Relays for Hurdlers
One of the biggest dilemmas track coaches face involves making decisions regarding how to best utilize hurdlers in relay teams. Because hurdlers are so versatile, they can be candidates for all relays from the 4×100 to the 4×400, and in some cases even the 4×800. Because of this versatility, hurdlers can often end up overworked, compromising their ability to perform at their best in their specialty events. However, at the same time, participating in relay events can often prove very beneficial to a hurdler’s performance in the hurdles. This article will discuss the pros and cons of hurdlers running in relays, breaking it down relay by relay
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The 4×100
The 4×1 is the most glamorous of relay events, and anyone with any speed wants to take part in it, hurdlers included. Hurdlers often cherish the chance to prove they can sprint with the sprinters, and the 4×1 offers that opportunity. Also, the 4×1 allows hurdlers to just let loose and run without being concerned about stride pattern or rhythm issues. On most teams, the top 100/110 hurdlers are key legs in the 4×1. And such an athlete, I would argue, is most vulnerable to suffering an injury.
Why? Because the fastest 100/110 hurdlers don’t sprint between the hurdles. If sprinting means running with the hands high and the knees high and covering ground, many upper level hurdlers don’t have room to do that. Their hamstrings, hip flexors, and groin muscles therefore get used to the narrower range of motion that the 100/110m hurdles require. So when opening up the stride in the 4×1, these key muscles are now functioning in a way they’re not used to, making the hurdler susceptible to a muscle strain or even a pull I once strained a hamstring running the 4×1, and I’ve coached a few hurdlers over the years who’ve done so.
For the speedier hurdlers who have crowding issues between the hurdles, it’s also important to be wary of how running the 4×1 can exacerbate the crowding problem. The rhythms of the two races are so different that when coming back to the hurdles, the 4×1 stride cadence that’s still in your body can lead to disaster over the hurdles. For that reason, I think it’s best for hurdlers who run the 4×1 to do so regularly. That way, their bodies get used to toggling back and forth between the contrasting rhythms so that it’s not an issue.
On a slightly different note, I think it’s smarter to have hurdlers run the first or third leg of the 4×1, since the curve doesn’t allow for as much range of motion as the straight-away does. On the flip side though, I had a hurdler I coached last year who could 3-step so easily that he never ran with any aggression between the hurdles. Putting him on the second leg of the 4×1 to swallow up ground on the backstretch proved to be the perfect solution to making him more aggressive over the hurdles.
Similarly, running the 4×1 can help a relatively slower hurdler who is having trouble making it to the hurdles in three steps. Unlike the elite hurdlers, these hurdlers need the speed that the 4×1 can help to provide. That’s why putting together a B-team 4×1 or a hurdlers-only 4×1 can be a good idea. It helps to filter out the tentativeness that causes puddle-hopping from hurdle to hurdle.
Perhaps the greatest juggling act regarding the 4×1 has to do with where it falls in the order of events. At the high school level where I coach, unless you’re talking about a relay meet and some invitationals, the 4×1 comes two events prior to the 300h, with only the 400 between them. While the well-conditioned athlete can handle the workload with little to no problem, I still contend that running the 4×1 is going to take something out of your legs that you won’t be able to get back in time for the 300h. And if I want my 300 hurdler to perform to his or her potential in that race, then I’d rather not have him or her competing in the relay. Sometimes, of course, it comes down to team points and what the team needs. But for me as a hurdle coach, I’d prefer to leave the 4×1 to the sprinters so the hurdlers can focus on the hurdles.
4×200
To me, the 4×2 is preferable to the 4×1 for hurdlers. It serves several useful purposes. First, it serves as good over-distance training for the 100/110 hurdles. Second, it serves as good speed work for the 300/400 hurdles. So in that sense, for the hurdler who runs both hurdle events, the 4×2 serves two purposes at once. Also, its positioning in the order of events is much more favorable to hurdlers. Two events after the 100/110h and well before the 300h, it will not have a negative impact on a hurdler’s performance in either event. I also like the fact that the stride cadence for the 4×2 more closely mirrors that which will be needed for the first part of the longer hurdle race. So all in all, I very much approve of my hurdlers running the 4×2. The only exception, for obvious reasons, would be major meets with rounds.
4×400
The 4×4 is another relay that I love for my hurdlers to run. Really, besides the hurdles, the 4×4 is my favorite event in track and field. Going to a meet like the Penn Relays and watching heat after heat of the 4×4 go by is about as good as it gets.
400m hurdler Bershawn Jackson runs a leg of the 4×4 at the Penn Relays.
But to get back on task, the reason I like the 4×4 for hurdlers is because it’s a race that requires guts and will in addition to skill, just like the 300/400m hurdles. You’re either going to dig deep and find something deep inside of you that you didn’t know was there, or you’re going to back down. The 4×4 teaches you that you cannot back down, and you cannot fall apart. You have to hold your form, you have to relax through the fatigue. I pride myself on the fact that, over the years, hurdlers have consistently been among the most reliable 4×4 legs on teams that I’ve coached.
And since the 4×4 typically comes at the end of the meet, it doesn’t interfere with any other races. Whatever you have left in you, put it out there on that track. Of course, however, a hurdler’s legs might be cramping or tightening by the end of the meet, in which case it may be better to play it safe to avoid serious injury.
It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that for the hurdler who only runs the 100/110 hurdles, it’s best to leave the 4×4 alone. The 4×2 will give you the late-race strength you need.
4×800
The 4×8 is definitely worth mentioning, if for no other reason than because many 400 hurdlers are converted half-milers. Rarely at the high school level have I coached a hurdler who has had the combination of speed and stamina needed to run a strong 4×8 leg, but it does happen. But it’s more likely to happen at the college level, as the 400h and 800 closely resemble each other in regards to the physical demands required to excel in both events. For the 400 hurdler, running a 4×8 leg can be a good way to build speed-endurance and to make the 400h race feel shorter.
Conclusion
For the coach, using hurdlers in relays effectively is all about striking a balance. On the one hand, you want to take advantage of hurdlers’ versatility, but on the other hand you don’t want to run them into the ground. You want to develop a competition strategy that benefits the team and the athlete, especially when it comes to the big meets at the end of the year. With consistent communication between the head coach, the hurdle coach, and the athlete, it can be done.
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