Fighting though immense amounts of lactic acid, Tyynismaa storms home to a 5th place finish, PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

The 113th annual Drake Relays were held from last Wednesday, April 26, to Saturday, April 29, at the Blue Oval in Des Moines.

South Tama was represented by two athletes both sharing the Tyynismaa last name, Jojo and her brother Tommy. Jojo graduated last year, capping off her impressive high school track and field career with a Class 3A state title in the 400-meter hurdles. Jojo Tyynismaa made 3 of 3 possible appearances at the Relays during her prep career, while 2023 marked Tommy’s first appearance at the historic event.

Jojo’s giant schedule

This year, Jojo Tyynismaa returned to the Blue Oval donning a fresh orange Wartburg singlet. Throughout her two day stay in Des Moines, she competed five individual times, in prelims and finals for the Knights.

Starting off her busy Friday bright and early at 9:18 a.m. in the opening round of the 4×100, she ran the second leg of the relay and helped the Knights secure the eighth and final qualifying position for Saturday’s final.

Tyynismaa glides effortlessly over the hurdles. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Later in the day, Tyynismaa took to the track again to help Wartburg’s 4×400 meter relay. Anchoring the team home with a split of 56.71, her effort was evident, but they came up short of qualifying for Saturday’s finals. Wartburg placed ninth overall.

For her final Friday race, Tyynismaa laced up her spikes and returned, running another 400 meter relay leg, this time in the sprint medley. The collegiate version of this relay is 200-200-400-800 (meters).

Jojo received the baton from Olivia Tollari and returned the stick around the track in a quick 60.3 seconds to anchor leg Haley Meyer. Meyer brought the Knights down the homestretch, securing Tyynismaa’s first podium finish of the meet. Wartburg finished 7th in a time of 4:08.52.

After some much needed rest, the Wartburg first year was back to Drake Stadium to compete twice more.

Two things that go together like bread and butter are Jojo Tyynismaa and hurdles. The last time Tyynismaa went over a hurdle in Drake Stadium, she was en route to winning her state title last May.

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

On Saturday morning, Tyynismaa ran in Wartburg’s shuttle hurdle relay, contributing to the Knights’ fourth place finish.

To round out her five different races, Tynismaa and Wartburgs 4×100 returned for finals. The quartet of Parker, Tyynismaa, Tollari, and Sidney took to the track at 4:19 and competed in the Knights’ final event of the Relays. Finishing in sixth place and improving on their qualifying time, Wartburg ran 47.41.

Tommy’s Epic 800

STC Junior Tommy Tyynismaa did not have anywhere near his sister’s schedule, but most certainly had an equal amount of pressure. For high school athletes, qualifying for the event means one thing only — they are among the best of the best in the state.

Kicking off his inaugural Drake Relays Race, Tommy took to the start line of the 800-meter run.

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

As the gun sounded, the field of 16 charged off the starting line in hopes of establishing good placing. Placing seemed to be a constant theme of the race for the Trojan, being immediately swallowed into the pack, sitting in the middle of the group by 200 meters.

Working his way through the crowded field, Tyynismaa slid into sixth place by 300 meters into the race. Seeming content, Tommy kept on running at the field’s pace and achieved a 400 split of 58.13 seconds.

In a very risky move coming off the penultimate turn, Tyynismaa swung into lane three to stay even with his competitors.

As the race entered its final hundred meters Tyynismaa — in his signature style — tilted his head up slightly, swung his arms high, and unleashed his trademarked finishing kick, which was good enough to hold off fellow Tommy, Tommy Hensley of Urbandale, to secure a fifth place finish coming across the line in a school record time of 1:54.25, the exact winning time of last year’s Drake Relays High School 800.

Tyynismaa’s time bested his previous school record of 1:55.23 from state last year by nearly a second.

Tyynismaa closes his eyes as he sprints over the finish line. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

“I met my goals, but I don’t know, I feel like I could have improved a couple spots by racing a little smarter,” he said. “That first lap was a little slow, most of the guys ran 58-ish [seconds].”

Most record breaking 800 meter races are run with what is called a positive split. This method of racing is when an athlete intentionally runs faster in the first half of the race faster than the second. World record holder David Rudisha used this technique to set his world record of 1:40.91 using this exact technique.

Tommy’s race was far from being a positive split. Clocking a first 400 of 58.13 and a second 400 of 56.13, an exact two second negative split (meaning a faster second half). Tyynismaa cites Rudisha as one of his go-to runners to watch race footage of, and study 800 racing tactics and strategy,

Tyynismaa’s finish left him as the top non-senior in the race.

Saturday 1600 yields same result

After over 24 hours of rest, Tommy Tyynismaa returned to Drake Stadium to compete in the 1600 meter run on Saturday.

This event hasn’t always been a strong priority for the junior. In his previous two years, Tyynismaa has focused more on relays and 400s. The graduating class of 2022 was comprised of many of the team’s top sprinters, leaving events more open for Tyynismaa.

This year, Tommy started running the event frequently with his first running of the event being at the IATC (Iowa Association of Track Coaches) Indoor State Championship meet, boasting a time of 4:34.01.

His second attempt at the distance yielded a school record. At one of Wartburg’s several high school indoor meets, Tyynismaa very narrowly bested fellow teammate James Brant’s school record of 4:27.87 by running a time of 4:27.55 to win the race. In the time since that performance in March, Tyynismaa has collected school records in the 3200 and as a part of the Distance Medley Relay as well as besting the 1600 record in Iowa City.

Saturday saw a few hours of rain over Drake Stadium. After light showers for the better part of two hours, the sun poked its head out just in time to dry the track off and warm up the cool air. At 4:47, 21 competitors lined up and set out over four laps of the Blue Oval.

In the first 400, Tyynismaa found himself jostling for position in the large field. Competitors were bunched up and received plenty of contact from one another.

Elbows flew and spikes scraped shins. Tyynismaa escaped the crowded first 200 with minimal contact with competitors before the race strung out slightly leading into lap two.

Careful positioning was a takeaway from the 800 the previous day, Tommy stayed composed and carefully weaved through the pack in the middle laps of the race, moving from 18th in lap two to 11th at the bell lap.

Upon overtaking competitor after competitor in the last 400 of the race, with 150 meters to go, Tyynismaa used what is commonly referred to as the “slingshot” in middle distance track racing, pulling up onto his competitors right shoulder out in lane two and launching himself off the curve into the final home straight. Kicking with everything he had, Tommy fought his way to another fifth place finish at the Drake Relays.

Tyynismaa clocked a time of 4:17.35, besting his own school record set less than a month ago in Iowa City. Since last year at state track, the STC 1600 record has been lowered by 11.29 seconds thanks to Tyynismaa and Brant.

After the race, Tyynismaa was content with his performance, expressing that he gave it his all.

“This showed me how to compete with guys at my level — and better, I’m not the best person here,” Tyynismaa said. “But it’s getting used to competing at a high level, improving on that and race strategy.”

After earning two Drake Relays medals, Tommy now sets his sights on the State Track Meet at the end of May. Making his intentions clear, his goal is a state title.