Friday has a bit of everything. College hurdles kick off the day at 9:00 a.m. with grade school races leading up to the women’s 4x100-meter championship at 1:00 p.m. College and masters men’s races highlight the afternoon while sprint and distance medley relays are in primetime on Friday night. There are 15 different field events on the day.
The carnival concludes on Saturday as some of the event’s highest-profile athletes take center stage. High school boys’ races take up the bulk of the morning and serve as appetizers for the men’s and women’s USA vs. the World 4x100, sprint medley, and 4x400 races.
Uwaifo and West will be in the infield competing as some of the world’s fastest runners compete in USA vs. the World.These six races consist of relay teams from the United States going up against some of the world’s fastest sprinters. Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix are just two of the many Olympians and world champions to have run in a USA vs. the World race.
“I place a high premium on history, on almost even showmanship,” West said. “I’m incredibly excited about it and nothing is lost to me in regards to the history and importance of this meet. I’m very excited to have a stadium full of people, an experience you’ll never have otherwise.”
The 123rd running of the Penn Relays will have an added twist. The NFL Draft, which is being held in Philadelphia for the first time on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, will shut down the city’s Ben Franklin Parkway for the weekend.
As the Cleveland Browns are making their second round draft pick Friday night, the men’s masters 4x400-meter relay will be taking place a mere 1.6 miles away. Over 300,000 visitors are expected to be in town for the two major events this weekend.
While few football fans will have a hard time deciding where to turn their attention, the logistical nightmare will come for the brave souls trying to go anywhere remotely near downtown. Public transportation and hotels will be more packed than a Wawa at two in the morning. Just ask the Miami Marlins. The team, in town for a three-game set with the Phillies, had to stay in Wilmington, Del., after the NFL booked all of Philadelphia’s luxury hotels.
While ESPN will have its cameras on Center City for the first time, runners, jumpers, throwers, and track fans everywhere will be glued to one of Philadelphia and the track community’s favorite pastimes.
—Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at stephen.gleason@thecrimson.com.