Drake Relays

            Each year the best Iowa high school athletes compete in the Drake Relays. Today is the last day to get in your times in order to qualify for Drake. This year we have some runners who are very close to qualifying for Drake but so far yet no one has fast enough times to qualify.

            Qualifying for Drake Relays is based on the athlete’s times. Drake will take only so many of the fastest runners and the fastest relays. In the three thousand meter run those with the fastest twenty-one times will qualify. In the four by one hundred they accept eighty and in the four hundred hurdles they only take eight so each event varies on the number of entrees.

            Last year we had a lot of people qualify for drake. The shuttle hurdle relay qualified as well as the four by eight, the four by one, the sprint medley, the open eight hundred and two three thousand runners as well as some runners in a few more events. But this year we have yet to have anybody with a guaranteed spot in the Drake Relays and tonight is the last chance for them to qualify. We have a few relays that are really close to qualifying and only need to drop about one second and there are also a few individual events that we have runners who are also very close to qualifying.

 My sister has a really good chance to qualify tonight. She qualified last year but has yet to qualify this year because she can’t really pace herself very well and in the meets we have had so far there hasn’t been a lot of competition and she was able to win easily. It has also been windy and cold which makes it more difficult to qualify. Tonight it may be a little cold but my sister will have a lot of competition to help push her. There are about eight girls that have run faster times than her this year at this meet who also are wanting to qualify and so if she is able to compete with them she may be able to run a fast enough time that will allow her to qualify. 

Drake relays is harder to qualify for than state because state is separated by the class, 4a or 3a etc. but for the Drake Relays it doesn’t matter what class your high school is, anyone form any school can compete. Hopefully we can have some runners qualify tonight for drake but if not we still have a better chance at qualifying in more events for state track. (437)