15 April 2009 – As it prepares for its milestone 100th running from 22-25 April, organisers of the Drake Relays, one of the longest-running meetings in the world, are making sure that the centenary edition of this venerable midwestern U.S. fixture will be one to remember.

Wariner’s first 2009 400m appearance

Among the key figures on the track with be 2004 Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner. Wariner has contested the 200m in his last two appearances at Drake, but will run his specialty this year, his first outing of the season over the full lap.

Eager to regain his undisputed top ranking in the event which he held from 2004 to 2007, his race at Drake will be an important stepping stone to his eagerly anticipated face-off with Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt at the World Championships in Berlin in August.

Brown Trafton headlines first elite Discus competition in more than 20 years

Among the many featured highlights in Des Moines, Iowa, that weekend will be the women’s Discus Throw, added to the invitational programme for the first time in more than two decades. Leading the field will be Stephanie Brown Trafton, the first American woman to claim Olympic gold in the event since 1932. She’ll be facing U.S. record holder Suzy Powell-Roos and 2008 Olympic Trials champion Aretha Thurmond.

“This is a field that we’ve never seen the likes of at Drake,” said Relays director Brian Brown. “It is a U.S. high performance event in which our fans will see outstanding competition.”

Brown has had news stands installed along the northwest area of the stadium to better accommodate spectators for the event.

Returning after a five-year absence is the women’s invitational Shot Put, which will feature to best U.S. talent. The field includes Michelle Carter, winner of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials; Beijing Olympic finalist Jill Camarena; and two-time Olympian Kristin Heaston. Heaston was the first to throw in the qualifying round of the 2004 Olympic Games at Olympia, Greece, making her the first woman ever to compete at Olympia.

On the rebound from injury, Felicien headlines 100m hurdles field

Organisers have also announced strong fields in the hurdles races. 2003 100m Hurdles World champion Perdita Felicien returns to Drake seeking a sixth Relays title. The Canadian, who also took silver at the 2007 World Championships and the 2004 World indoor title, missed virtually the entire 2008 season with a foot injury and will be looking to Drake to signal her comeback.

In the men’s 110m Hurdles, Anwar Moore will be gunning for his third straight and fourth overall Drake title. Moore, 30, set the Drake Relays record of 13.39 in 2005. He’ll face Beijing Olympic finalist Richard Phillips from Jamaica and Americans Ryan Wilson and Ty Akins.

Williams targeting 25-year-old 400m Hurdles record

In the women’s 400m Hurdles, Tiffany Williams will be aiming for another venerable Relays mark. The 55.37 record in the event was set 25 years ago by Nawal El Moutawakel just a few months before her triumph at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Williams won the U.S. Olympic Trials last year, finished eighth in Beijing and produced the second fastest time of the season with her 53.54 in Monaco.

More marquee names are expected to be announced over the course of the next week.

Johnson and Torrence named Relays Athletes of the Century

To celebrate its 100th running, earlier this month organizers named sprinters Michael Johnson and Gwen Torrence as the Relays’ Athletes of the Century. The duo combined to win 14 Drake Relays individual titles, while setting four Drake Relays records. Johnson is of course regarded as the finest long sprinter in history, while Torrence’s versatility brought her three Olympic and three World titles in the sprints and relays.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF