Track and field is a team sport composed of various individual and team events involving running, jumping and throwing. While there are several events in a track and field meet, one example of a running event are the relays -- an event with four athletes who run a specific distance before transferring a baton. Track and field relay events vary in length, features and race strategy.
Function
Track and field running events are traditionally individual events with the runner competing against the time clock. Relays, however, are designed to combine four athletes from the same team, with each athlete running a specific distance depending on the length of the relay. This requires the team to select the top four athletes and form a race strategy. An example relay race starts with athlete "A," who exchanges to athlete "B" followed by athlete "C" and athlete "D," who finishes the relay race.
Features
All relay races require each team to carry an exchange baton. The baton is a small stick and must be exchanged between teammates within the marked exchange zone. Exchange zones are marked by dots or triangles in each lane. If an exchange occurs outside of the exchange zone, the judge shall disqualify that team. For most relays, the athlete awaiting the baton will start running just outside of the exchange zone as the previous athlete approaches. This technique allows the athlete to reach top speed as the baton exchange occurs within the exchange zone.
Types
Track and field relay races can vary in length based on the individual track meet. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, for example, featured a 400-meter relay -- four athletes running 100 meters -- and a 1,600-meter relay -- for athletes running 400 meters. High school track meets, however, will commonly feature a 3,200-meter relay. Specific relay track meets, such as the Drake Relays, will feature additional relays, such as the sprint and distance medley relays. The sprint relays have two athletes run 100 meters, followed with one athlete running 200 meters and the final athlete running 400 meters. The distance medley relay has two athletes run 200 meters, followed with one athlete running 400 meters and the final athlete running 800 meters.
Considerations
The best relay teams are not always composed of the fastest athletes. Instead, the best relay teams are the teams who have the best race strategy and best baton exchanges. Most teams will strategically place each athlete in a specific order with the top athletes running first and last. This strategy allows the first athlete to get a good start and allows the last athlete to make the best finish possible while catching other teams.
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