Jim Schoffman Gets Woooohed

"Saturday at Penn was great especially after running in the rain on Friday. I was slated to run the 4 x 100 on Friday, but the team had to scratch. Too many injuries. That's the problem with Masters relays, not enough healthy bodies at times," says Jim Schoffman, who ran the Masters M60 100 and several relays at this year's carnival in Philadelphia.

"With the 40 and older 4 x 400 on Saturday we ended up with two guys in their 50's and two 60 year olds. I  received the Penn woooooooh on the backstretch while reeling in the guy in front from ten to fifteen meters back. So cool. Never imagined at 60 I would have this opportunity.  I did tie up 30 meters from the finish, and he passed me back . But I got the woooooh!"

Editor's Note: While the woooooh is not limited to the Penn Relays. though with a crowd of 40 to 50,000 people in the stands on the final day of Penn each year, it's certainly louder.  As the 4 by 400 is commonly the final event in high school meets, I have many fond memories of the race, in the dark, under the lights, back in the '60s.

At Penn you can get whooooohed by 40 to 50,000 people

The lights weren't as bright as today's, so often all you could see going down the backstretch were silhouettes of the flying bodies and gleaming batons flashing up and down as the runners battled for the lead.  And then there was the woooooh that followed every big move or lead change.  As Jim notes here at Penn the experience is not reserved for the young.  Everybody deserving of a woooooh gets wooooohed!

One of whom being former Temple track athlete, Bill Cosby