The 117th Drake Relays land in Des Moines from 22 to 25 April 2026, continuing one of American track and field's longest-running spring traditions. The four-day meet at Drake Stadium traditionally draws elite professionals, elite collegians and elite high-schoolers onto the same track over the same weekend, and next week's edition sits squarely in that lineage. With the NCAA outdoor season already in full swing and Olympic-year schedules behind them, many American distance and sprint athletes are using Drake as an early gauge of outdoor form.
The meet's distance calendar is anchored by the Hy-Vee-branded open races and the Grand Blue Mile, which will run downtown on the evening of 22 April as part of a wider city-centre festival programme. The Grand Blue Mile has for more than a decade served as a low-stakes, high-quality opener for American middle-distance contenders, and the 2026 elite heats are expected to feature a mix of NCAA standouts and established professionals working towards USATF Outdoor Championships selection later in the summer. Drake Stadium's 10,000m event, contested Friday evening, typically produces fast times on the blue Mondo surface, and organisers have confirmed an expanded elite waiver list for this year's edition.
On the collegiate side, Drake is one of the few meets each season where Big 12, Big Ten and SEC programmes converge on the same startline. The 4x400m relay, 4x1500m relay and distance medley remain the headline collegiate events, and the meet's pacemakers and wave rules have in recent years been tightened to reduce unnecessary lane clutter in relay finals. Iowa State, Iowa and Drake's own rostered athletes will expect to be prominent across the weekend, while visiting programmes will be looking for the kind of early-season times that carry into regional qualification windows.
Sprint events remain a significant part of Drake's identity, with the 100m, 200m and 110/100m hurdles regularly delivering season-best marks despite the late-April date. In a year when the American outdoor schedule has been compressed by the spring calendar, meet director Blake Boldon has emphasised that Drake will not hold back on elite invitations. The professional fields for both sprints and hurdles are expected to feature multiple athletes with 2025 World Championships experience, with firm confirmations continuing to land in the days before the first event.
Weather is the familiar Des Moines variable. Late April in central Iowa can deliver anything from benign, still conditions to strong winds and cold showers, and organisers have contingency plans in place for moving hammer and javelin events within the weekend's window if required. For spectators, the meet retains its longstanding mix of on-track competition and civic festival — the Drake Road Races, associated youth events and downtown mile all add to a weekend that remains one of the genuine high points of the American spring outdoor calendar.