Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Arch Champs 4x200 & other details

The 4x200 is a new event this year for the Archdiocesan track & field program and will hopefully be an exciting conclusion to the meet!

At Franklin Field, the 4x200 is run entirely in lanes (a four turn stagger). It begins and ends from the Northwest start finish/line (similar to the 4x100).

There are a number of markings on the track which might confuse your runners. Officials will be at each zone to inform the runners where they must receive the baton and which exchange zone they are receiving in. Each runner is permitted to use the 10 meter fly zone but must receive the baton within the 20 meter exchange zone, same as in the 4x100.

The stadium is open to competitors beginning at 8:15am and the track will be cleared at 9am. Jumpers are not permitted to practice on the long jump runway or the high jump area before the competition has commenced.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to find out the 4 x 200 will be ran entirely in lanes , since Area D has not ran it this way all year I would think if seatd in lanes 8-9 (even with the 4 tun stagger)your odds of winning are slim !

Tim from St. Thomas said...

Any idea where I can find the schedule fo events for 5/30? The link you provided downloadsd a zip file with an access database that requires a password. Thanks, by the way, for all the great info on your blog! Nice job!

Terry O'Connell said...

I doubt that anyone could have run the 4x2 in lanes during the season because most hs tracks are not marked for that. 8 + 9 are the 3rd and 4th best lanes at penn because lane 5 is 400 meter even lane at penn. (4,3,2,and 1 are all less than 400m around.

I will fix the time schedule link when I get home. The time schedule in the track packet is essentially correct.

Tim from St. Thomas said...

Terry- I didn't realize the schedule was in the 2009 Packet. Got it, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Exactly. 4,3,2, and 1 lanes are less then 400m, wouldnt that make them the better lanes? so I would say that 8 and 9 lanes are not the 3rd and 4th best lanes on Penns track. Where would the start of lane 9 be, half way around the track? You do not run the 800m run this way, why would the 4x2?

Anonymous said...

What is the rationale for running in lanes for the 4x200?

Terry O'Connell said...
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Terry O'Connell said...

while the lanes in 4,3,2,1 are not 400 meters around, everyone still runs the same distance. So the first runners in 4-1 will actually line up behind the common start finish, and will have run much tighter turns than on the outside lanes.

we run the 4x200 in lanes at Arch Champs for a couple of reasons:

1.) as the 4x200 is a sprint relay, it is preferable to have the hand-offs exchange in lanes. this allows for quicker cleaner hand-offs at higher speeds, thus producing better times. This is why the IAAF, the international governing body for track & field, recommends running the 4x200 in lanes whenever possible.

2.) At Penn, as we have already explained, the interior lanes (1-4) are less than 400 m. If we were to run the 4x200 on a 2 turn stagger, with the 3rd runners breaking in, the runners in 1-4 would have to break left - right, and the runners in 6-9 right - left into lane 5 (as that is the true 400m lane). Besides being extremely confusing for our young runners, this is a safety risk and management nightmare.

minimattman12 said...
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Terry O'Connell said...

No they will be for sale saturday. They are pretty sharp and all the proceeds benefit cyo track. Buy one and support your athletes!