If anyone is familiar with a regular track meet schedule, they know the jist of the order of events – let’s be honest, I’ve been running since middle school and I still don’t know the actual order of events. If you aren’t familiar, just know that the 1600-meter relay (the 4 by 400-meter relay) is typically the last event of the meet. Also, keep in mind that if your team isn’t entered in the relay, you get to leave the meet early. And sometimes leaving early is a lot better than staying at the meet for another 15 minutes. Especially when it is very cold outside…Or raining…Or snowing…

But, for the last three years of my sports career, at least one 1600 meter relay team compete at each meet and usually I was on the women’s relay team in high school and I have been on the relay team a couple times during this season of track. It is the best event honestly (as long as you aren’t the first or second leg). I am all for running 400 meters in lane one, but I am not so keen on running a 400 in lane eight or seven. You see nothing and you have to make sure you stay ahead of everyone else.

But guess what the best part about the 1600 meter relay is... Do you know what it is? It is the fact that everyone is watching you and cheering for you. It is the foundation of a support base and it is nice to have everyone in place cheering for one another.

Typically, during a meet, the team is spread out at throwing events or jumping events or just warming up for their races. At the end, everybody wants to leave, so they are urging you to run faster so they can pack up and go, and typically if it is the end of the meet, all you want to do is pack up and leave as well. So it is a win-win situation.