Drake Relays are ‘back on track’ this week

This is one of my favorite times of year.

Yes, the grass is getting greener and the temperature, finally, appears to be going in the right direction most days.

That makes this a special time of the year, for sure.

But this is Drake Relays week and, for the first time since 2019, it’s a “normal” Drake Relays that will be held at Drake Stadium on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

There will be middle school athletes, high school standouts, college and university stars and, of course, Olympians and professional competitors.

That is something we can — and should — all celebrate once again.

Blake Boldon, the director of the Drake Relays since 2017, said he’s learned many things the past couple of years, from having the 2020 meet wiped out by COVID-19 to the altered schedule of 2021.

“In no way, shape, form or fashion do we want to relive the last two years,” he said during a recent swing through Cedar Rapids.

One valuable lesson those two years provided, though, was one he probably knew at some level, from his days as a high school and collegiate runner. He learned exactly what the Drake Relays mean to each athlete, each coach, each parent or each track fan.

You see, to the high school athletes, coaches and parents, this is a wonderful high school meet, an “open” state meet of sorts where a Class 1A star can battle and beat 4A standouts.

It’s a college meet for those at Coe, Cornell, Mount Mercy and Luther, among many others, and a university meet for those from Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, Drake and beyond our borders. It’s a season-opener with great, appreciative and knowledgeable fans, along with outstanding competition, to the pros.

It’s a mile road race for elite competitors and everyday runners. It’s a 5K, 10K and half-marathon to road runners of all ages.

And to track and field fans from this state and beyond, it’s the greatest show on earth.

Boldon said “it’s impossible to be all things to all people, but we try ... (and) we do a pretty good job of it for a week each year in April.”

And now it’s “back on track” — the theme for this year’s event — and Boldon is excited, which is so much better than the anxiety he felt the previous two springs.

“It’s hard to capture,” he said. “This year will be, not without challenges ... but this year feels a lot more normal, a lot more routine.”

This year’s three-ring circus of a track and field meet will showcase the decathlon and heptathlon for the first time since 2019. The University of Iowa is back for the first time in three years and, thanks for Coach Joey Woody, the Hawkeyes are among the elite in the Big Ten now. Iowa State and UNI also boast programs on the rise.

Michigan is back with a full team for the first time since 1957.

The high school competition will again be spread out over three days — instead of last year’s one-day meet — meaning young runners, throwers and jumpers will take the track minutes before (or after) some of the best in the world perform.

There are more Paralympic events than ever before, meaning high school wheelchair athletes will see “an international career” is possible, Boldon said.

And there will be Olympians galore — from world record holder Ryan Crouser in the shot put to North Carolina AT&T’s two-time NCAA champion Randolph Ross in the 400-meter dash, from a women’s 100 hurdle race that features 2021 gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, three-time World champion Nia Ali and three-time Great Britain champ Cindy Sember to a men’s 400 hurdles race with bronze medalist Alison Dos Santos from Brazil and Algeria national record-holder and seven-time national titlist Abdelmarik Lahoulou.

The list goes on and on.

This is a special week, a special event for Des Moines, for the state of Iowa.

And it’s “back on track.”

“The biggest effort we’ve made is returning to 2019 form,” Boldon said.

Now if only the weather cooperates.

Comments: (319) 398-8461; jr.ogden@thegazette.com