In 2019 our team is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania to produce a feature length documentary celebrating 125 years of Penn Relays, the longest uninterrupted collegiate track and field event in the history of sport. At the start of Penn Relays in 1895, the audience has grown from a mere 5,000 speculators to over 113,000, residing as the most watched meet in the world, aside from the Olympics and World Championship.
As the first invitational track meet to welcome all races and schools, the Penn Relays have played a monumental role in both the culture of Philadelphia and the entire country by requiring acceptance for all athletes, and encouraging institutions to reevaluate the way they handle racism. As Philadelphia natives, our team is beyond grateful for the opportunity to commemorate a world renowned event that changed the history of our beloved city.
“As I look back now, I realize that the Relays we thus created made track training and competition not only more enjoyable but more significant as well. Now four runners join for a common purpose: team victory. Individual effort is still present but it is individual effort within and for the team. If the team wins, each runner wins; if the team loses, each runner loses. This is a great idea, the very essence of our American democracy, especially since this idea always ends in action, not in mere words. This is, I believe, the great value of relay running.”
Frank Ellis, Creator of Penn Relays