Penn Relays are canceled for the second straight year as the carnival hopes to run three smaller meets in 2021

After being contested for 125 consecutive years without a postponement or cancelation, the Penn Relays will have to sit idle for a second straight year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The university’s Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics announced its decision Thursday to cancel what would have been the 126th carnival at Franklin Field. It revealed plans to host three separate meets – one for colleges, one for club teams and professionals, one for high schools – under the Penn Relays umbrella later in the spring and summer.

“It is disappointing that we once again have to cancel one of the landmark events of the spring in Philadelphia and in track and field,” Penn athletic director M. Grace Calhoun said in a statement. “But collectively we want to ensure the safety of our athletes, campus, community, and spectators.

“Our goal on campus has been to safely move through the Ivy athletic activity phases to host competition, and we remain hopeful that we will be able to provide some competitive opportunities for as many athletes as possible who have missed out on so much this past year.”

The Penn Relays had been scheduled for April 22-24. In a normal year, the event that bills itself as “the world’s oldest and largest relay carnival” would be welcoming more than 15,000 athletes and 110,000 spectators over the three days.

Carnival director Dave Johnson, who has announced his retirement and is expected to step down after the set of three planned meets has concluded, said he hoped things were going to work in the right direction to have a Penn Relays in some form.

“But we got to the point quite a few weeks ago where everything had to work in quick order and in the proper succession without setbacks, and we’re not there yet,” Johnson said in a telephone interview. “At least we haven’t been there long enough to put away any fears that there could be setbacks if we move too quickly.”

The three proposed meets are for NCAA Division I, II and III teams and athletes on April 24, a program in mid or late May for club and professional athletes who need to post a qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic Trials or the Tokyo Olympics, and a high school event in the summer.

Johnson said the first step is to get the April meet approved by the university and the city of Philadelphia. Right now, the Penn track team cannot compete in the spring season but is allowed to practice, although no more than 30 athletes can train inside Franklin Field at any one time, and only on an individual basis.

If the meet can go forward, there would be no spectators and only essential meet personnel allowed. All participants and teams would have to comply with COVID-19 safety policies and procedures on campus.

Regarding the meet for those with Olympic aspirations, Johnson said the key is finding an open date in mid to late May, or before the deadline to file entries at the start of June.

“Mid-May to late-May is the best open slot, and even now they’re closing up quickly,” he said. “It could be we get closed out even if the campus is opened up.”

Johnson said that the summer high school meet would be based on who would be interested and when they could compete.

“But that’s still well into the future,” he said. “Getting an April meet approved to even be contested is the first step.”