If someone were to start talking about a track meet in the middle of Iowa, many people would probably expect a small youth event with a few hundred family members watching for a few hours. However, this is not the case for the Drake Relays. University of Northern Iowa Sophomore Chase Lauman experienced this magic first-hand when he ran for Pella High School, where he competed in multiple Drake Relays and won numerous state championships for the Dutch.
“The main thing is obviously the good competition but the environment is like no other, really most track meets will never have anything like the Drake Relays because there’s thousands of kids there so thousands of parents and also just people who love track and field too, so there’s just so many people there yelling at you supporting you,” said University of Northern Iowa sophomore Chase Lauman.
As Lauman mentioned, the Drake Relays are very different from most track meets. Unlike the state track meet, the Drake Relays is not divided by class, so athletes can compete against the best competition in the entire state.
“Especially being in 3A you get to see people from class 4A and all different classes that are also just really good,” said Lauman.
Lauman’s most memorable moment from the Drake Relays was his senior year victory in the 3200 meter run. “That was just really cool and I knew I could do it but there’s always a lot of really good competition there so it’s never easy to do it,” said Lauman.
Ankeny Girls’ assistant track coach Laura Jumper also has fond memories of the meet, as she ran for the Hawks in high school.
“I have a lot of memories when it comes to running at the Drake Relays, just with the professional athletes and some of the big-time collegiate athletes that were there. And getting to compete against all classes because state is fun and it’s great, but you don’t get to compete against all classes [at state],” said Jumper.
Jumper competed for Ankeny in the Drake Relays during the 90s and came back to coach her hometown team with her husband, TJ Jumper. The biggest track meet of the year is the state meet, but Drake is a close second because it helps to prepare athletes to perform in what may be a stressful environment.
“It’s really how do we perform at a high level under stressful situations and I think that helps our athletes as they get older because they learn what’s gonna work for them and what’s not gonna work for them. Even if we don’t perform the way we want to we’re still learning from it,” said head Ankeny girls’ track coach TJ Jumper.
Competing at the Drake Relays is not easy. Qualifying is difficult, as athletes must meet the ‘Blue Standard’ or have one of the top 16 times in the state. The Relays also draw in thousands of fans, so the environment is unmatched.
“With that many people there watching and cheering you on it’s just really scary and you want to go out and perform so you don’t want to disappoint, so it was definitely very nerve-racking for me and took some time to really get used to,” said Lauman.
The Relays are important for high school athletes because it gives them an opportunity to participate at a high level before the state meet.
“We are very special in the state of Iowa that we get two meets like this, we get the state meet and we get Drake Relays, and there’s not a lot of states where kids get this caliber of a meet in the season,” said Laura Jumper.
The Relays are intense, but a very special experience for those who are able to run.