This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the Drake Relays, the annual track-and-field competition which takes place at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The relays--the third leg of the Texas Relays, Kansas Relays, Drake Relays series of meets--has long been a huge success in this town of 200,000.
The New York Times offered the attached (link below) description of what this highly acclaimed event means to Des Moines and why it has succeeded. Unlike the Texas and Kansas versions, which take place in much larger stadia, the Drake version exists at a 14,500 seat venue. And, it's that smaller, homey flavor, and the way the city embraces the relays, which makes this a special weekend each late April in Iowa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/sports/othersports/24drake.html?_r=1&ref=sports
It's the 100 year anniversary. I wanted to go, but couldn't swing it. I have tons of friends there. All sampling the local dive bars vs. attending races. Our favorite saying used to be "Hey, did you know there are races going on this weekend?"
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