I don’t tweet much, but seeing #PassTheBaton has me feeling sentimental about Penn Relays. In this thread, I’ll try convey how special this meet was to me and people all throughout the Philly area: https://twitter.com/pdx_devine/status/1249027600883671040

Starting in the 4th grade, hundreds of kids pack in to school buses to make their way down to Philadelphia on a chilly Tuesday evening. Those kids run a 4x100 against other archdiocesan schools, seeing the track for all of 5 minutes. That’s where the magic starts.

I got my Penn Relays magic by running the 4x100 for St. Stans as a 5th grader, running against all schools. Being on the track, looking at those empty stands was special. Running at Franklin Field was every CYO kids dream.

Fast forward a few years, some of those kids that would kick my teams ass in CYO are now my teammates (talking about you - @Andrew800m and Jack Magee)

I finally get the opportunity to run at Penn Relays my Sophomore year on the 4x800. We sneak into the Championship of America, finishing 8th in 7:49, and watching Long Beach Poly go 7:31 to win

We were no where near the front that year, but we had a taste of what it meant to race at the championship level. We wanted more, we wanted to live out our childhood dreams and hold that wagon wheel.

Junior year comes and we look pretty strong. We switch our focus to the DMR, which we have all the right tools for. We *barely* qualify for the meet, seeded dead last - with a bib of “Q”

Our first three legs balled out. @Andrew800m handed off near the lead, @MikeDeCandido ran the race of his life, Jack handed off in a position we could finish strong. We ended up in 3rd - ecstatic. 2nd highest finish In LSCHS history.

By that time, we knew that our real opportunity was our senior year. We return 3, and get @Lightskin_levi to grow into the 400m role. We win indoor states, with all eyes on early April

Meet day. Nerves tense. Meek mill - blasting. We were ready to roll. Do our normal routine, 2 mile warmup by the love statue, drills, strides, then head to the paddock

In the first paddock, Coach Bielecki says his last words. He looks at me, says your ready to roll. I nod back. It’s go time.

Second paddock is the usual. Crammed. Officials yelling. Nerves really growing. We huddle up, and then head out to the track. It’s the last time we see each other outside the handoffs.

Race goes off. It’s faster than usual. Andrew is locked in to the top 5. Goes out in 57. Then 2:00. They aren’t slowing down. We hand off in 4th, right in the mix.

Levi gets the baton. It’s his first Penn Relays. He solidifies our position and PRs, running an incredible leg. I’m watching on from the side, watching the competition closely.

Jack get the baton. For the past few months, he’s been on a roll. He’s in the hardest position to be in - no mans land. With no one around, he balls out and runs a 1:55. We’re in this.

20 meters back. CBA, Northport, and our rivals O’hara ahead of me. All 3 stories Northeast programs. Future best runner in college history behind me (Ed Ches). 4 laps to go.

1 lap down, reeling in the group. Shortly after, I hear the announcer say Cheserek’s first split - 56. I have flashbacks from the previous year when he blew by me in the first lap. Not this year.

2 laps down. I’m in the pack. Races aren’t won here. Maintain contact, don’t do anything more. Cheserek’s split - 1:56. But it was announced far after the 8. He’s not catching up.

The 3rd lap of the mile is where races are won. Don’t go crazy, but put yourself in position to kick. Heading into the bell, I go stride for stride with my friendly rival Dan Savage. It’s party time.

No going back now. This is it - the final move. I need to hold off everyone. The crowd is into it. Everything hurts. I go full on “Coyle-face”. I hear the strides of competition creeping up. Almost there.

We did it. Holy shit. This isn’t real. I get pummeled by my teammates, who all can’t believe what we just did. We get invited to do a victory lap, one more lap around that magical Franklin Field

As we do our lap, we think back to the 5th grade races against each other. The meek mill we were playing on the bus. The heartbreak, everything. LSCHS Alumni in the crowd are getting our attention, they are nearly in tears

We head over for that moment we all were dreaming of - holding the wagon wheel. It’s surprisingly light - but damn. It’s ours. It’s going back home to Cheltenham Ave.

Coach Bielecki meets us in the infield. He’s in tearing up. We just did what no other LaSalle team has done before. He all gives us long hugs, all proud of what we did.

We go back to our families, who are all celebrating together. No one can believe what just happened. The one thing that all family members know is that the Penn Relays is Philadelphia. And we just won it.

It’s now been 7 years, but man. I can’t forget that magic. It was a whole team effort, even beyond Andrew, jack and Levi. We etched ourselves in Penn Relays lore.

Every April, new champions are crowned. New people get those gold watches. Records are shattered. It breaks my heart that it was cancelled this year. But that Penn Relays magic will always live on. /thread