Track and Field is one of the greatest, most challenging, and most underappreciated sports in the world.
It’s a rare sport, like wrestling, where individual success doesn’t necessarily equate to team success. It’s one of the most thrilling sports that many in the U.S. don’t appreciate outside of an Olympic year.
It produces some of the greatest athletes in the world, as well as some of the biggest, most unique personalities and fashion trends worldwide. From the gold spikes of Michael Johnson, the sunglasses of Jeremy Warner, and the deadly smile of Usain Bolt to the style and flair of Flo Jo and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, track has given us names, faces, styles and performances to remember.
That’s why the latest athlete to get into the blocks might fit right in.
The blue hair, big smile, and bigger body of Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf make him the perfect candidate for a sprinter. But how did the 6’4, 235-pound receiver get the itch to run? Well, it all started when the Seahawks played the Cardinals in October of last year.
After Metcalf ran down Budda Baker and prevented a pick-six, USA Track and Field took their shot at DK on Twitter.
“For everyone asking if we have a spot open on our relay team for @dkm14, @NFL players are welcome to come test their speed against real speed next year at the Olympic Trials.” tweeted USA Track and Field.
The attempt worked. A few days later, Metcalf’s agent called up Adam Schmenk, the Managing Director of Events and Entertainment Properties/Broadcasting at USA Track and Field.
“DK’s agent told us that he really wants to try to make the Olympics and asked what steps he needs to take,” said Schmenk to Yahoo Sports. “We walked him through what the auto qualifying time was that he would have to run in a sanctioned USATF event and told him that we would help him find a lane if and when he wanted to do this.”
Track is not a part-time sport
DK wants to do this.
This weekend, he’ll don his spikes and run the 100m at the USA Track & Field Golden Games in Southern California.
To do it right, he has to run sub-10.2 seconds. The current field in the U.S. is stacked, with athletes already running sub-10 second times. To automatically qualify for the Olympics, he needs to run 10.05 seconds or better with a legal headwind.
This will be difficult for DK Metcalf. Not just because he hasn’t run track since high school, where he helped lead his team to four state titles from 2013-2016.
No.
The main reason is because track is not a part-time sport. You can’t play at track because you will be embarrassed quick, fast and in a hurry. A second in track is the equivalent of a blowout, or a dusting as sprinters would say.
I ran track in high school in college and I competed in the most pain-inducing event ever- the 400m. People who have run it understand the agony I’m referring to. The invisible refrigerator that lands on your back as your sprint through the final turn. The burning feeling that sears through your arms and legs at the 350m mark with the finish line in sight. Every 400m runner has experienced these feelings at least once in their track careers.
Think it’s easy because it’s only one lap? Try running five city blocks in 43.05 seconds like Wayde van Niekerk.
Even a second in track is significant. Watch this 400m race and you’ll understand.
Metcalf ran a 4.33 40 yard dash at the 2019 NFL Combine. Impressive for sure. But it’s impressive for the combine, not so much for track and field.
If he held that time in a 100m dash, he’d finish around 10.8 seconds. That’s well behind world record holders Usain Bolt (9.58) and Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49). That’s also behind Trayvon Bromell, who ran a 9.88 last week at a meet in Florida. A second might not sound too bad, but imagine staring ahead at the back of the winner while you’re still running and they’re not. That sight means you got dusted.
A few football players have had successful track careers. At the 1983 world championships, Chicago Bears receiver Willie Gault won a bronze medal in the 110 hurdles and a gold medal as a member of the 4×100-meter relay. Renaldo Nehemiah played in the NFL for three years and won two gold medals in international competition. Santana Moss won the triple jump at the 2000 Big East Championships and played in the NFL for 14 seasons. Marquise Goodwin (long jump) and Jeff Demps (4×100) both competed for Team USA at the London Games in 2012.
But in recent years, NFL success has not equated to track and field success. That’s because you can’t just hop on a track because you’re football fast.
Track fast is entirely different. It’s a skill that you have to develop and learn. Raw speed is good but harnessing it to become a sprinter is a transformation that takes years. You have to know how to get out of the blocks and learn to run a curve. You have to understand when to use your “kick” and how to train mentally to develop that reserve. Part-timers won’t ascend to that level.
“We know that these professional athletes can do superhuman things, but we also know that there is typically a difference between track speed and other speed,” said Schmenk. “We hope that DK’s presence will encourage people to tune in to watch.”
His NFL brethren are already watching and pulling for him to hold his own.
In a sport that caters to big personalities, DK Metcalf is a savior of sorts. He brings immediate attention to the sport and could usher in a new wave of fans who normally only tune in to track and field when the Olympics are on. Metcalf could be to track what the Paul brothers have become to boxing (apologies to pugilism purists). They’re not professional boxers but their social media presence brought new eyes, opportunities, and money, to the sport.
If track reaps that type of reward from Metcalf, then his race this weekend, regardless of the result, could be worth it to the sport.
Track deserves more attention and respect and I hope that DK helps that effort.
But like the Paul brothers, Metcalf is not a professional track athlete. His physical presence will drive ratings and also serve as additional motivation for the runners to his left and right. And when the gun sounds, they won’t care if he catches passes from Russell Wilson. They’ll be focused on dusting him.
Then they’ll pose for pictures with DK before sending him back to the gridiron.
