Editing Relay race (section)

==Relays in athletics==
[[File:Flickr cc runner wisconsin u.jpg|right|thumb|A final-leg runner for the [[University of Wisconsin]]]]
In [[athletics (sport)|athletics]], the two standard relays are the [[4 × 100 metres relay]] and the [[4 × 400 metres relay]]. 4 × 200, 4 × 800, and 4 × 1500 m relays exist as well, but they are rarer. Mixed-gendered 4 × 400 metres relays were introduced at the [[2017 IAAF World Relays]], repeated at the [[2018 Asian Games]], the [[2019 World Championships in Athletics]] and were added to the [[2020 Summer Olympics]]. In addition, a 2 × 2 × 400 m and shuttle hurdles mixed relay races were introduced at the [[2019 IAAF World Relays]].

Traditionally, the 4 × 400 m relay finals are the last event of a track meet,{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} and is often met with a very enthusiastic crowd, especially if the last leg is a close race.{{efn-ua|Each segment of the relay (the distance run by one person) is referred to as a leg.}} It is hard to measure exact splits in a 4 × 400 (or a 4 × 100) relay. For example, if a team ran a 3-minute 4 × 400, it does not mean every runner on the team has to run a 45-second [[400 metres|open 400]], because a person starts accelerating before they have the baton, therefore allowing for slightly slower overall open 400 times. A 4 × 400 relay generally starts in lanes for the first leg, including the handoff. The second leg then proceeds to run in lanes for the first 100 metres, after which point the runners are allowed to break into the first lane on the backstretch, as long as they do not interfere with other runners. A race organizer then puts the third-leg runners into a line depending on the order in which they are running (with the first place closest to the inside). The faster teams pass first, while the slower teams have to slide in to the inside lanes as they come available.

According to the IAAF rules, world records in relays can only be set if all team members have the same nationality.  Several superior marks were established by teams from a mixture of countries and were thus never ratified.

Major USA Track and Field events, f.e. the [[Penn Relays]], [[Drake Relays]], [[Kansas Relays]], [[Mt. SAC Relays]], [[Modesto Relays]], [[Texas Relays]], [[West Coast Relays]], include different types of relays.

===Rules and strategy===
Each runner must hand off the baton to the next runner within a certain zone, usually marked by triangles on the track. In [[Sprint (running)|sprint]] relays, runners typically use a "blind handoff", where the second runner stands on a spot predetermined in practice and starts running when the first runner hits a visual mark on the track (usually a smaller triangle). The second runner opens their hand behind them after a few strides, by which time the first runner should be caught up and able to hand off the baton. Usually a runner will give an auditory signal, such as "Stick!" repeated several times, for the recipient of the baton to put out his hand. In middle-distance relays or longer, runners begin by jogging while looking back at the incoming runner and holding out a hand for the baton.

[[File:Relay race baton pass.jpg|thumb|Two runners prepare to pass the baton.]]
A team may be disqualified from a relay for:

* Losing the baton (dropping the baton shall not result in disqualification. See IAAF rule no. 170.6)
* Making an improper baton pass, especially when not passing in the exchange zone
* [[False start]]ing (usually once but sometimes twice)
* Improperly overtaking another competitor
* Preventing another competitor from passing
* Willfully impeding, improperly crossing the course, or in any other way interfering with another competitor

Based on the speed of the runners, the generally accepted [[strategy]] used in setting up a four-person relay team is: second-fastest, third-fastest, slowest, then fastest ([[Anchor leg|anchor]]); however some teams (usually middle school or young high school) use second-fastest, slowest, third-fastest, then the fastest (anchor). But if a runner is better in the starting blocks than the others, they may be moved to the first spot because it is the only spot that uses starting blocks.

===Competitions===
The largest relay event in the world is the [[Norwegians|Norwegian]] Holmenkollstafetten, 2,944 teams of 15 starting and ending at [[Bislett Stadium]] in [[Oslo]] which had a total of 44,160 relay-competitors on May 10, 2014.

Another large relay event is the [[Penn Relays]], which attracts over 15,000 competitors annually on the high-school, collegiate and professional levels, and over its three days attracts upwards of 100,000 spectators. It is credited with popularizing relay racing in the sport of track & field.

[[Image:Southern 12 stage-02 1988.jpg|thumb|right|Athletes in the Southern Counties 12-Stage Road Relay Championships, Wimbledon Common, London, 1988]]

===Long-distance relays===
Long-distance relays have become increasingly popular with runners of all skill levels. These relays typically have 5 to 36 legs, each usually between {{convert|5|and|10|km|abbr=in}} long, though sometimes as long as {{convert|16|km|abbr=on}}.

The [[IAAF World Road Relay Championships]] was held from 1986 to 1998, with six-member teams covering the classic {{Convert|42.195|km||adj=mid}} marathon distance.

Races under {{convert|100|km}} are run in a day, with each runner covering one or two legs. Longer relays are run overnight, with each runner typically covering three legs.

The world's longest relay race was Japan's Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon [[Round-Kyūshū Ekiden]], which begins in [[Nagasaki]] and continues for {{convert|1064|km}}.

=== Cross-country relays===
For the [[2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]], a mixed relay race was added (4 × 2&nbsp;km).

The Crusader Team Sprint Cross Country Relay Race is a fun and unique venue specifically designed to get runners familiar with distance running and excited for the rest of the cross country season.  Teams will be pairs of runners.  The team will run four loops of a 1-mile course.  Runner “A” will run loop 1 and hand off to Runner “B.”  Runner “B” will run the same loop and hand off back to Runner “A.”  “A” runs one more loop, hands off to “B,” and “B” finishes. 3 race categories: boys, girls, and co-ed.  Awards will be given in each of the three categories.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

===Shuttle hurdle relay===
The [[Shuttle hurdle relay]] is a Men's and Women's competition that is part of Relay meetings like [[Drake Relays]] or [[Penn Relays]]. A mixed version was introduced at the [[2019 IAAF World Relays]], it consist of a race in which two men and two women on each team, are running a [[110 m hurdles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/world-relays-2019-shuttle-hurdles-2x2x400|title=TWO NEW EVENTS ADDED TO IAAF WORLD RELAYS PROGRAMME|publisher=iaaf.org|access-date=12 May 2019}}</ref>

===Medley relay===<!-- This section is linked from [[Medley]] -->
Medley relay events are also occasionally held in track meets, usually consisting of teams of four runners running progressively longer distances. The [[distance medley relay]] consists of four legs run at distances of 1200, 400, 800, and 1,600 metres, in that order. The [[sprint medley relay]] usually consists of four legs run at distances of 400, 200, 200, and 800 metres, though a more uncommon variant of 200, 100, 100 and 400 metres (sometimes called a short sprint medley) also exists. See also [[Swedish relay]].

[[File:2003 Greece 10 Euro OS Relays front.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Greece)#2003 coinage|Relays commemorative coin]]]]

===Relays on coinage===
Relay race events have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins. One of the recent samples is the €10 Greek [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Greece)#2003 coinage|Relays commemorative coin]], minted in 2003 to commemorate the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]. In the obverse of the coin three modern athletes run, holding their batons while in the background three ancient athletes are shown running a race known as the dolichos (a semi-endurance race of approximately 3,800 metres' distance).