Relays

Relays: They can either be your favorite part of track or the thing you dread most. When it comes to relays, there's only 2 sprinting relays and 2 distance relays. For sprints there's the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x200 meter relay. The other 2 distance relays are the 4x400 meter relay and the 4x800 meter relay. What's true for all relays is the fact that any individual running a leg of the relay usually runs a faster split rather than an open event time. For example Someone could run a 4x800 split of 2:08 minutes and only be able to run an open 800 meter run time of 2:11. The only exception to that though is Max Stebbins, who oddly ran a faster 800 split during the mile than his split for the 4x800.

 When people wonder why they run faster in relays there's usually two major theories. The first theory is you run faster because 3 other guys on your relay are counting on you to do your best. So that pressure subconsciously affects your endurance and your drive during your leg of the race. The other theory is that instead of starting and ending at the finish line you receive and give hand-offs in a designate lane portion which can range anywhere from in front of the the finish line to 10 meter ahead of the finish line. The hand-off lane varies on what relay you're in. In my opinion I believe that the first theory is more accurate. In my case always feel excited or even anxious before every relay because I'm afraid I'll lose it for us or do the worst out of the other 3 people in your relay. Also when the stakes get higher and higher the thought of Winning a relay or placing really well motivates you and subconsciously gets you moving faster. 

When it comes to hating or loving something in track (which is a reoccurring theme) Most people tend to like relays more than individual events because for an individual event you need to rely on your skills alone and talent to win. On a relay, however, you don't need 4 superstar athletes. A relay of 4 decent kids could beat a relay with 1 great runner and 3 bad runners because it's more about having 4 guys who run consistent times and times that are all about the same. If your team is inconsistent you could run a really good race one day and do completely awful the next time you run. For those who hate these relays it's probably because they tire you out so quickly that you can't recover for your individual events. I can't remember how many times I've gotten a persistent cough from running the 4x800 just one time. 

For the most part relays are a good way for kids to bond and share success as a team, or sometimes get really mad at one kid for blowing the race and having the complete opposite effect. It's really all up to chance and dedication to determine how good a relay will be.