As a member of the Drake Track and Field team, Christmas came early for track fans. On Wednesday, Drake announced that Hy-Vee Inc. will now be the presenting sponsor for the Relays (replacing ASICS). The biggest implication to this new sponsorship is the prize money that will be up for grabs – $50,000/running event and $25,000/field event. This will make the Relays the biggest meet in the world in terms of prize money, meaning that the fields this year are sure to be absolutely loaded with the best talent in the world.
Take for example the men’s 110 meter high hurtles. As of today, Aires Merrit, Jason Richardson, and Hansle Parchment, this year's gold, silver, and bronze medal winners from London, respectively, are already confirmed to compete in the upcoming relays. Fifteen other Olympians who reached the podium have also confirmed they will compete at Drake too…. And it’s only December!
Better yet, ESPN2 will broadcast 90 minutes of prime time action throughout the weekend too. It’s sure to be another Relays for the ages! It certainly gets me excited to train hard for the upcoming indoor and outdoor track seasons, who knows, maybe you’ll see yours truly on ESPN this upcoming Relays!
You can read the entire press release HERE.
