In Iowa, the end of April is the most exciting time of the year for track athletes. Through the April 27-29, the 108th Drake Relays will take place in Des Moines. The Drake Relays is the premier spring track event for high school, college, and professional athletes in the midwest. In addition to the Penn and Florida Relays, Drake Relays is the meet to be at in Track and Field in the midwest. In addition to the opportunity to watch Olympians run, the Drake Relays offer the opportunity for high school students to qualify and race at Drake Stadium.

However, getting to the relays is a whole other story. Entries are limited and the competition to qualify gets faster and faster as the relays approach. Typically, for both individuals and relays, the top 16 or 21 athletes are accepted, except for the 4×100 meter relay, in which Drake allows 80 teams to qualify. Other than the 4×100 meter relay, it can get extremely tough to qualify. There are also some events that are not run at the Drake Relays, such as the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter dash. Cutoffs for events are subject to change over the next two weeks, but athletes at Pleasant Valley are up for the challenge. Addie Swanson, senior, identified what the Drake Relays mean to her. She said, “Drake is so exciting because of the diverse competition you get to run against, and the overall atmosphere creates such a fun environment. Winning a flag at the Drake Relays is a memory no runner would ever forget.”

Currently, the Pleasant Valley Girls’ Track and Field team is in prime position for qualifying in a few events. The team has several relays and individuals set up for the relays. As of now, the qualified relays include the 4×100 meter, 4×200 meter, and the Sprint Medley. Individuals for the girls team include Amaria Kirby, junior, (100 meter), Swanson (400 meter), Ellie Spelhaug, junior, (100 meter hurdles), and Carli Spelhaug, sophomore, (Long Jump). Typically, coaches are more focused on getting their relays qualified before letting individuals let loose.

The Pleasant Valley Boys’ Track and Field team is eyeing many spots on the Drake roster as well. The following relays are currently qualified for the Drake Relays: 4×100 meter, 4×200 meters, 4×400 meter, 4×800 meter, and Sprint Medley. Individuals include Ben Gorman, senior, (800 meter) and Konnor Sommer, junior, (1600 meter). Terry Saul, senior, is excited about the boys’ team’s chances at Drake. He said, “I believe our team has a lot of potential; we just have to capitalize in the big events to show the rest of the state that we are a team to recognize.”

There are still two weeks left to qualify for the Drake Relays. The final two weeks will be a push statewide to qualify for the historical relays. The three day trip to Des Moines is always filled with countless memories and races that are a track athlete’s dream. Times and qualifiers will be updated as they happen.