympians and past champions. On the other end, Brown still holds the meet record in the high jump at 7'-7". The long running joke at Drake is Brian is trying to hold onto his record, and always brings in a soft field. The opposite could not be more true. There are at least three guys in the field that are capable of smashing the record (Dusty Jonas, Jim Dilling, and Andra Manson)- it will just depend on the right conditions and a little luck to get it done.
3. Jeremy Wariner in the Men's 400m (Saturday, 3:42 P.M.)
He's the best in the world at 400m, and has been for a long time. Unless something major happens in the next year, Wariner will most likely sprint his way into London as the Olympic gold medal favorite. If that's not enough, he's already got a couple golds and a silver at home to prove he's the man. It's not too often you get to see this level of talent. The field for this event will be decent, but look for Wariner to run a dominant race.
2. Lolo Jones in the 100m Hurdles (Saturday, 2:41 P.M.)
She's the hometown hero, and has been dubbed the "Sweetheart of the Drake Relays." Jones was a late entry into the field, as she's been dealing with some undisclosed injuries. She ran last week without incident in Louisiana, so look for a good race. Jones won't be a heavy favorite in her speciality- she lost this same race a year ago to Damu Cherry, who is also in the field. Jones always runs well at Drake and will have the home field advantage, but this will be a heck of a race.
1. Alan Webb in the Men's Invitational Mile (Saturday, 3:21 P.M.)
I hated running the mile in elementary school when I was a kid. So did everyone else I knew. Amazing that the race I'm the most interested in is the same one I loathed in my youth. Then again, I was lucky if I could break 8:00, and these guys will likely do it in under 4:00. Webb leads a very talented field in this event, which also includes defending champion Boaz Lalang. I'll never forget Webb's performance in 2007 when he set a Relays record by running a 3:51 mile- still the world-record for the month of April. To this day, I've never seen a Saturday crowd at the Relays get on their feet and cheer for a finish like that one. Webb won't forget it either- it's the same day at those Relays he had his first official date with his wife, Julia. Now he's back in Des Moines to try and bring the crowd back to their feet once again. You can bet he'll have at least one standing.
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