With 18,000 athletes expected to compete across three days of action, The Penn Relays, at least in terms of participants, can lay claim to be the world’s biggest annual athletics event. SPIKES offers ten reasons why the event, which starts on Thursday 25th April, is such an overwhelming success.

1. History makers

First run in 1895, the event is the oldest uninterrupted collegiate meet in the US. Relays took place before the advent of this event but there is little doubt that the concept took place and flourished because of the Penn Relays.

The meet is also credited with providing the genesis of the relay exchange zone, as well as the use of a loudspeaker replacing the megaphone to inform the crowd.

2. Spirit of the relay

Relays are at the very heart of the meeting, and this provides its enduring charm and appeal. As Penn Relays meet director Dave Johnson says: “It brings a different level of crowd response, because you are rooting for an entire team rather than just an individual.

“You are supporting a particular country or school, and this brings a heightened sense of awareness and more energy.”

3. Big crowd

Around 110,000 people are expected across three days of action at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field, where the capacity is a little over 52,000. With 45,000 expected on the Saturday, the third and final day, the Penn Relays is consistently among the best attended annual athletics events on the planet. 

“We have created an event whereby parents bring their children, children then bring their children and we create a family event,” says Johnson. “It also becomes an annual reunion for people who went to school and ran together.”

Day and night: Thursday racing starts at 10am and finishes around 11pm

4. P-A-R-T-Y

The city of Philadelphia embraces the event, even if some people chose to just enjoy one of the many post-meet parties scattered across the city.

“Some people never even see the stadium,” says Johnson. “They just attend the parties. Almost every small bar is hosting some party for a group and friends. There are little pockets of Penn Relays-related activities all over the place.”

5. Athletics athletics athletics

If you like your athletics, then no event compares with the Penn Relays. Some 430 races are run across three days, with the first day schedule opening at 10am and ending close to midnight.

For early birds and race walking devotees, the final day opens with the walks at 7am and concludes at 6pm: with the grandly named College Men’s 4x400m Championship of America. Manna from heaven for track fans everywhere.

6. Inter-generation game

Competitions for middle and high school kids, college athletes, elite athletes and even masters make the Penn Relays an event for all ages.

“Olympic champions are rubbing shoulders with high school kids, and the thrill people can get from this is incalculable,” says Johnson. “The chance for a 17 or 18-year-old kid to run in front of 35,000 or 40,000 people is amazing. When are most of them ever going to get to chance to do that in their lives again?”

7. Star names

The event has attracted a cast list of all-time greats, like Jim Thorpe, Paavo Nurmi, Jesse Owens, Roger Bannister and Carl Lewis. Since 2000 the USA v Rest of the World concept has been introduced, with Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix and Sanya-Richards Ross all competing in the historic three-day event, which always concludes on the last Saturday in April.

8. Star names of tomorrow

The Penn Relays have helped launch the career of sprinters like world  champion Yohan Blake, who competed as a high school athlete. Johnson, who has been director of the meeting since 1996, says that Blake featured in his favourite ever Penn Relays race back in 2007.

“It was the High School boys 4x400m and he anchored for St Jago with Bryshon Nellum anchoring for Long Beach Poly. There was four teams in the race and each one of them, at one time or another, took the lead.

"I think they both ran 45.2 [relays legs], with Poly prevailing. We have a great loudspeaker system but from the first turn of the race you could not hear the PA. The crowd noise was ongoing for more than three minutes.”

9. Global flavour 

For this year’s event, teams are entered from 35 US states and more than 10 nations will be sending collegiate and high school teams. Taking into consideration athletes who will compete for the ‘Rest of the World’ team, and foreign students competing for US colleges, Johnson says, “We expect athletes from between three to four dozen nations will feature in the 2013 Penn Relays.”

10. TV coverage

The small screen embraces the event, with NBC TV showing live coverage of the final day of the event between 1-3pm, with NBC Universal showing continued coverage from 3-5pm. The Penn Relays website also show live web streaming on a pay-per-view basis.