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WORLD WIDE WELCOME YOUTH RELAY FAQ
Interested in signing up a team or class for the World Wide Welcome Youth Relay? Learn more by taking a look at the frequently asked questions below and sign up here! If you have additional questions or need registration support, please contact makingtracks@worldchampsoregon22.com.
What is the World Wide Welcome Youth Relay?
The World Wide Welcome Youth Relay is an activation by Making Tracks, the youth engagement program created by the local organizing committee of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Making Tracks invites schools, youth program groups, or youth track teams across Oregon and the United States to join 200-plus other groups in helping welcome the nations of the world to Oregon by taking on a leg of our World Wide Welcome (WWW) Youth Relay! Each one-mile leg of the youth relay is dedicated to one of the 200-plus global track and field teams on their way to WCH Oregon22. The first 200 registered groups will be assigned a nation to welcome; receive a relay leg kit including your official WWW relay baton, banners, and flags; and have the chance to submit a welcome message for your paired nation that will be shared with these international athletes at WCH Oregon22.
The World Wide Welcome Youth Relay will take place over the 100-day countdown to the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 - from April 8 to July 14. Participating groups select a date for their group’s participation during this window when registering.
What is the goal of the World Wide Welcome Youth Relay?
Through this activation we aim to:
-Encourage healthy physical activity amongst youth.
-Amplify the global scale of the World Athletics Championships and excitement of this event coming to the United States for this first time, while celebrating the global diversity of the sport of track and field and the World Athletics Championships.
-Invite all youth across the state and nation to engage with the World Athletics Championships Oregon22!
Is this a virtual or an in-person event?
Your group will physically complete your one mile relay leg in the location of your choice on your selected date. You will submit a re-cap of your run using the provided online form. As a part of the recap you’ll be invited to submit photo and video content from your relay leg welcoming your paired global team to WCH Oregon22, using an online submission portal. Submitted content may be used in a series of virtual updates following the progress of the WWW Youth Relay highlighted on WCHOregon22 website and social media, and shared with global teams at the WCH Oregon22 event. A photo and media release will be provided- we will only utilize content submitted if the photo and media release is signed.
Who can participate in the World Wide Welcome Youth Relay?
Group registration is open to programs that serve K-12 youth located anywhere in the United States. Examples of possible groups include public and private school classrooms, after-school programs, summer camp programs, school-based track and field teams, club track and field teams, or other youth sports teams. Youth of all abilities and fitness levels are encouraged to participate and groups do not need to identify as track teams or other sports groups to register. Youth may run, jog, walk, utilize adaptive equipment, or use other accommodations as needed to participate in one mile of physical activity. A group will need to be registered by a group leader over the age of 18 who will be responsible for the group’s participation. This is typically a teacher, program leader, or coach.
How do we complete our one mile relay leg?
It’s up to your group to decide how you want to finish the challenge of running one mile! Participants do not need to time their one-mile leg but can if they would like. Whether your group’s participants have never tried running a mile, are ready to hit the track and chase down a new personal record in the mile; are sprinters, jumpers, or throwers; or will be participating using adaptive equipment, we welcome you to participate in the WWW Youth Relay and make your leg your own! Here are suggested ways to set up your one-mile WWW Youth Relay leg. Depending on how you are measuring your distance, you can complete one mile or 1600 meters. While a true mile is 1609 meters, we recommend using 1600 meters as your official distance if using a traditional 400 meter track, as this equates to exactly 4 laps on the track!
-Measure out a one-mile or 1600 meter course. Encourage everyone to finish the mile at their own pace. Participants could also partner up in pace partners to run together and motivate each other along the way.
-Measure out a one-mile or 1600 meter course. Run, jog, or walk your mile together as a group.
-Divide the mile up into multiple relay legs of at least 100 meters amongst the participants in relay-race style where one person runs at a time and then hands off to the next runner, so at least one total mile is completed by the group. Depending on how many participants are in your group, you might need to break participants up into multiple relay teams so that everyone is included in the activity!
4x400 meter relay - 4 individuals each complete 400 meters, or one full lap on a 400 meter track. If you don’t have access to a track, measure out a 400 meter lap with one designated start/finish/relay exchange line marked.
8x200 meter sprint relay - 8 individuals each complete 200 meters, or ½ of a lap on a 400 meter track, as fast as they can. If you don’t have access to a track, measure out a 200 meter lap, with one designated start/finish/relay exchange line marked.
16x100 meter sprint relay- 16 individuals each complete 100 meters, or ¼ of a lap on a 400 meter track, as fast they can. If you don’t have access to a track, this is easiest to set up as a shuttle relay. Measure out one straight running lane 100 meters in length. Divide the team in half with 8 members waiting at the start line, and 8 members waiting at the finish line. The first runner will move from start to finish. The second runner will run from finish back to start, where the third runner will then move from start back to finish, continuing in this pattern until all 16 have run.
-Create a group race. Head out to a track or measured one mile course for a timed one-mile or 1600 meter race. Depending on number of group participants and width of the space where you are racing, you may need to break the group into multiple “heats” or racing groups to avoid crowding. Have volunteers available to time runners via stopwatch, have a large digital stopwatch set up at the finish line for finishers to see their time as they cross the finish line, or use other timing equipment if available.
How do I register a group?
What happens after I register? What will I receive?
Immediately after registration you will receive an automatic email confirmation that we’ve received your registration.
The week of March 21st, you will receive a digital welcome packet via email. This will include an announcement of the nation and global team (or grouping of nations) that your group has been assigned to welcome to WCH Oregon22, reminder of your selected time window to complete your relay leg, and other information and instructions to help you prepare for your relay leg day. This will include both a participation waiver you can provide to your participants’ families to obtain parent/guardian permission to participate if this is needed by your organization, and instructions for capturing photo or video welcome messages and submitting a media release if you’d like us to share these messages with athletes at WCH Oregon22. We’ll also let you know when to expect your mailed relay kit!
Your mailed relay kit* should arrive before your schedule relay leg day and will include items that can be used in your photo and video welcome messages such as banners and flags, a fact sheet about your paired global team, and a WWW Youth Relay baton.
*Mailed relay kits available for first eligible 200 groups registered or while supplies last. If a mailed relay kit is not available, a digital kit with printable items will be offered in its place.
Can my organization or school sign up multiple groups?
One school or organization may register multiple participating “groups”. For example, one elementary school building may decide to register each grade level cohort in their school as a separate group. A separate registration form will need to submitted for each group and a unique group name will need to be used for each in order to help us identify each participating group. Each registered group will be assigned it’s own paired nation and receive it’s own relay day kit of materials. The same group leader may register and coordinate each of these groups if appropriate, such as a principal or P.E. teacher.
However, one group may not register for multiple legs of the WWW Youth Relay on multiple dates.
My entire school or organization would like to run/jog/roll our mile leg together and participate as one group, but we have more than 150 youth. Can we register?
Groups of over 150 individuals, such as an entire school building participating as one group, are welcome to register. We’ll just need to manually approve your registration request and may need to connect with you further on how best to provide your relay leg day kit of materials. If you are interested in registering a group of over 150, simply fill out the registration form and indicate your group size. We will review your registration submission as soon as possible and follow up with further details.
The registration forms mentions that the WWW Youth Relay will have a finale at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. What is this?
The final leg of the WWW Youth Relay will take place as a community activation at the opening session of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. More details about this opportunity for local and regional youth will be announced at a later date.