The Drake Relays is an annual outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in Drake Stadium

Drake Stadium

Drake Stadium is a stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is primarily used for the Drake Relays, and is the home field of the Drake University Bulldogs. It opened in 1925 and underwent a $15 million renovation in 2005. Widening the track reduced the stadium's seating capacity from 18,000...

 on the campus of Drake University

Drake University

Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....

. It has grown to become one of the largest and most important meets in United States, attracting top university and professional talent alike.

Barely 100 spectators and nearly the same number of competitors were on hand for the first Drake Relays in 1910 - a stark contrast to the full stadium that now greets more than 8,000 participants competing during the two main days of the meet.

Not Just A Meet

The Drake Relays are a celebrated tradition not only by students and alumni, but by the surrounding Iowa community. While Drake does have a traditional homecoming in the fall, the school celebrates and treats the Relays as their actual homecoming. Alumni return to campus, and students and the community alike celebrate the pride and tradition the track meet brings.

While the track meet is held for a single weekend near the end of April, celebrations and events begin on campus almost 3 weeks prior.

Relays Directors

Eleven men have claimed the role of director of the Drake Relays since the very first officially organized track and field event took place at this state university almost 100 years ago back in the year 1910. Last year, in 2009, the day before the 100th anniversary of the relays, there was a phenomenal firework show put on by the area Girl Scouts to honor the Veterans of wars past fought.

• John L. Griffith 1910-1918
  Griffith was the founder of the Drake Relays. He remained director for 9 years and moved to the University of Illinois after World War I. He later became commissioner of the Big Ten Conference
  Big Ten Conference
  The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
  
  .

• M.B. Banks 1919-1921
  Banks also served as coach to the Drake football and basketball teams.

• K.L. (Tug) Wilson 1922-1925
  Wilson was a former Illinois and Olympic athlete. After his tenure as director, he went on to become athletic director at Northwestern University. Wilson was also a former Big Ten Conference commissioner.

• O.M. (Ossie) Solem 1926-1932
  Longtime Drake coach succeeded Wilson, but left to become head football coach at the University of Iowa
  University of Iowa
  The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
  
  , and later at Syracuse University.

• F.P. (Pitch) Johnson 1933-1940

• M.E. (Bill) Easton 1941-1947

• Tom Deckard 1948-1955

• Bob Karnes 1956-1969

• Bob Ehrhart 1970-2000

• Mark Kostek 2001-2005

• Brian Brown 2006-present
  Brown participated in the relays himself and currently holds the Drake Relays record in the high jump. Each year Brown attempts to have his record broken by recruiting some of the best high jumpers in the country, but none have been able to take down his record.

Men

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref
100 m 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...	10.01	Henry Glance		1976
200 m 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...	20.05	Michael Johnson Michael Johnson (athlete) Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...		26 April 1997
400 m 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...	44.41	Michael Johnson Michael Johnson (athlete) Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...		April 1996
800 m 800 metres The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...	1:45.86	Randy Wilson Randy Wilson Randy Wilson is a former professional ice hockey winger who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh round in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft....		1978
1500 m 1500 metres The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...	3:38.27	Steve Scott		1984
Mile Middle distance track event Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...	3:51.71	Alan Webb Alan Webb (athlete) Alan Webb is an American athlete. He holds the American record in the mile, with a time of 3:46.91. He competes professionally for Nike.-High school:...		28 April 2007
5000 m 5000 metres The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...	13:27.20	Nick Rose Nick Rose Nicholas Henry Rose is a former British international track and field athlete. He competed in a variety of middle distance and long distance track events. He is the current European record holder in the 10 kilometre road race, and British record holder in the 4×1 mile relay event. He...		1977
10000 m	28:07.40	Kipsubal Koskei		1980
110 m hurdles 110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...	13.21	Ryan Wilson Ryan Wilson (athlete) Ryan Wilson is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 110 meters hurdles. He was the 2003 NCAA champion in the event and won four hurdles titles in the Pacific-10 Conference...		25 April 2009
400 m hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...	48.28	Danny Harris Danny Harris Danny Lee Harris is a former American 400m hurdles runner who won silver medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1987 World Championships in Rome, both behind Edwin Moses...		1986
3000 m steeplechase Steeplechase (athletics) The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...	8:31.02	Henry Marsh		1977
High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....	2.31 m	Brian Brown		26 April 1997
		Dusty Jonas Dusty Jonas Dusty Jonas is an American high jumper.-Career:Jonas was the NCAA National Champion in the high jump at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships...		30 April 2011
		Erik Kynard		30 April 2011
Pole vault Pole vault Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...	5.79 m	Jeff Hartwig Jeff Hartwig Jeff Hartwig is an American pole vaulter.-Biography:In 1998, Hartwig set two North American records with 6.00 and 6.01 metres. The latter was an improvement of 16 centimetres from his personal best of 5.85 m from 1997...		28 April 2007
Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...	7.96 m	Ralph Boston Ralph Boston Ralph Harold Boston is an American athlete. He was an all around athletic star, but he is best remembered for his successes in the long jump during the 1960s....		1961
Triple jump Triple jump The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...	16.08 m	Mike Conley		1994
Shot put Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....	22.10 m	Christian Cantwell Christian Cantwell Christian Cantwell is a World Champion American shot putter. As of 2008 he is 6' 5" tall and weighs 300 or 335 lbs ....		29 April 2006
Hammer Throw Hammer throw The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...	72.77 m	Libor Charfreitag Libor Charfreitag Libor Charfreitag is a hammer thrower from Slovakia. His personal best throw is 81.81 metres, achieved in June 2003 in Prague.He was chosen Slovak athlete of the year in 2003...		2002
Discus throw Discus throw The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...	64.31 m	Mac Wilkins Mac Wilkins Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon....		1978
Decathlon Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...	8198 pts	Kip Janvrin Kip Janvrin Kip Janvrin is a former American decathlete. Janvrin is a native of Panora, Iowa and is currently the Co-Head Track & Field Coach at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri.-College career:...		April 1996
	(100 m), (long jump), (shot put), (high jump), (400 m) / (110 m hurdles), (discus), (pole vault), (javelin), (1500 m)
4x100 m relay	38.96	University of Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....		1983
4x400 m relay	3:00.78	Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...		1984

Women

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref
100 m 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...	11.06 (0.0 m/s)	LaShauntea Moore LaShauntea Moore LaShauntea Moore is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100- and 200-meter dash. She represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, reaching the 200 m semi-finals...		24 April 2010
200 m 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...	22.40	Gwen Torrence Gwen Torrence Gwen Torrence is a retired American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist. She was born in Decatur, GA. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia....		April 1994
400 m 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...	50.64	Lillie Leatherwood-King		1987
800 m 800 metres The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...	2:01.68	Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton is a former American professional middle distance runner.-Biography:Suzy Favor-Hamilton was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to Conrad and Rachel Favor. She began running at age nine, and then attended and competed at Stevens Point Area Senior High, graduating in 1986...		April 1998
1500 m 1500 metres The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...	4:05.13	Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton is a former American professional middle distance runner.-Biography:Suzy Favor-Hamilton was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to Conrad and Rachel Favor. She began running at age nine, and then attended and competed at Stevens Point Area Senior High, graduating in 1986...		April 2000
Mile Middle distance track event Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...	4:40.2	Francie Larrieu-Smith Francie Larrieu-Smith Francis Ann "Francie" Larrieu Smith was an American track and field athlete, flagbearer at the Barcelona 1992 for the United States of America. Larrieu-Smith was the first female American athlete to make five Olympic teams, a feat equaled in 2008 by swimmer Dara Torres.Since 1999 she is cross...		1975
3000 m 3000 metres The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...	8:56.03	Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton Suzy Favor-Hamilton is a former American professional middle distance runner.-Biography:Suzy Favor-Hamilton was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to Conrad and Rachel Favor. She began running at age nine, and then attended and competed at Stevens Point Area Senior High, graduating in 1986...		April 2002
5000 m 5000 metres The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...	15:31.18	Cathy Branta-Easker		1985
10000 m	32:57.38	Patti Murray		1988
100 m hurdles 100 metres hurdles The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...	12.65 (-0.9 m/s)	Damu Cherry Damu Cherry Damu Cherry is an American hurdler. Her personal best time is 12.44 seconds, achieved in July 2006 in Lausanne.She was banned for two years by the IAAF for failing an out-of-competition drugs test in 2003...		24 April 2010
400 m hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...	55.37	Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...		1984
High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....	1.96 m	Chaunte Lowe		24 April 2010
Pole vault Pole vault Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...	4.61 m	Stacy Dragila Stacy Dragila Stacy Renée Mikaelsen is an American former pole vaulter.She won the first gold medal in women's pole vaulting at the 2000 Summer Olympics coached by Dave Nielsen...		April 2003
Shot put Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....	18.67 m	Nadine Kleinert Nadine Kleinert ', since 1999 married Schmitt is a German shot putter.Her personal best throw is 20.20 metres, achieved in August 2009 in Berlin.-Achievements:-References:...		24 April 2010
Discus throw Discus throw The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...	64.38 m	Becky Briesch		24 April 2010
Hammer throw Hammer throw The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...	63.78 m	Florence Ezah		April 2002
Heptathlon Heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...	6040 pts	Diana Pickler Diana Pickler Diana Pickler is an American heptathlete from Shreveport, Louisiana. She has represented her country at the Olympic and World Championship levels and was the 2009 US heptathlon champion...		21-22 April 2009
	13.63 (0.0 m/s) (100 m hurdles), 1.78 m (high jump), 12.08 m (shot put), 24.48 (+1.7 m/s) (200 m) / 6.14 m (+1.0 m/s) (long jump), 41.39 m (javelin), 2:16.73 (800 m)
4x100 m relay	43.75	Baylor University Baylor University Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:... Tiffani McReynolds Tiffany Townsend Brittany Bruce Brittany Carr		30 April 2011
4x400 m relay	3:28.63	University of Arkansas University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in... Regina George Shelise Williams Gwendolyn Flowers Brittany Hyter		30 April 2011

External links

• Drake Relays website
• Drake Relays Records
• Drake Relays Digital Archives