Relays - I am continually baffled

[Wallaby]

Once again a major team has had a relay malfunction. Not just any team - this is the British team less than one month out from their home olympics. Oh well, accidents happen when two people running at 40ks try and pass a small piece of tin. But here is a picture.

Now I have coached U9 relays - if I saw that, I would take the outgoing runner aside and remind them 'Remember what we discussed on Day 1? The baton goes down the middle of the lane. If you are receiving or running with the baton in your left hand, you run down the outside of your lane'.

What is Chambers doing right over on the inside - making it almost impossible for his team-mate to even reach his hand? I see that GB have employed a 'Sports Motion Scientist' or something toperfect their relays - he can't do much when blokes can't even run to the right spot.

There is some relay drops in every race - but the number that you see caused by basic, simple errors is astonishing. It's primarily because athletics tends to be an individual sport, and so people don't get together to practise (although that's still no excuse for Chambers in this case). It doesn't help when Malcolm 'Takes Full responsibility' when it's not his fault.

It's a shame, because having watched athletics for years, the most exciting events are relays. Relay Days are a fantastic competition.

 

[SJ]

Relays are good. I like the fact that there is a decent chance the favourites may not even finish.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Relays are good. I like the fact that there is a decent chance the favourites may not even finish.

Yeah, and the amount of times it's happened to US relay teams at the Olympics or World champs is laughable. I remember running in relays as an U12 & it not being the issue it seems to be for the pros.

 

[The Passenger]

as an aside am i the only one who would like to see a couple of additional relays added into the mix.

i reckon one that would be an epic event:

3 x 1200. but not running 1200 straight out. the 3 blokes run in 200 metre blocks, they start with 2 guys at the start/finish line. one takes off, switches with the third bloke at the 200m mark, who takes off and meets the other guy back at the start/finish and it goes on like that.

so it's a repeated sprint relay event. not sure if it would suit 400m or 800m runner more.

maybe it's just me trying to invent some excitement where there actually isn't to be had??

 

[Wallaby]

as an aside am i the only one who would like to see a couple of additional relays added into the mix.

i reckon one that would be an epic event:

3 x 1200. but not running 1200 straight out. the 3 blokes run in 200 metre blocks, they start with 2 guys at the start/finish line. one takes off, switches with the third bloke at the 200m mark, who takes off and meets the other guy back at the start/finish and it goes on like that.

so it's a repeated sprint relay event. not sure if it would suit 400m or 800m runner more.

maybe it's just me trying to invent some excitement where there actually isn't to be had??

I love relays.

I've been saying for years, that to get more kids into athletics (and i am a Little Aths coach) they need more interesting team events. At the moment, Little aths consists of kids running over the same distances as the olympians (very litlle kids don't run further than 400-600, and don't get to 1500s until U11). There is a relay comp, but that is only rubn at a centre level - ie there are only 2 relay comps per year (regional qualifiers and State finals). They run 4x1, 4x2 and medleys (100,100,200,400). If you've never seen a good 4x2 , well.............

I would love to see more relays for the kids, and I think at a senior level it would be great as well. At the US colleges and High Schools they run a lot of relay days and they are very popular (the Penn State Relays are a huge event). The Swedish relay is a popular variant (100,200,300,400) - and sometimes you can run it any order you choose.

But you can also run 'sport combination' relays - it's all about getting people on your team. You can have a shot-put competition, a triple jump, and a sprint or hurdles and add up points (maybe use decathlon scoring tables). Maybe every team member has to do one sprint, one jump and one throw - but all events have to be covered so you have to spread your resources. So it's a 'Team decathlon' similar to how they do Team Triathlons.

There is just more opportunities to make athletics a more popular event.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

The only thing that baffles or baffled me about relays is how Carl Lewis wasn't selected to run the anchor leg for the 4 x 100m at every Olympics he competed in. During his career I don't think there was a more devastating runner when they had a moving start, he would just motor home over the top of everyone.

(yes I know the USA has their selection policies)

 

[Crimson Azure]

The only thing that baffles or baffled me about relays is how Carl Lewis wasn't selected to run the anchor leg for the 4 x 100m at every Olympics he competed in. During his career I don't think there was a more devastating runner when they had a moving start, he would just motor home over the top of everyone.

(yes I know the USA has their selection policies)

I'm pretty sure he did in '92 when, despite being the fastest person in the world he was sick during the US team trials & was only selected to run the 4x100 despite being in sensational form and breaking the world record less than a year earlier. He destroyed everyone else on the last leg & it was suggested he was running quicker times then the mens 100 meter final winner.

For the record he also ran the anchor leg in '84. '88 they weren't in the event & '96 he only competed in the long jump.

Agree though, once he was in motion you couldn't catch him.

 

[Wallaby]

The only thing that baffles or baffled me about relays is how Carl Lewis wasn't selected to run the anchor leg for the 4 x 100m at every Olympics he competed in. During his career I don't think there was a more devastating runner when they had a moving start, he would just motor home over the top of everyone.

(yes I know the USA has their selection policies)

He was good - but the fastest anchor leg seems to have been Powell's in Beijing in 2008 (this is all based on super slo-mo analysis by the USTAF High Performance Registered Split Analysis team. He ran 8.70. Bolt ran 8.71 at the US Penn Relays in 2010 (sorry - don't know his time from the 2011 WC).
Lewis's fastest leg seems to have been in '92 when he was measured at 8.85. In 84, he ran 8.94 (although there is serious doubt about how accurate the maeasurements were back then). Both leweis and bolt were not 'ideal' anchor legs because they carry the baton in the right hand which necessitates a wsap of hands in the first couple of strides - probably robbing them of a couple of hundredths. But Lewis had to run 2 or 4 - he was a relatively poor bend-runner - had a great top speed.
Here is a video of the 'Legendary' 1964 relay where Bob hayes suppoasedly ran the fastest leg of all time (unfortunately it goes to slo-mo just at the time you don't want it to). he destroys the field on the last leg.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

There are some splits here - not all - for the best 4 x 100m times.

http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m4x100ok.htm

According to this site
Daego 2011 no splits relay time - 37.04
Powell Beijing 2008 8.70 --------- 37.10
Powell Berlin 2009 8.73 ---------- 37.31
Lewis Barcelona 1992 8.85 ---.--- 37.40
Burell Stuttgart 1993 8.92-------- 37.40

These are the 5 fastest times. This site confirms Lewis' 8.94 at 84 Olympics and 37.83 is equal 33rd best relay time.

Below is a cut and paste of times where at least split of the last runner is provided and he has gone under 9.00

8      37.48      United States                      1          Stuttgart                  22.08.1993
 
                          Jon Drummond                        (10.44)    09.09.68                    USA
                          Andre Cason                        (8.96)    20.01.69                    USA
                          Dennis Mitchell                    (9.43)    20.02.66                    USA
                          Leroy Burrell                      (8.92)    21.02.67                    USA
 
10    37.59      United States                      1          Sevilla                    29.08.1999
 
                          Jon Drummond                                  09.09.68                    USA
                          Tim Montgomery                                28.01.75                    USA
                          Brian Lewis                                    05.12.74                    USA
                          Maurice Greene                      (8.94)    23.07.74                    USA
 
13    37.62      Trinidad & Tobago                  2          Berlin                      22.08.2009
 
                          Darrel Brown                        (10.63)    11.10.84                    TRI
                          Marc Burns                          (9.06)    07.01.83                    TRI
                          Emmanuel Callander                  (9.38)    10.05.84                    TRI
                          Richard Thompson                    (8.94)    07.06.85                    TRI
 
16    37.69      Canada                            1          Atlanta                    03.08.1996
 
                          Robert Esmie                        (10.47)    05.07.72                    CAN
                          Glenroy Gilbert                    (9.02)    31.08.68                    CAN
                          Bruny Surin                        (9.25)    12.07.67                    CAN
                          Donovan Bailey                      (8.95)    16.12.67                    CAN
 
33    37.83      United States                      1          Los Angeles                11.08.1984
 
                          Sam Graddy                          (10.29)    10.02.64                    USA
                          Ron Brown                          (9.19)    31.03.61                    USA
                          Calvin Smith                        (9.41)    08.01.61                    USA
                          Carl Lewis                          (8.94)    01.07.61                    USA
 
36    37.86      United States                      1          Helsinki                    10.08.1983
 
                          Emmit King                                    24.03.59                    USA
                          Willie Gault                                  05.09.60                    USA
                          Calvin Smith                                  08.01.61                    USA
                          Carl Lewis                          (8.98)    01.07.61                    USA
 
        36    37.86      Canada                            1          Athínai                    10.08.1997
 
                          Robert Esmie                                  05.07.72                    CAN
                          Glenroy Gilbert                                31.08.68                    CAN
                          Bruny Surin                                    12.07.67                    CAN
                          Donovan Bailey                      (8.94)    16.12.67                    CAN
 
40    37.89      Jamaica                            2          Osaka                      01.09.2007
 
                          Marvin Anderson                    (10.60)    12.05.82                    JAM
                          Usain Bolt                          (9.05)    21.08.86                    JAM
                          Nesta Carter                        (9.40)    10.11.85                    JAM
                          Asafa Powell                        (8.84)    23.11.82                    JAM
 
        42    37.90      United States                      1          Roma                        06.09.1987
 
                          Lee McRae                                      23.01.66                    USA
                          Lee McNeill                                    02.12.64                    USA
                          Harvey Glance                                  28.03.57                    USA
                          Carl Lewis                          (8.86)    01.07.61                    USA
 
42    37.90      Jamaica - Gold                    1rA        Philadelphia                24.04.2010
 
                          Mario Forsythe                                30.10.85                    JAM
                          Yohan Blake                                    26.12.89                    JAM
                          Michael Anderson                              10.12.67                    JAM
                          Usain Bolt                          (8.79)    21.08.86                    JAM
 
55    37.96      United States                      1s2        Atlanta                    02.08.1996
 
                          Jon Drummond                        (10.54)    09.09.68                    USA
                          Tim Harden                          (9.16)    27.01.74                    USA
                          Tim Montgomery                      (9.28)    28.01.75                    USA
                          Dennis Mitchell                    (8.98)    20.02.66                    USA
 
85    38.06      United States                      1          Saint-Denis                31.08.2003
 
                          John Capel                          (10.29)    27.11.78                    USA
                          Bernard Williams                    (8.91)    19.01.78                    USA
                          Darvis Patton                      (9.46)    04.12.77                    USA
                          Joshua J. Johnson                  (8.95)    10.05.76                    USA

 

[Crimson Azure]

Could Bolt, Blake, Powell & Frater/Carter could the Jamaica team break the 37 second mark? That will be one to watch.

 

[TheGreatBambino]

Probably my favourite event o watch...anything can & will happen.
A well drilled squad of average runners can do extremely well in this event.
The last change in the video below is a classic example.

 

[iluvparis]

The Swedish relay (1-2-3-4) would be a hoot at the Olympics I reckon - especially with random ordering. Imagine the sight of a 100m runner trying to mow down a team that has left the 400m runner until last! Would be an amazing sight to see!