THE MILLROSE DMR
A lot can happen in twenty laps of the track. The Distance Medley Relay is one of the most entertaining events in track and field, both for the runners and for the fans. Indoors the DMR is amplified; it’s noisier, crazier and - thanks to a bouncy banked track - it often feels faster too.
We sent two teams to race the Millrose Games DMR at the Armory in New York. Started in 1908 by a club team from the John Wanamaker Department Store, the Millrose Games is the longest-running indoor track meet in the world and home to the prestigious and eponymous Wanamaker Mile. In 2011 the Games moved from Madison Square Garden, where the games had been held since 1926, to the Armory. Originally home to the state militia - the building now houses one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world. Add in a packed crowd and non-stop music and you have an electric atmosphere that inspires great performances.
Photographer Emily Maye documented the racing and aftermath. And we asked a few of the athletes to share their impressions of what makes this race unique.
“There is a frenetic energy to the indoor track compared to competing outdoors. Inside there is nowhere for the pre-race nerves and post-race exhaustion to go but be recycled back into each athlete competing.”
— Matt Hillard, Men’s 1600
“Racing on a banked track puts you under the lights and even a small crowd sounds large. The conditions are near perfect and the tight turns make for more tactical racing.”
— Jake Ferriero, Men’s 400
“The sound, too, of runners ripping 200's and 400's on a banked indoor track, is like nothing else.”
— Matt Hillard, Men’s 1600
“For indoor I always end up cutting my warmup way too short because i start thinking 'What if they get ahead of schedule? What if I miss my heat?' and then I get back and have like 45 minutes until I run so I basically jump around within a 5 foot radius for 30 minutes. ”
— Molly Malone, Women’s 1200
“What is so cool about the DMR is that, to be successful, four athletes all have to have a good day on the same day. ”
— Matt Hillard, Men’s 1600
“The DMR is such a joint effort. Everyone runs a different distance and has to do their part slightly differently. Every distance runner secretly wants to race relays and the DMR finally gives us a chance.”
— Lou Serafini, coach
“Because every leg is different you get to show how eclectic your team is and it affords runners who wouldn't normally share the stick the opportunity to come together in the brotherhood of a relay.”
— Jake Ferriero, Men’s 400
“The main reason I love the DMR is just the simple idea of having someone else at the other end of the line. You get that extra push and motivation that you can't replicate in an open event.”
— Laney Teaford - Women’s 800
“What do I hate about the DMR? Handoffs.”
— Matti Groll, Men’s 1200
“Immediately after finishing my lungs felt singed. If there was a way for my lungs to get road rash or have an open wound, that's how it felt.”
— Molly Malone, Women’s 1200
“And when you're done, you step outside of the Armory and you are thrown into the heart of Washington Heights with all of the sounds, sights, and smells of New York City.”
— Matt Hillard, Men’s 1600
“Where else could we go afterwards but Coogan’s?”
— Molly Malone, Women’s 1200
Millrose Games 2018
DMR Results
Women’s DMR
Tracksmith Hare AC - 2nd Place - 11:42.74
(Molly Malone, Heather Martin, Laney Teaford, Dana Giordano)
Men’s DMR
Tracksmith Hare AC - 4th Place - 10:12.15
(Matti Groll, Jake Ferriero, Benjamin Bosworth, Matthew Hillard)