Jus' thinkin
Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 10:43PM Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Create distance races that are a specific distance but allow teams to compete and pass the baton at whatever distance the team decides.

For example: You have a 1 mile race but allowed a certain number of people on the team. The number could be 2,3,4,5 etc... But, the number of people on each team is required to be the same amongst all teams.

It brings strategy into racing and creates more excitement.

Thoughts?
the average male runner
RE: Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 10:53PM - in reply to Jus' thinkin Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
A mile relay with as many people as you want would just be a 16 x 100 (and an extra 9.344 meters).
Bertrand Russell
RE: Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 11:03PM - in reply to the average male runner Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

the average male runner wrote:

A mile relay with as many people as you want would just be a 16 x 100 (and an extra 9.344 meters).


That's only if a team has 16 people who are equally fast, which most teams don't.
I don't get it
RE: Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 11:05PM - in reply to the average male runner Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

the average male runner wrote:

A mile relay with as many people as you want would just be a 16 x 100 (and an extra 9.344 meters).


That doesn't make any sense. All sprinters run a faster average pace for the 200m than the 100m. So why would they run 16X100m instead of 8X200m in this situation?
Jus' thinkin
RE: Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 11:23PM - in reply to I don't get it Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
There's so much more to it than it seems. Where on earth would you find 8 or 16 people that could form a team to compete equally? That's where strategy comes in to play and creates excitement. If you made it a mile race with 5 mandatory baton passes, how would you structure it? Well, that depends on who you have on your team. Heck, you could even mandate the amount of baton passes but not the amount of people. So, in theory, a person could run twice.

This could be done at the High School, College and World level and I think would really inject some well needed excitement.
The sea yields to knowledge
RE: Bring excitement back to track! 4/28/2012 11:30PM - in reply to I don't get it Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

I don't get it wrote:

[quote]the average male runner wrote:

A mile relay with as many people as you want would just be a 16 x 100 (and an extra 9.344 meters).


That doesn't make any sense. All sprinters run a faster average pace for the 200m than the 100m. So why would they run 16X100m instead of 8X200m in this situation?[/quote]

You get a running start on a relay, so that advantage goes away. The 4x100 world record was run at a faster pace than the 4x200 record. The 4x100 record was done with faster runners, but it's enough faster that I don't think a change in personnel would matter.