The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895  by the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 at Franklin Field

Franklin Field

Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...

 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

. It regularly attracts more than 15,000 participants from high schools, colleges, and track clubs throughout North America and abroad, notably Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, 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.

History

The first Penn Relays was held in 1895. Frank B. Ellis, chairman of Penn's track committee, was looking for an event to mark the dedication of the school's then new stadium, Franklin Field. Two years earlier, during his senior year at Penn, Penn and Princeton

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 competed in a one-mile relay race in which four runners from each school each ran a quarter of a mile. That race had been an outgrowth of intramural relay races held at Penn. Ellis and others arranged a series of relay races to take place on Saturday afternoon, April 20, 1895. 64 competitors from eight colleges, six prep schools and two high schools took part. Eight two-team races were run with Harvard beating Penn in the mile-relay feature in 3:34.4.

The 2010 Relays featured a "USA vs. The World" program, pitting American teams against elite runners including Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt

The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...

, Shelly Ann Fraser and Alfred Kirwa Yego. The event broke all previous attendance records with a single-day high of 54,310 and the total of 117,346 for the three-day festival.

In popular culture

• In the second season of The Cosby Show
  The Cosby Show
  The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
  
  , in the episode "Off to the Races", Cliff Huxtable is invited to run in the Penn Relays.

• In the novel Crash
  Crash (1996 novel)
  Crash is a 1996 young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli. This coming-of-age story follows 7th grader John "Crash" Coogan's gradual progression from cocky football jock to mature, sensitive friend, brother and son.-Plot summary:...
  
  by Jerry Spinelli
  Jerry Spinelli
  Jerry Spinelli is an author of children's novels on adolescence and early adulthood. He is best known for the novels Maniac Magee and Wringer....
  
  , a boy is named "Penn" by his great-grandfather, who ran in the Penn Relays. In the end Penn gets to run in the Penn Relays.

World records

Over the course of its history, one world record has been set at the Penn Relays, although there have been additional world bests in non-IAAF recognized events such as the distance medley relay

Distance Medley Relay

The distance medley relay is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance. A distance medley relay is made up of a 1200 meter leg, or three laps on a standard 400 meter track; a 400 meter leg, or one...

.

Year	Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality
2000	4x200 m relay Relay race During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...	1:27.46	LaTasha Jenkins LaTasha Jenkins LaTasha Jenkins is a former American sprinter. Having won international medals in the 200 m, she won a silver medal at the 2001 World Indoor Championships and a silver medal at the 2001 Outdoor Championships. Other career highlights include 2001 U.S... LaTasha Colander-Richardson Nanceen Perry Nanceen Perry Nanceen Perry is a former sprinter from the United States.She competed in the 4x100 meters relay in Sydney 2000, but her bronze medal was stripped after confessions of steroid doping by teammate Marion Jones.-External links:... Marion Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...

Men

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref	Video
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...	10.10	Leroy Burrell Leroy Burrell Leroy Russel Burrell is a former American athlete who twice set the world record for the 100 meters sprint, setting a time of 9.90 seconds in June 1991. This was broken by Carl Lewis in September at the World Track and Field Championships. In that race, Burrell came in second, yet he...		April 1990
Mile	3:53.2	Tony Waldrop		1974
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...	13:16.47	Shadrack Kosgei Shadrack Kosgei Shadrack Kosgei is a Kenyan runner.At the 2005 World Cross Country Championships he finished tenth in the short race. The Kenyan team, of which Kosgei was a part, won the silver medal in the team competition....		2003
10000 m	27:50.0	Sosthenes Bitok Sosthenes Bitok Sosthenes Bitok is a retired long-distance runner from Kenya, who represented his native country in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There he finished in sixth place, clocking 28:09.01 in the final.-References:* *...		1984
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...	13.30	Terrence Trammell Terrence Trammell Terrence R. Trammell is a track and field athlete who won the silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles at both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, as well as three silver medals at the World Championships.The 1997 Track & Field News Male High School Athlete of the Year attended the University of...		29 April 2000
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...	48.91	Derrick Adkins Derrick Adkins Derrick R. Adkins is a former American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics.Born in Brooklyn, New York, attended Malverne High School, Derrick Adkins rose into the international athletics scene in 1991, when he finished third at the US National Championships and qualified...		April 1994
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...	8:24.34	Anthony Famiglietti Anthony Famiglietti Anthony Famiglietti is an American track and field athlete who competes professionally for Reckless Running. He was formerly sponsored by Adidas. He has competed for the U.S...		April 2008
10000 m walk (track)	39:43.85	Tim Seaman		1999
4x100 m relay	37.90	Jamaica Gold Mario Forsythe Mario Forsythe Mario Forsythe is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. He ran a 9.95 in Rieti, Italy, in August 2010, becoming the 74th runner to break the 10-second barrier.-Personal best:-External links:... Yohan Blake Yohan Blake Yohan Blake is a Jamaican sprinter and the current 100 metre World Champion. He holds the national junior record for the 100 metres, and tied Seun Ogunkoya as the youngest sprinter to have broken the 10-second barrier... Marvin Anderson Marvin Anderson Marvin Anderson is a Jamaican sprint athlete.He finished sixth in the 200m final at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka where he also won a silver medal in the 4×100m relay team for Jamaica. He is a former student of Duncans All Age and William Knibb Memorial High School.Anderson represented... Usain Bolt Usain Bolt The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...		24 April 2010		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNxCdlDrv8&feature=player_embedded#at=18
4x400 m relay	2:56.60	USA Red Angelo Taylor Angelo Taylor Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....  45.0 Antonio Pettigrew Antonio Pettigrew Antonio Pettigrew was an American sprinter who specialized in the 400 meters. He was born in Macon, Georgia....  44.2 Tyree Washington Tyree Washington Tyree Washington is a retired American sprinter.He attended both La Sierra High School and San Bernardino Valley College....  43.7 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...  43.7		29 April 2000
Distance medley relay Distance Medley Relay The distance medley relay is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance. A distance medley relay is made up of a 1200 meter leg, or three laps on a standard 400 meter track; a 400 meter leg, or one...	9:15.56	Elkanah Angwenyi Elkanah Angwenyi Elkanah Angwenyi is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. He won the bronze medal at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.He started running while at primary school. He was recruited by Kenya Police in 2001...  2:50.8 (1200m) Thomas Musembi 45.8 (400m) Alfred Kirwa Yego 1:46.2 (800m) Alex Kipchirchir Alex Kipchirchir Alex Kipchirchir Rono is a middle distance runner from Kenya.- Career :He graduated from Litein High School. He played football and basketball when still at school and did not take up athletics until December 2001, when he met Moses Tanui who persuaded him to become runner...  3:52.8 (1600 m)		29 April 2006

Women

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref	Video
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...	11.10	Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States...		April 2004
		Kelly-Ann Baptiste Kelly-Ann Baptiste Kelly-Ann Kaylene Baptiste is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.-Junior:...		April 2006
Mile	4:26.10	Mary Slaney		1997
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...	15:17.11	Laura Mykytok		1995
10000 m	31:30.89	Annette Peters		1997
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...	12.61 (+1.1 m/s)	Queen Quedith Harrison		24 April 2010		http://pennrelaysonline.com/History/results.aspx?en=244&cy=2010
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...	9:56.63	Briana Shook		2003
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...	4.45 m	Tina Sutej Tina Šutej Tina Šutej is a Slovenian pole vaulter.Šutej began competing in athletics at an early age, practising in a variety of events from the age of seven. A change of coach at her local club saw the arrival of a pole vault specialist, who encouraged her to focus on vaulting the high bar...		28 April 2011
5000 m walk (track)	20:56.88	Michelle Rohl Michelle Rohl Michelle Rohl is a retired female track and field athlete from the United States, who competed in race walking. She represented her native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. A five-time USA Indoor Champion and a four-time U.S...		1996
4x100 m relay	42.28	USA Red Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States... Allyson Felix Allyson Felix Allyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances... Marshevet Myers Carmelita Jeter Carmelita Jeter Carmelita Jeter is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 metres.She won the 100 m bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and a gold at the World Athletics Final. she won a second World Championship bronze...		30 April 2011
4x200 m relay Relay race During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...	1:27.46	LaTasha Jenkins LaTasha Jenkins LaTasha Jenkins is a former American sprinter. Having won international medals in the 200 m, she won a silver medal at the 2001 World Indoor Championships and a silver medal at the 2001 Outdoor Championships. Other career highlights include 2001 U.S... LaTasha Colander-Richardson Nanceen Perry Nanceen Perry Nanceen Perry is a former sprinter from the United States.She competed in the 4x100 meters relay in Sydney 2000, but her bronze medal was stripped after confessions of steroid doping by teammate Marion Jones.-External links:... Marion Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...		29 April 2000
4x400 m relay	3:22.16	USA Blue Mary Wineberg Mary Wineberg Mary Wineberg is an American athlete from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was born in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Walnut Hills High School, she attended the University of Cincinnati on a track scholarship, graduating in 2002 with a bachelors degree in education.Wineberg was an Olympic...  51.4 Allyson Felix Allyson Felix Allyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances...  50.1 Natasha Hastings Natasha Hastings Natasha Monique Hastings is an American sprint athlete of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent.Hastings began her track career at a very early age and made a first place win at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 400 metres in the Youth Girls division. She attended A...  50.47 Sanya Richards Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...  50.18		April 2008
Sprint medley relay Sprint Medley Relay The sprint medley relay, often abbreviated SMR, is a track and field event in which teams of four athletes compete over sprinting distances as part of a relay race. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance...	3:34.56	Sherri-Ann Brooks (200 m) Rosemarie Whyte Rosemarie Whyte Rosemarie Whyte is the 2008 Jamaican national 400m champion. She represented Jamaica at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.-References:... (200 m) Moya Thompson 51.7 (400 m) Kenia Sinclair Kenia Sinclair Kenia Sinclair is a Jamaican athlete competing over 800 metres. Kenia first broke onto the international scene in 2005. On June 12 Sinclair broke Inez Turners 10 Year old record to become the 5th Jamaican woman to go under two minutes. Less than a month later Kenia again broke the Jamaican record...  1:57.43 (800 m)		April 2009
Distance medley relay Distance Medley Relay The distance medley relay is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance. A distance medley relay is made up of a 1200 meter leg, or three laps on a standard 400 meter track; a 400 meter leg, or one...	10:48.38	Villanova University Kathy Franey 3:20.9 (1200 m) Michelle Bennet 52.9 (400 m) Celeste Halliday 2:04.7 (800 m) Huber Vicki Vicki is a fictional character played by Maureen O'Brien in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An orphan from the 25th century, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in Seasons 2 and 3 in 1965... 4:29.9 (1600 m)		April 1988

External links

• Penn Relays Home Page