For Iowa and/or Midwestern runners, the Drake Relays are the humdinger of the outdoor season.

“Drake Relays, what can I say? When the bottoms of your spikes turn that Drake Relays blue, and you hear The Voice of the Drake Relays say his famous line over the loudspeaker, ‘Everybody sits, everybody sees,’ and you realize you are running in front of a sold-out stadium with the best athletes in the Midwest — you know Drake Relays is the best track meet ever,” said Iowa State trackster Erin Bresnan.

As a mediocre high school runner who lived on the eastern side of the state, I knew little about the Relays except through spunky Indianola runner Bresnan. Through her friendship, which led to friendships with other Indianola runners, ISU coaches and athletes, I have become better acquainted with the significance of the meet in the life of the state’s “faster tracksters.”

Up until the opening day, talk of the Relays is heard at track practices across Iowa. I imagine the pre-qualification conversations being somewhat like this: “I hope I make it to Drake! Gotta train hard for Drake.” Once athletes are accepted or denied a slot in the meet, pre-meet conversations would be as follows: “I made it to Drake!” Or a tearful, “This sucks. I didn’t make it to Drake. I am not worthy of the blue track.”

Then, after the races are over, I imagine people spend the rest of the post-Drake season talking about Drake (even though their focus may also be shared with the state meet). People would say, “I sucked it up at Drake!” or “Woohoo! We won the 4×800 and got our picture in the Register.” “Next year at Drake…” And so on.

All the hoopla surrounding this 88 year-old tradition is certainly appropriate, not only because it is older than we are (respect thy elders), but because of the much-deserved attention it gives to the sport of track and field. Meanwhile, it spotlights the sport in a classy fashion.

But the Drake Relays didn’t have the classiest or most exciting start. The meet was born in a 1910 blizzard, featuring 100 athletes and an equal number of spectators. Not too impressive.

But today, the Drake Relays competition features more than 8,000 athletes of prep, collegiate and professional caliber who meet exceptional, yet attainable, standards. To add to the competitive charisma, supplied by the strict competition, 18,000 (on a sell-out day) adoring spectators flock to the blue track to see the show.

The meet accommodates all runners who qualify. You make the time, you make the meet. No number restrictions. There are events for 40-year-old men who clock masters’ times, and there are fast heats for gold-medal owners. Like I said, if you register the right time, you are worthy to trot on the blue track.

Eric Bergman, a runner who attends St. Olaf and ran for Indianola High School, said he remembers putting forth “every ounce of energy” to be part of the premier festivities. And fate allowed him to watch an Olympian race.

“I remember it being such a thrill in high school to go compete in the same meet as Carl Lewis,” Bergman said.

Winner of two gold medals in the 1996 Olympics, Michael Johnson, attended the 1997 show. This year, four-time Olympian Mary Slaney will run the 1,500 and national stand-out Suzy Hamilton will compete in the half-mile.

The Des Moines meet is one of the only competitions of its kind in the United States. Unlike the state meet, it allows high schoolers to run against the best of the best without the barriers of classes. And it mixes collegiates with pros.

Simeon Wright of the Cyclone cross country and track teams said, “It’s a chance to compete and mingle with the best in the country; it’s also a chance to watch the top athletes in college and beyond.”

Randy Thompson, LuVerne, Iowa native and ISU sprinter, said, “It is an Iowa thing where you get a lot of media coverage, which is unlike track. People who don’ t usually get to see you run go [get to] because everyone and their dog is at the meet. Obviously, the crowd and the competition are the very best that our sport has to offer.”

The supportive and enthusiastic crowd certainly plays a important role in the character of the meet, affecting performances and impacting the feel of the stadium.

Sure, anything can happen at any meet, and anything can happen at this one. But whatever happens at this one, it happens in front of thousands and thousand of track fans.

ISU Women’s Track Coach Dick Lee appropriately described it as having an electric quality.

“When you put 20,000 plus people in the stands and on the track, it generates a lot of excitement, and there are good quality athletes there. You put them in an environment of that electricity, and they are going to run fast,” Lee said.

Zap!

Bergman and Bresnan agreed that the crowd has an impact on the performing athletes.

“When I think of Drake, the first thought that comes to mind is the people,” Bergman said. “When you fill a stadium with people who love to watch great track and field events, you can’t help but remember the atmosphere. If you experience the people just once, you’ll never forget them.”

Bresnan said, “I’d say this is the meet where crowd support has the biggest effect on my race.”

Ron McEachran, the jump coach for the Cyclones, has attended the Drake Relays as a competitor or coach for the past 27 years. He said the meet is “a great opportunity for great performances.”

And so it is again time to go down to the blue track and be a part of the spectacular meet. Zap! The humdinger is here.

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Amanda Fier is a senior in journalism and mass communication and French from Davenport.