Four on the Floor

 

A Brag Blog on US Women’s 4x100m Relay

 
Did you see the Olympics last night? I know, I know. After nearly 3 weeks of nightly, non-stop coverage & looping, daily recaps broadcast over every media outlet there is, I suspect even the athletes have tired of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Games.  Or at the very least tired of all that exercise, but as the saying goes, it’s not over till the fat lady sings.
 

 
Although “fit lady” would be the more apt metaphor in this instance.You’d never guess the incredibly fit American women that raced last night were at the tail end of a physically and psychologically grueling competition.Not even for a hundredth of a second, and as an amateur runner myself, I know what to look for—I like to think I do, anyway—and while I’ve been following the track and field events from this quasi-informed stance, the athletes have done nothing but impress.
 

 
Astounded by Bolt, humbled by Oscar, and girl-crushing on Felix and Jeter, my shadow has kept pace with every track event shown. From sprints, to pole vaults, to high jumps, and to hurdles. Elite runners’ physiques are so impressive, really, their years of training evidencing itself the minute they take to the clay, but there’s something still more heartening than either their physical fitness or athletic prowess.
 

 
It’s their “heart” as much as their cardiovascular ability. The runners put everything they have into their events physically, sure, but they also infuse their races with that ephemeral & oh-so essential quality of heart, soul and national pride, and nowhere was this more obvious than in last night’s 4×100 Women’s Relay Race. It was an event much anticipated by the world due to the fierce competition between the American & Jamaican teams, but also because of America’s documented troubles passing the baton. Regardless of their fleet feet, our Yankee Doodle ladies needed deft hands last night, too, and unparalleled teamwork, to boot.
 

 
The suggestible part of me was pleased to note America was assigned to lucky lane # 7, while Jamaica was our neighbor in not near-so-lucky lane# 6, and I’m pretty sure some other teams were racing, too, but you’ll have to look up those results elsewhere. I have no idea what happened to any of the other competitors, as my sole focus was on the soles of the compelling rivals located–quite literally–at 6’s and 7’s.
 
Tianna Madison was set to run the first leg, followed by Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and anchor Carmelita Jeter. (Felix and Jeter have already medaled in this year’s Olympics, and the other two are world class champions.) Meantime, Jamaica’s quartet featured starter:  Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, second: Sherone Simpson, third: Veronica Campbell-Brown, and anchor: Kerron Stewart.
 

All righty, then. You ready?–are you sure–Set?–I hope you’re sure, because—

GO!!!

 

 
It’s over in seconds. World & Olympic record seconds, 40.82 seconds, every nano of which finds America in the lead and me yelling progressively louder from my living room sidelines. From the crack of the gun that sent Tianna bounding from the blocks, to Allyson’s easy lope to Bianca, to Bianca’s intense dash to Carmelita, each baton pass was as smooth a transition as if the women were one and the same at the moment of switch.  Magical & mad running skills!
 

 
There was a scare when starter Tianna almost took a header after passing the baton to Allyson, and again when Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown lived up to her turn-rounding reputation on the third leg, but once American anchor Carmelita Jeter had the baton in hand and started her charge for the finish, her powerful piston-like legs propelled her forward faster than the hyperspace button from the arcade game Asteroids. She was history—and made it, too—pointing the baton triumphantly at the new world record as she flew across the finish line, shattering the old world record of 41.37 held by East Germany for the last 27 years, and bringing the gold back to America for the first time in this event since 1996. The Jamaicans were no slouches, either, finishing with a respectable 41.41 and setting a new national record for themselves.
 

 
So, what do you say. It’s Saturday, and all this running converage has got me pumped! Let’s lace up and get our own Olympics on. You can join me on a couple different runs here at CHARRON’s CHATTER. Just click: 1000 Words to enjoy a peaceful and J-peg stuffed run through the Santa Barbara foothills, or click: Rite Moves at Nite Moves to enter a popular, 5K race along our gorgeous beaches.
 

 

Known as the American Riveria, they’re kind of world class, too.