Alaska track meets don't get any bigger than the Big C Relays, an indoor sports spectacular that's grown into one of the premier events of the track and field season.
"It's going to be a crazy weekend," said meet director Shane Metcalf on Thursday.
The meet, which is hosted by the Alaska Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Grace Christian School and Anchorage Christian Schools (hence the "C" in the name), is expected to draw 40 high school teams from across Alaska and nearly 2,000 athletes.
"We've got from the smallest of schools to the largest of schools and that's the way we like it," Metcalf said.
He's not kidding. According to the Alaska School Activities Association, the largest high school participating, East Anchorage, has an enrollment of about 2,200 students. The smallest in the field, Anderson, has five.
The event will be held at The Dome, an indoor sports venue in South Anchorage located at 6501 Changepoint Drive that boasts the only full 400-meter indoor track in the country. Events run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Cost is $5 per person each day.
The meet is specifically designed to be different from a standard prep meet. One way the meet is different is the "King of the Hill" format used during heats. Metcalf explained that after each heat, the top athlete is given a spot atop the podium. Until a better result is posted in subsequent heats, the top athlete remains on top. Such a format adds an element of suspense as well as allows for participants from early heats to feel like part of the action.
"It always adds some excitement," Metcalf said.
There are also a slew of special events scheduled, including the annual boys' and girls' pentathlon, the Laird Prosser Memorial Mile, the Masters Challenge high jump, the Lord of the Rings shot and discus competition and the Fastest Alaskan event. Each is unique to the Big C Relays. The Prosser Mile is an open event that typically attracts high-level collegiate and prep runners, while the Masters Challenge pits prep jumpers against some of the top age-group athletes in the U.S.
Also unique to this year's meet with be the appearance of Kenai Central standout Allie Ostrander, a Nike Cross Nationals national champion who will compete in the elite coed 3,200 meter race at 1 p.m. on Friday against the likes of Levi Thomet of Kodiak and Conner Mantz, a senior at Sky View High in Smithfield, Utah. Both Thomet and Mantz are among the top boys' distance runners in the country.
Metcalf said the Big C Relays has grown into a premier indoor meet that's gained a national profile.
"It's really something people across the country pay attention to," he said.
For the first time, the event will be available to a worldwide track and field audience via a live stream broadcast at milesplit.com.
"If people want to get online and watch, now they can do that," Metcalf said.
The event also features a guest athlete, which this year will be Olympian Manteo Mitchell, who gained national fame when he helped the U.S. 1,600 meter relay team to a preliminary round win at the London Games in 2012 despite finishing his leg of the relay with a broken leg. Mitchell will speak during a "Breakfast with Champions" event at 7 a.m. on Saturday. The event is free to athletes and $11 for the public and includes breakfast and attendance at Saturday's meet.
Metcalf said the Big C's have grown into a signature event of the Alaska track and field season.
"Every year it's more and more exciting," he said. "It's gotten to where the kids are really looking forward to it."
For more information or a complete events scedule, visit bigcrelays.com/Schedule.html
Big C Relays
Friday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Dome (6501 Changepoint Drive)
$5 per day