Relay race

Relay races are common in running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating (usually with a baton in the fist).

A swimming relay of four swimmers usually follows this strategy: second-fastest, third-fastest, slowest, then fastest (anchor).

[citation needed] FINA rules require that a foot of the second, third or fourth swimmer must be contacting the platform while (and before) the incoming teammate is touching the wall; the starting swimmer may already be in motion, however, which saves 0.6–1.0 seconds compared to a regular start.

Besides, many swimmers perform better in a relay than in an individual race owing to a team spirit atmosphere.

In open water swimming, mixed-gendered relays were introduced at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships (4 × 1250 m).

Traditionally, the 4 × 400 m relay finals are the last event of a track meet,[citation needed] and is often met with a very enthusiastic crowd, especially if the last leg is a close race.

A race organizer then puts the third-leg runners into a line depending on the order in which they are running (with the first place closest to the inside).

According to the IAAF rules, world records in relays can only be set if all team members have the same nationality.

The largest relay event in the world is the Norwegian Holmenkollstafetten, 2,944 teams of 15 starting and ending at Bislett Stadium in Oslo which had a total of 44,160 relay-competitors on May 10, 2014.

The IAAF World Road Relay Championships was held from 1986 to 1998, with six-member teams covering the classic 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) marathon distance.

The world's longest relay race was Japan's Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden, which begins in Nagasaki and continues for 1,064 kilometres (661 mi).

For the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, a mixed relay race was added (4 × 2 km).

A mixed version was introduced at the 2019 IAAF World Relays, it consist of a race in which two men and two women on each team, are running a 110 m hurdles.

[2] Medley relay events are also occasionally held in track meets, usually consisting of teams of four runners running progressively longer distances.

Relay race events have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins.

In biathlon, the relay race features a mass start, with teams consist of four biathletes.

In road racing, the Duo Normand is a two-man time trial relay held annually in Normandy, France.