It was an evening of firsts at the inaugural TrackTown Summer Series on Friday at Hayward Field. Not only was this the first meet of its kind, but the 4×400 relay was run in a way that has never been seen.
For the first time in history, the 4×400 relay featured both men and women competing together on the same team. They did not really run against each other; the men ran the first and third leg, while the women ran the second leg and anchored.
“There’s a first for everything, and it felt actually great,” Claudia Francis of Philadelphia said. “I wasn’t as stressed out.”
New York and Philadelphia were neck and neck for most of the race. During the final hand-off, Philadelphia’s Kyle Clemons and New York’s Chris Giesting handed their batons off to their teammates, Phyllis Francis and Kendall Baisden, at the same time.
Baisden was leading Francis through the last curve, but thanks to a superior kick, Francis propelled herself over the finish line first, making Philadelphia the winner with a time of 3 minutes, 13.20 seconds. New York finished in 3:13.99. San Francisco and Portland finished in 3:14.64 and 3:15.68, respectively.
“I knew Phyllis was going to come home like a madman; or madwoman as I should say, and that’s exactly what she did,” said James Harris, who ran the first leg for Philadelphia.
Harris thought that he was lucky to be running the first leg. Before the start of the race, some athletes had concerns about the hand-off. After all, a man has never handed the baton off to a woman, and vice versa.
“I was a little nervous because I thought they might come in too fast, but it worked out perfectly,” Francis said. “They need to do it more often.”
Though Francis was slightly nervous, Clemons was unconcerned. “If you’ve ever run a 4×400, then you know what to do.”
Also competing for Philadelphia in the relay was Francis’s sister Claudia. She ran the second leg of the race.
“When I found out she was on it, I was ecstatic,” said Phyllis.
Because it was the last event of the evening, fans and teammates were invited out to the field to watch the action up close.
“It takes me back to running here collegiate; hearing the fans cheering me on,” Phyllis Francis said. “It’s a great feeling. I’m home.”
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03