Drake Relays

The Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom is one of the biggest events of the year on the Drake campus. Every year, more than 5,000 track and field competitors and 40,000 fans pass through the gates of Drake Stadium to be part of a 113th-year tradition known as ‘America’s Athletic Classic.’

In addition to those athletes and fans, many Drake alums return to Forest Ave. to celebrate in the revelry and reunite with their classmates and fellow Bulldogs. While the heart of the Drake Relays is three full days of world-class track and field competition, the event has grown into a week-long spectacle that brings Olympians, World record holders and World Champions to Des Moines to compete alongside deep collegiate fields and the top high school athletes in Iowa.

In addition to student-led activities on campus, the collegiate and high school competitions are the heart and soul of the Drake Relays. But that heartbeat quickens with the elite professional events that annually produce some of the top performances in the world. This year, those competitions include over a dozen elite events and 14 that are part of the World Athletics Continental Tour featuring Olympic-caliber talent.

One of those professional competitors will also try to make history on the Drake campus. Ryan Crouser, the current world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist, aims to break his current indoor shot put world record Wednesday evening inside the Drake Fieldhouse as part of a special exhibition event. That competition is one of many that builds up during Relays Week, starting with two events open to the public in Sunday’s Drake Road Races and Tuesday’s Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. 

The Drake Road Races feature three different length races, all finishing inside Drake Stadium and allowing competitors to be among the first athletes to finish on the Blue Oval. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s Grand Blue Mile allows everyone to run or walk a mile through the streets of downtown Des Moines before the nation’s best milers take to the course and race for the USATF 1-Mile Road Championship.

All-session and single-session tickets are now available for the Drake Relays at DrakeTix.com, and more information on the Drake Relays and the full schedule of events can be found at DrakeRelays.org.