New Course Brings Improvements for 2012 Grand Blue Mile; Tickets for 2012 Drake Relays Go On Sale Monday

By Paul Kirk, Drake Athletics Communications Director

DES MOINES, Iowa — Participation last year in the second annual Grand Blue Mile doubled from the inaugural event in 2010. With a new and improved course, and the popularity of the first two events, expectations are high for this year’s Grand Blue Mile to exceed those numbers.

The 2012 Grand Blue Mile, presented by the Drake Relays and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, and will follow a different course than the straight-line routes of the first two years.

Registration for the Grand Blue Mile opens Monday, January 16, the same day All-Session Tickets for the 2012 Drake Relays go on sale to the public. The 103rd edition of "America's Athletic Classic" is scheduled for April 25-28, 2012 at Drake Stadium.

“From both a participant standpoint and a spectator standpoint, this new course will be a tremendous improvement,” said Brian Brown, Director of the Drake Relays. “Runners will enjoy a more level course without the slight incline of the previous route, and spectators will be able to see both the start and the finish.”

The race, which again will feature a community run and an elite division, will start on Locust Street near 13th Street and follow Locust east to 6th Avenue, where it will turn left to Grand Avenue, and turn left again to finish on Grand, back at 13th Street.

The inaugural race in 2010 was run in a straight line east-to-west on Locust, while last year’s route was designed to run westbound in a straight line on Grand to finish at 13th Street. That course presented a slight elevation gain in the first half mile.

“As with everything we do in planning the Drake Relays, the Grand Blue Mile gives us the chance to bring the athletes to the people,” Brown said. “This course not only does that, but provides a more intimate arrangement for both the runners and the spectators that will make this year’s event the best yet.”

Beginning Monday, runners can register online for the 2012 Grand Blue Mile by visiting the website www.GrandBlueMile.com. The elite division is expected to again attract the top middle-distance runners in the world after the great experience the participants have experienced the past two years.

Last year Alan Webb, the American record-holder in the mile, won the men’s race in 4:08.22, while Sara Hall captured the women’s title with a time of 4:45.78.
Monday also is the first day fans can purchase All-Session tickets for the 2012 Drake Relays.

The best collegiate and elite athletes from across the world will again share the stage at the famed blue oval with high school competitors from the state of Iowa in the annual renewal of one of our country's great and historic sporting events.

The all-session pass provides admission for Thursday-Saturday events, and costs $85. An All-American session pass is priced at $55 and is good for the Friday evening and Saturday sessions. Additionally, there are two Gold package options available. The Gold I session includes the Friday daytime and Saturday sessions for $70, while the Gold II package is available for $45 and allows fans access to both the day and evening sessions on Friday.

Single-session tickets for the 2012 Drake Relays go on sale March 26.

On the momentum of last year's record-setting event, 2012 is shaping up to be among the best yet. In addition to the Grand Blue Mile, there will again be a Pole Vault in the Mall competition taking place at Jordan Creek Town Center on Wednesday, April 25.

The Drake Relays competition at Drake Stadium also gets underway on April 25 with the decathlon and heptathlon events beginning, and continuing into Thursday April 26. Thursday night will again feature the popular Distance Carnival.

Friday and Saturday will follow a similar schedule to previous years with competition taking place in high school, college, university and elite divisions throughout each day.

The 2011 Drake Relays saw attendance records set on Friday evening (11,131) and tied on Saturday (14,504), as 43,047 fans passed through the turnstiles during the event. The Saturday session was sold out for the 46th consecutive year.

On the competition front, 13 records were broken and one was tied. Two world-leading marks were recorded and four U.S.-leading marks were attained, two of which ranked in the top five worldwide.
Make your plans now to attend the 103rd Annual Drake Relays by visiting www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com, or calling the ticket office at 515-271-DOGS.