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Year of the 4x400?

Year of the 4x400?

Apr 13, 2011 by FloTrack Staff
Year of the 4x400?


(Above : Texas A&M pulls away from the field in the final 600 meters to take the victory in the much anticipated Texas Relays 4x400 meter relay.  Early on this season (as well as indoors), they have proven to be the team to beat, running multiple sub 3:04's with different combinations of runners.  Their 3:00.45 time in Austin leads the nation.)

However, there are a handful of teams capable of upsetting the Aggies in the coming weeks.  In the Texas Relays race alone, there were a few teams mixing it up with A&M, especially early.  Baylor (3:01.77), LSU (3:02.23), and USC (3:02.87) all went sub-3:03 at Texas Relays.  

Perhaps more intriguing and exciting is the depth this year across the country over 400 meters.  It looks like by the end of the season, there is a legitimate shot at having multiple teams trying to crack 3 minutes.  The fact that at least six teams can go sub-3:05 NOW, means that by Nationals, a 3:02 to 3:03 may not place top 5! (Mississippi State went 3:04.13 at Texas Relays and Texas Tech was right at 3:05 (3:05.08)).

The 4x400 trash talk in the past several weeks has been top-notch as well.

Our blog post previous to Texas Relays (Who are the 4x400 Kings?) asked which team ruled the mile relay.  Some responses we got ...
  • "Gotta go with them Aggies. Florida & USC pose a decent threat but dont nearly have the depth that A&M has. So many people brag on Mississippi but what have they done. They have the talent but has yet to have anything worth bragging on (neither has USC). Baylor & LSU are damn good teams but lets face it they will always remain at most 2nd best to A&M ... "
  • "Gotta be time for USC if Nellum is fully healed, because they do have the last 4 CA State Champs at that distance plus at the end of the Month they also will have last year's runner up to Mance, Robert Woods, to add depth."

  • "How could you not mention Houston?  They have 3 45-second 400 runners and a 1:49 800 runner who could definitely go 45. They are definitely going at least 3:02!!!

Even better were some comments on the Texas Relays 4x400 page ...
  • "Yes, most of you guys have valid points ... A&M is the team to beat and I believe they go 2:59 or better. I also believe that USC goes 2:59 or better.  Also, LSU is capable and everyone that knows track and field knows Baylor does not give away mile relay championships.  They will also go very low and who knows how low. I truly believe this will be the fastest set of mile relays in the history of 4x400 at this years NCAA."
  • "Texas A&M's B team went 3:04. That is all. Discussion is over. This is not a matter of natural talent or who ran what in high school. Its the simple fact that our program, this year, is superior and will be throughout the entirety of this outdoor season."
  • "Baylor is usually out matched by others with faster 400 meter open runners but they seem to compete at the highest levels on a mile relay. Having two guys who run sub-45 on a relay and 2 low-45 sec 400 meter runners doesn't make you safe from Baylor's 4x400.  They have beaten some great 4x400's over the last 40 years and it looks like they are closing on A&M. Look at the math ... all those Baylor guys ran over there heads and they always do. That's why its called quartermile U."

And to sum it up ...
  •   "I think we need to look past who may win the 4x400 and look at the possibility of having 4-5 teams that have the chance of running 3:01 or better. A&M, Baylor, USC, LSU, Mississippi State. This has to be some of the best depth the 4x400 race has every had. Regardless of who wins, its going to be a fun race at nationals."
  • "Is the 2:59.59 (record) going down this year?"

And although it wasn't a 4x400, the best trash-talking was done by some seasoned sprint veterans, the day before the 4x100 in Austin.  We highlighted it in our recap, but if you haven't seen it, check it out here.  




  

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