The 130th running of the Penn Relays tips off at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 23, headlining the domestic U.S. track and field calendar with three days of college, high-school, international, Masters and youth competition.
Organisers confirmed this week the full three-day schedule and live coverage on FloTrack, with Day 1 dominated by the College Women's and Men's 400m hurdles and the opening rounds of the women's 4x800. Day 2 on Friday brings the men's 4x800 heats, hours of 4x100s and 4x400s across the "North Straight" and "South Straight" sections of the old cinder oval now replaced by a synthetic track. Day 3 on Saturday, April 25 is the event's showpiece, with Championship of America finals alongside Masters and international competition.
The Penn Relays carries cultural weight no other U.S. track meet can match. Started in 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania, it is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the country and typically attracts more than 100,000 spectators across the three days. The "COA" designation applied to the premier college events dates back to the meet's earliest years and has remained its top-line branding ever since.
Schedule shifts compared with 2025 include a tighter window on the women's 400 hurdles Championship and a move of the boys' 4x400 heats to Saturday morning alongside the college finals, creating an early flow of international action before the afternoon premieres.
Meet officials have emphasised a "celebrating with America250" theme, aligning the Penn Relays with the United States' semi-quincentennial year. That framing will be visible across the opening ceremony and between-event programming, though the sporting product itself - relay-heavy, fast and loud - remains the draw.
The carnival is a crucial mid-season checkpoint for the NCAA outdoor season, which culminates with Regionals and the NCAA Championships in June. High-school power programmes from across the Eastern Seaboard use Penn as the marquee date before state meets, while elite internationals including Diamond League-level athletes often anchor the sprint relays on Saturday afternoon.