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Variations

High Hurdle Relay

The SHR is currently referred to as the 4 x 60 hurdles, 4 x 80 hurdles, 4 x 100 hurdles, and 4 x 110 hurdles. In the past the term shuttle hurdle relay was more commonly used.

This events allow four hurdlers to run on the same relay team and has been held both outdoor and indoor. In a shuttle hurdle relay, each of four hurdlers on a team runs the opposite direction from the preceding runner.

The shuttle hurdle relay typically consists of: (a) four hurdlers per relay team – each runs one leg, (b) same sex, (c) each hurdler runs the same hurdle spacing and hurdle heights, (d) two lanes – one up, and one back (e) the first leg starts at the automatic timing line, hence this allows the anchor leg to finish at the "finish line", (f) hurdlers must stay in their own lane, (g) hurdlers are not allowed to touch the hurdles with their hands, (h) depending on the age-group there may be an "exchange zone" (Masters Track and Field does not use an exchange zone), (i) No batons are used for this particular relay, and (j) For Masters Track and Field the youngest person on the relay team dictates the age-bracket (for that particular relay team).

USATF Competition Rules list description for the Open and Masters shuttle hurdle relay competition.⁵

Mile intermediate hurdle relay

In the past, a rarely run 4 x 440 yard shuttle hurdle relay was included at some competitions. A height of 36" tall hurdles was used.

On 29 April 1972, Olivett College (John McGlashen, Charles VanderRoest, Bruce Ritter, and Ron Hobday) beat Cedarville in 3:58.4 for the mile intermediate hurdle at the Tri-State Relays, held at Defiance College.⁶⁷ In April 1973, Edinboro State at the Akron Invitational Relays in Akron, Ohio broke the world best for this event.⁸ On 6 April 1974, Occidental College broke the 1973 record in the 4 x 440 yard shuttle hurdle relay in a meet against Whittier College and Pomona-Pitzer.⁹ On 17 April 1974, Stanford broke Occidental College's record while defeating Skyline College.¹⁰ March 15, 1975 Occidental College took the record back.¹¹ On 24 April 1976, Mt Sac College broke the record at the Mt. SAC Relays,¹² and on 23 April 1977, Pasadena broke the record at the Mt. SAC Relays.¹³ By 1984, Long Beach City College (Jose Davis, Tyrone McCullough, Nelson Rodríguez, and Oswaldo Zea) held the community college 1600 meter intermediate hurdle relay in 3:31.06.¹⁴

History

The first recorded instance of a shuttle hurdle relay was probably in January 1901, when a "Hurdle relay race" was included at a meet in Portland, Oregon. No hurdle details were provided.¹⁵ In December 1906, a "hurdle relay race proved a highly exciting contest" at a meet in Vancouver, Canada. No hurdle details were provided.¹⁶ In January 1907 and November 1907, the YMCA in Kansas held an indoor "hurdle relay."¹⁷¹⁸

In 1910–1911, the Official Handbook of the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League states for the girls hurdle relay "the maximum distance for each runner not to exceed fifty yards; the maximum height for hurdles to be two feet".¹⁹ On 11 June 1910, a girls hurdle relay was held at the Armory in Rochester, New York.²⁰ A November 1912 announcement for girls in New York announced that youth activities would include a "hurdle relay."²¹ In 1912, the American Physical Review magazine reports a boys SHR at a Dual Athletic Meet between Cambridge High and Latin School vs Rindge Technical School.²² In 1916, an indoor meet in Hawaii held a "300-yard hurdle relay race", which was won by the N.A.C. Club for the youth clubs, and Kalihi for the junior clubs.²³

In May 1917, at the first annual girls' interscholastic meet on Tech Field in Pennsylvania, a "Hurdle relay" was competed, with Allegheny first, Peabody second, and Latimer third. No hurdle details were provided.²⁴

In 1926, the SHR was added to the Penn Relays events at the suggestion of David Burghley, the British champion of the 400 meter hurdles at the 1928 Olympic Games.²⁵

In April 1938, Oklahoma State set a (then) Kansas Relays meet record in 1:01.6.²⁶ In March 1953, in California, the SHR was included at the Orange Show Relay and the four-way spike meet (four colleges).²⁷²⁸

In 1973, a West German team placed 3rd at the Mt Sac Relays in 59.1.²⁹

Masters Track and Field have included the SHR as a standard event at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships.³⁰ The competition is eligible for Masters American Records and medals. The oldest athlete that has competed in a SHR is George Roudebush (age 93) when he competed in a 2018 M80 plus SHR race.³¹

The oldest female athletes that have competed in a SHR are Tami Graf (age 85) at the 2021 and Flo Meiler (age 88) at the 2022 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships.³²³³

The SMR was also included at former relays such as the California Relays, Compton Relays, West Coast Relays,³⁴ the 1996 Alabama Relays,³⁵ and the Golden Valley Conference Relays ³⁶ Additional relays include the 1993 European Relays in Portsmouth, England,³⁷ and July 5, 1981, TAC Relay Championship in Greenvale, New York.³⁸

Including a SHR outside of the US and the United Kingdom has been infrequent. In August 2007, the BAUHAUS-galan (formerly GN Galan) meet in Stockholm, Sweden included the 480 Yard Shuttle Hurdle Relay. The United States won with a time of 53.36 seconds, Sweden in second with a time of 57.03, Finland in third with a time of 57.26. The event was well received.³⁹

The 1990 Penn Relay included a 880 shuttle hurdle relay.⁴⁰

The British Empire versus the USA

In 1920-1928, after the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Summer Olympics, the majority of the American track and field team crossed the British Channel to compete in a highly-publicized meet known as "The British Empire versus the U.S.A.", held at Stamford Bridge, London. This meet included the shuttle hurdle relay. In 1924 and 1928, the US won in 61.6 and 62 seconds for the 480 yards hurdle relay, respectively.⁴¹⁴²⁴³

Oxford versus Cambridge

The Oxford–Cambridge rivalry: Oxford versus Cambridge Inter-University competitions included 480 yards hurdles relay (1920 to 1930) and 880 yards low hurdles relay (1926 to 1930).⁴⁴

1920: Inter-varsity: Cambridge versus Oxford: Dec 1920: Oxford beat Cambridge in the SHR. Winning time of 67 2/5 seconds.⁴⁵ December 1921 Oxford beat Cambridge in 69 4/5 seconds.⁴⁶ December 1922 Oxford beat Cambridge in 67 2/5 seconds.⁴⁷

All-time top 20

Men – 4 × 110m

Updated November 2020

y = adjusted from the slightly shorter distance of 4 x 120 yards by adding 0.13 seconds

Women – 4 × 100m

Mixed – 4 × 110m

Updated November 2024

⁶⁶

See also

• List of world records in athletics
• List of United States collegiate records in track and field

Abrahams, H.M.; Bruce-Kerr, J. (1931). Oxford versus Cambridge. A record of Inter-University Contests from 1827-1930. London: Faber and Faber Limited. p. 475 to 482.

External links

Track and Field News and USATF websites include current shuttle hurdle relay American Records for the following:

• Open Men's SHR Record
• Open Women's SHR Record
• College Men's SHR Record
• College Women's SHR Record
• Jr College Men's SHR Record
• Jr College Women's SHR Record - - -
• HS Boys SHR Record
• HS Girls SHR Record
• Masters Track and Field SHR Records

Additional External Links:

• Shuttle hurdle relay website
• Woodhurdles website
• USATF Competition Rules
• Facebook
• Masters Track and Field: Shuttle hurdle relay Records
• Great Hurdlers website
• Iowa High School Rules
• North West Track and Field website
• Hurdles 101 website

References

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