DMR is a made up event, but the Hoos are national champions.
https://x.com/uvatfcc/status/1900722364926570907?s=46&t=vkjgQUekzGC7z44tIfnIRQ
Go Hoos!!!
I mean, the DMR is an event that’s predominantly competed at US high school and college relay meets. It has little to no international footprint. The IAAF has only recognized the DMR world record since 2015 and it’s a world record professional runners barely care about (Also, UVA technically broke the record earlier this indoor season, but it didn’t count because it was an indoor track instead of an outdoor track. Maybe they can get the record outright at Penn Relays 
). The NCAA doesn’t compete the DMR at the outdoor championships in the spring. There’s a lot of reasons why the DMR is a weird, contrived event.
Look, I love that UVA won the DMR title and that Gary Martin outdueled UNC’s Ethan Strand in the mile leg to win it, but track fans know what the DMR is.
Yeah, but track is just kinda like that. The Dogwood Invitational in late April/early May is a bigger deal than the state championships and it always has goofy events you never see anywhere else in the state at the high school level like the Sprint Medley relay and Steeplechase. It’s basically, what events does the meet host want to put on, beyond the standard stuff? Especially if it’s a multi day meet, you’ve got time to thrown in whatever you want. And every meet has its little idiosyncratic bits that you gradually get used to.
Except steeplechase. Last year, the girl who slipped landed right in front of the STAB tent and like 3 kids immediately threw up. STAB usually has an entry, but we half-joked with the kids we’d only let someone run it now if they had some experience playing rugby and knew how to fall. I’ve never seen a knee bend the wrong way in person before.
Did it once in high school at one of the relays events. I had the first (1,200) leg — about 200 seconds of hell (long time to hold a baton and not crack it over a competitor’s skull, or so I hear).
(This is a serious question, not me being an ass). Where did the medley relays in swimming come from? Did they also start as a “made up” event that became a real one? Seems like they’re always trying to find more events for TV (like adding the mixed relays).
Medley relay started in the Olympics in 1960.
I don’t know about swimming. Track is my niche sport of choice. For track, on the international level, the mixed 4x400 is definitely a made-up event, but one that World Athletics and the Olympics are determined to make happen. Personally, I like that it gives the US a chance to reward more quarter milers at championship events. But the Netherlands takes that event very seriously.
Any swim fans on the board who can shed some light on the medleys and mixed events?
Gotcha, thanks.
I was at that meet too, for my daughter (she did NOT run steeplechase). Thankfully was nowhere close enough to see the injury, as word got around. Makes me think they’ll avoid having that particular event for a few years or at least until memories fade.
Correct - we track fans know the event is king!!!
Gary chose it over running the individual mile!!!
That’s how prestigious it is
Oh; that’s great! Is she still running this year? I’ll buy you a bag of chips if you’re there.