by Larry Eder
Drake Stadium, June 2018, photo by Mike Deering/ The Shoe Addicts
2021 Drake Relays and Grand Blue Mile to Host USATF 1-Mile Road Championships; Defending Champions to Return
2021 Drake Relays and Grand Blue Mile to Host USATF 1-Mile Road Championships; Defending Champions to Return
Once again, Des Moines will host the USA Track & Field (USATF) 1-Mile Road Championships presented by Toyota, with some of the world’s most elite runners competing for a national title and prize money of $15,000. This year’s USATF 1-Mile Road Championships will be held on Wednesday, April 21, in conjunction with the 111th Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom and the virtual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield®.
“While it’s not every day that the world’s best athletes come to town, we are proud that this championship will be held in Des Moines for the fifth consecutive year,” said Blake Boldon, the Franklin ‘Pitch’ Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. “The USATF 1-Mile Road Championships are truly a premier event, and we are fortunate to again serve as host. With the Summer Olympics on the horizon, these athletes are in peak condition and will be more motivated than ever to compete at the highest level.”
Des Moines is the host city for the USATF 1-Mile Road Championships through at least 2023. Last year’s event took place on August 29, 2020, during the Blue Oval Showcase at Drake University. The Blue Oval Showcase was the first major track and field event contested in the United States since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic; the invitation-only competition was closed to the general public and held under strict health and safety protocols. Sam Prakel won the men’s road mile with a time of 3:58.30, the second-fastest time in the event’s history; Emily Lipari won the women’s division, finishing in 4:29.30, the fastest road mile ever run by a woman in the state of Iowa. In preparation for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, both Prakel and Lipari will defend their USATF 1-Mile titles on the Blue Oval. Both Sam and Emily plan to stay in Des Moines for the 1,500 meters at the Drake Relays presented by Xtream on Saturday, April 24.
This year’s USATF 1-Mile Road Championships will start on the campus of Drake University, at Painted Street, and will finish on the Blue Oval inside Drake Stadium. This invitation-only event will be a companion to the virtual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark; professional milers will compete at Drake while amateur runners from Des Moines and across the nation will complete a one-mile run or walk on their own.
“Staying active and well has never been more important, and so we are especially excited to have elite runners personifying healthy habits as part of this year’s virtual Grand Blue Mile,” said Chris Verlengia, senior brand marketing manager for Wellmark and co-race director of the Grand Blue Mile. “We encourage everyone to be part of this historic event. Participants of all ages and abilities can complete the mile when, where and how they choose.”
Registration for the 2021 virtual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark is now open at grandbluemile.com. For just $10 each, participants receive a 2021 Grand Blue Mile event shirt and race bib shipped directly to their door. As part of Wellmark’s commitment to improving the health of Iowans, all proceeds benefit Iowa Kidstrong youth fitness programs and support student participation in the annual Drake Relays.
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About the Drake Relays
The Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom has served as “America’s Athletic Classic” since its first running in 1910. The annual competition, hosted by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, is recognized internationally as a destination for the world’s premier track & field athletes across multiple professional and amateur divisions. In 2021, the Drake Relays was named a Silver Level event on the World Athletics Continental Tour, one of only two meets in the United States to earn Silver Level status. In addition to its signature stadium competition, the Drake Relays includes two marquee road running events open to the general public — the Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Drake Road Races. For more information, visit drakerelays.org.
About USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running, and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.
About the Grand Blue Mile
Grand Blue Mile, a Drake Relays event, is an annual one-mile fitness run/walk presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to engage individuals at all stages of fitness, encourage healthy habits and celebrate personal achievement. The annual wellness event, established in 2010, includes recreational, competitive and invitational events featuring a field of elite male and female track and field athletes from around the world. Proceeds from the event benefit Iowa Kidstrong, Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting healthy, active lifestyles among youth. For more information, visit grandbluemile.com.
About Wellmark
Wellmark, Inc. (Wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
