Good track is a truly exciting sport to watch.
Bad track is the most boring sport in the world.
I know...track was my life for the better part of a decade. I was the manager of the men's track team at Alabama...and got to see some of the finest track athletes in the world on a weekly basis. There is no comparison to SEC track meets and you are guaranteed to get either a top 3 in the nation or top 3 in the world in terms of results.
The greatest race I have ever seen, and will ever see, was the men's mile from the 2002 Indoor SEC Championships. Our runner, David Kimani, was the favorite to win. A mile race on a 200m track is 8 laps and change. I believe it was lap 2 when David was accidentally tripped up and he fell down. The entire building (we were in Fayetteville) gasped and all of us Alabama folks in the stands were in shock. Here, the greatest distance runner in school history running in his last SEC mile, just fell down and is out of the race. So David looks up to see the field pulling away from him...then decides to get up and start running. At this point he is just saving face and running for Crimson Pride. He then starts speeding up and is down by less than a half lap (100m). Remember he is running against the best in the conference...and thus some of the best in the nation. Lap by lap he makes up more ground and by the time he gets to lap 6 he has caught the pack...and is making his way to the front. At the bell lap, David Kimani has moved into first place. The whole place is rocking...our section is screaming "ROLL TIDE...ROLL TIDE...ROLL TIDE..." as loud as we can. Yours truly, being the manager, is filming this race, and the camera is shaking so bad that it's almost not watchable. The runners cross the finish line and David is the first one there. HE FELL DOWN...GOT UP...AND WON THE RACE! Everyone in the building gave David a standing ovation as he took his victory lap. He earned a special place in the hearts of every person...regardless of him being the competition. The results are below.
Sorry for hijacking...but SEC Track & Field gets me pumped up and reminds me of my days on the track. And as far as Humphrey and Brown running together...the Alabama Relays usually has a shuttle relay for the hurdlers...so if that still exists they will most certainly be running in it. I know Jason McAddley always ran in it when he was at UA. Very fun race to watch.
