The Stretch

“They are coming down the stretch,” so declares the announcer of the race.  This phrase is often heard when the participants in the race have come out of the last curve and are headed for the finish line to see who will be the winner.  This last part of the race is also referred to as the stretch run, a place where the discipline and will of the runner are exposed.  What each participant truly trusts or believes in is often revealed when under duress. The character of the participants is just as important as their ability.

A track has markings for many different things.  It has markings for the start and finish lines. It has indicators for where to place hurdles and obstacles for certain events.  It even has the distance of each race measured for the lane that you run in so that everyone runs the same distance.  One of the interesting set of markings in each lane is the baton passing zone for relay races.  How the baton is transferred has determined celebration or heartache for many a racer.

Relay races exist to push the limits of our expectations about what is the best way to cover a specific distance in a race that is longer than a typical sprint.  The world record for an individual in a 400-meter race is about 43 seconds, while the relay world record is nearly 7 seconds faster at 36.84s.  The longer the race the greater the difference in time.  The 4 x 400-meter relay has a record of 2:54 while the record for the open, or individual, 1500m race is 3:26, a difference of 32 seconds while being 100 meters shorter.  Could it be that passing the baton to a fresh runner produces better results?

Our representative form of government has an interesting process that allows it to be a sprint and a relay at the same time.  It has allowed for us to have reasonable transfers of power on the local, state and federal levels in the legislative and executive branches.  What is interesting is that there are many judicial positions that do not have limits for how long a judge may serve. The reason for bringing in new blood, new people, or new runners is reflective of how important it is to share responsibility in a team, community or country.  When sharing the task is done effectively, the results have been exceptional.  

It does not seem to matter how long the race is, the winner maintains proper form while those pursuing them begin to lose theirs.  As we come into the home stretch of this election cycle, it will be important that we understand this simple thing: a relay team is faster than an individual if they handle the baton pass properly.