The baton
Material: A smooth, hollow tube made of wood or metal
Size: 11-to-12 inches long; 4.5 inches in circumference
Cost: $2.95 to $12.95
Exchange zone: Can only be passed between runners within these 20 meters
Events used: 400-, 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter relays
DQ: Results in passing baton outside the exchange zone
Leg: Each portion of a relay
Anchor: The last leg; usually the fastest member
U.S. teams down and out
The 2008 men’s and women’s U.S. Olympic 400-meter relays are hard to beat as the all-time best examples for how not to prepare for a relay.
Both teams were loaded with the world’s best sprinters at Beijing. But neither could even complete a first-round lap without losing their sticks and being disqualified.
“The key is, the outgoing runner has the responsibility to give a good target,” explained Gail Devers, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the sprints, hurdles and relays, in an accompanying video of the botched exchanges.
“The incoming runner … has to get there, look for that target to put that baton in there. The outgoing runner, if you miss it the first time, you keep your hand there.”
Key elements were missing in both U.S. relays: team chemistry and practice.
U.S. men won 14 of the first 18 Olympic 400 relays, but haven’t won since Maurice Green anchored in 2000 at Sydney.
U.S. women have won the event nine times and swept from 1984 to 1996, but haven’t won since. Devers ran on those last two U.S. Olympic winners.
It was 10 years ago this track and field season, long enough to recover. But to Dunbar High School coach Sidney Booker, it still hurts.
The Wolverines were in position to win an elusive state championship. It would be their first since three straight from 1988-90 during the Chris Nelloms era.
Dunbar’s relays were loaded, including the 400-meter quartet. The Wolverines had posted the state’s best Division II times. There was no reason to think they wouldn’t sizzle to 10 more valuable team points by winning the event at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
And then the unthinkable: Dunbar dropped the baton and was disqualified from the race.
“That cost us the meet,” Booker moaned as he reflected on the 41-35 loss to Cleveland Benedictine for the team title.
It’s a simple act, passing a baton from one runner to another. It’s also easy to mess up, as Dunbar and countless other great relays have done.
Over the next 10 days — through the regional and state meets — the title dreams of area boys and girls track and field teams often will depend on clean relay exchanges.
Those who do it well will run their fastest and fare the best.
And those who don’t?
Like that Dunbar foursome a decade ago, all the speed in the world can’t make up for poor handoffs.
“You don’t always have to be the fastest team to win the relay,” Booker said.
A team thing
Track and field essentially is an individual sport, consisting of 18 events. Unlike football and basketball, in which teammates are a vital part of a program’s success, that’s not so in track.
But that dynamic changes with four races: the 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 relays.
“When they get the chance to team up, you can tell it’s exciting for them,” Booker said.
Groups of four are paired for the varying lengths. The 400 consists of four legs of 100 meters. Each distance doubles until the longest 800 legs of the 3,200 relay.
The best teams have a good mix of individuals and relays. And the earlier they develop that depth — and those relays — the better.
Communication, trust and a budding chemistry all are as important to a relay as crisp handoffs. Great relays infuse a team’s camaraderie like nothing else, simply because so many members are involved.
“We all believe in each other and trust each other,” said Trotwood-Madison’s super senior anchor, Julius Ruby.
“That’s what we go off to motivate each other. You build a nice friendship and a nice closeness. You and your friends, you develop a lot.”
Fast teams
Ruby and the Rams have the stats to prove that. Trotwood owns the state’s best 400 (41.71) and 800 (1:27.47) relays, and is second to Dunbar (3:15.91) in the 1,600 relay.
That high-end speed should make Trotwood a D-I state contender. Last season the Rams placed second to Warren Harding, 47-44.
Ruby anchors all three of those Rams relays.
“We practice all we can and try to get the (baton) sticks down as best we can,” said Ruby, who’s headed to Kent State this fall to play football.
“Great handoffs are very important because the longer you make the exchange, the slower it makes your time. We try to hand it off as fast and as soon as we can, smooth, and try to go off of that.”
Each relay has an exchange zone, a 20-meter stretch in which members must pass the baton or risk being DQ’ed. For the 400 and 800 relays, markers — usually split tennis balls — are set in lanes to signal when an incoming runner should give a verbal command to the outgoing runner to begin moving.
Most incoming runners say “go” when the outgoing runner should take off. Then they say “stick” when the outgoing runner should blindly reach back for the baton exchange.
Trotwood has just one verbal command: “Wood.” Dunbar runners say nothing.
Practice makes perfect
Practicing baton exchanges is crucial to timing, especially in the shorter races. The distances that runners cover are shortened for repetitive practice, otherwise they would quickly wear out.
“I can get a good workout in on just baton exchanges, trust me on that,” Wayne coach Mike Fernandez said.
The best teams devote at least some portion of every practice to relay exchanges. In the 400 and 800 relays, the incoming runner will hand off with his left hand and the outgoing runner will grab the baton — without looking — with his right hand. The challenge is maintaining a manageable distance between the two runners without losing speed during the exchange.
Precious tenths of seconds are lost if runners suddenly find themselves bunched, or if the outgoing runner takes off too early and must slow down for the handoff.
“There’s no perfect training for it,” Fernandez said.
“Dunbar does something different than we do. Centerville does something different. Same with Trotwood. That’s what makes it awesome, because everybody thinks that their way is the best way.
“As long as you don’t drop the baton, you look good.”
Seeing is believing
If the shorter relays are all precision and timing, the longer relays are about dodging disaster.
In the 1,600 relay — in which each member runs a 400 — only the leadoff runner stays in a lane.
That means groups of runners can enter the exchange zone together, often resulting in full-contact handoffs.
Unlike blind handoffs of the shorter races, the 1,600 and 3,200 relays employ visual exchanges. The outgoing runner takes three strides, then looks back for the baton.
The challenge is recognizing the condition of the incoming runner. At that point, lactate acid can paralyze legs, especially in the final strides. Breathing is labored to the point of gasping.
If the outgoing runner takes off while the incoming runner melts and the exchange is delayed, valuable seconds can be lost.
“The incoming runner is never strong enough that you can get out with a blind pass because he’ll tie up,” Booker said. “You’re fresh. You’re getting out. You can easily leave him if you don’t look to see where he’s at.”
In the long run
Exchanges in the 3,200 relay are the most difficult to practice, simply because it’s too far for high-speed recovery. The speed of an 800 won’t be as fast as a 400, but the resulting pain that can lock up a runner is no less.
“It’s so hard to replicate that in practice,” Fernandez said. “You can make a big workout of it, and the kids don’t realize it. They think they’re just having fun doing exchanges.”
An intangible aspect of relays is the effect they have. Done well, they can be a source of motivation.
“I get confidence when I see everybody step up,” said Trotwood senior Renon Lorenzo.
“I’m like, OK, I’ve got to step up even more. It’s like a chain effect. It’s been clicking like that all season for us.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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