Drake Relays

The Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom is one of the biggest events of the year on the Drake campus. Every year, more than 5,000 track and field competitors and 40,000 fans pass through the gates of Drake Stadium to be part of a 115-year-old tradition known as ‘America’s Athletic Classic.’

In addition to those athletes and fans, many Drake alums return to Forest Ave. to celebrate in the revelry and reunite with their fellow Bulldogs. While the backbone of the Drake Relays is three full days of world-class track and field competition, the event has grown into a week-long spectacle that brings Olympians, World record holders and World Champions to Des Moines to compete alongside deep collegiate fields and the top high school athletes in Iowa.

While student-led activities on campus provide addition entertainment for the Drake community, the collegiate and high school competitions are the heart of the Drake Relays. But that heartbeat quickens with the elite professional events that annually produce some of the top performances in the world. This year, those competitions include over sixteen events that are part of the World Athletics Continental Tour featuring Olympic-caliber talent.

One of those professional competitors will also debut a new event on the Drake campus. Ryan Crouser, the current world record holder and three-time Olympic gold medalist in the shot put, will be hosting and competing in a brand-new shot put competition, the World Shot Put Series on Wednesday, April 23^rd in the historic Drake Fieldhouse starting at 5:30 pm. That competition is free to the public and is one of many that builds up during Relays Week, starting with two events open to the public in Saturday’s Drake Road Races and Tuesday’s Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. 

The Drake Road Races feature three different length races, all finishing inside Drake Stadium and allowing competitors to be among the first athletes to finish on the Blue Oval. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s Grand Blue Mile allows everyone to run or walk a mile through the streets of downtown Des Moines before the nation’s best milers take to the course and race for the USATF 1-Mile Road Championship and a spot on team USA for the World Road Running Championships in September 2025.

The Friday night session at the Drake Relays is Family Night. While the action takes place on the track, families can enjoy a variety of exciting activities on the north concourse inside Drake Stadium. Activities include a face painter, balloon artist, bubble station, and inflatables. Stick around at the end of the session for a fireworks show. Whether you're cheering on the athletes or making memories with your little ones, Family Night is the perfect way to experience the energy of the Drake Relays together.

All-session and single-session tickets are now available for the Drake Relays at godrakebulldogs.com/tickets, and more information on the Drake Relays and the full schedule of events can be found at DrakeRelays.org.

The Adams Leadership Awards

The Adams Leadership Award ceremony is an annual, campus-wide tradition to celebrate the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University. Students are nominated for a variety of leadership awards by their peers, faculty, and staff on campus. (See here for the full list of award categories!) All student nominees and award winners will be announced and recognized in Sheslow Auditorium on Saturday, May 3rd at 1pm. No RSVP required; all students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend – parents and families are welcome, too! If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Economos at kristin.economos@drake.edu. 

Griff Gives Back

Oh HI! It’s ME, your Dog! I your help with something VERY important – I am trying to collect 20,000+ pounds of pet food for The Pet Project Midwest, a food pantry that fills the bowls and bellies of area pets in need.

This is the 10^th annual Griff Gives Back pet food drive, started by my distinguished predecessor, Griff I, ten years ago. I honor the OG and his legacy by continuing this initiative. Over the last decade of Griff Gives Back, we’ve worked together with the Drake community to collect over 150,000 pounds of food, which has greatly expanded the The Pet Project Midwest’s ability to fulfill and expand its important mission.

There are a number of easy ways to help – you can order from my Amazon wishlist, drop a donation off at an area partner location, bring a bag of food in person to the Beautiful Bulldog Contest on April 21, or call my best pals at Bone-A-Patreat at 515-279-2544 to place an order over the phone, which they’ll bring to me for FREE. All details and links can be found here.

I love this community, and together you and I can make a BIG difference. Let’s GOOOO, and thank you, from the bottom of my little blue heart!

Your Dog,

Griff II