Fans left 105th Penn Relays with lasting memories

St. Anne's School '98 Brooklyn, N.Y. That sentiment was true around most of the Carnival, as there was much to see and do over the course of the event at and around Franklin Field. · Most of the 44,639 in attendance on April 24, the fourth-largest Saturday attendance in the history of the Carnival, saw Michael Johnson -- the star of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he won double gold in the 200 and 400 meters -- anchor a superb Olympic Development 4x200-meter relay. Johnson's Nike International team -- which also included Ken Brokenbur, Alvin Harrison and Maurice Greene -- posted a time of 1:19.47, over a second ahead of its nearest competitor, Nike Elite. "I'm pleased with how I ran today," Johnson said. "Being at the Penn Relays is great. I really like coming here and I'll come here every year that I'm running. The crowd is outstanding -- I love it." · Another person who loves the Relays is Bill Cosby. The veteran entertainer attended all three days of the Carnival, amusing everyone with whom he came into contact. Late on Saturday afternoon, a runner from Seton Hall's 4x800-meter men's team was in agonizing back pain. Cosby leaned over and whispered in the athlete's ear, and both were quickly laughing. "The entire community of track and field participates," Cosby said. "It's a family affair. The people in the stands are a mix of elders, parents, coaches and people who used to participate here. And the University of Pennsylvania, which is known for its Ivy League-ishness, its elitistness -- on these four days, it opens up! And you see all the major players, the Olympians and all, coming in their peak to run here and that means that this is special." · While Cosby hosts the CBS program Kids Say the Darnedest Things, competitors at the other end of the age spectrum raced in one of the Carnival's most interesting and exciting races. In the men's Masters 75-and-older 100-meter relay, Les Wright of the Shore Athletic Club came back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to catch and overtake the Florida Athletic Club's Tom Kennell in the final 15 meters, winning the race by 16/100ths of a second with a time of 15.27. · The thunderstorms on Friday produced a rare weather delay at the Carnival. The delay, however, only lasted as long as the lightning was around. Events continued through the pouring rain. Most of the qualifying heats for Saturday's championship races were run between the raindrops. On the field, meanwhile, one of the Relays' key field events -- the college men's long jump championship -- was also weighted down with water. On the other hand, the raging storms had no effect on the booming voice of Arkansas jumps coach Dick Booth. One of the most indelible memories of Friday's competition must certainly be Booth's urgings to the Razorbacks' Melvin Lister to catch more of the board on his take-offs. Lister, like any of the 31,904 rain-soaked fans in attendance on Friday, was well able to hear Booth and clearly took heed of his coach's advice, jumping 7.74 meters in the miserable conditions to take the event by four centimeters over George Mason's Maurice Wignall and Penn State's George Audu. · There was more to do at Franklin Field over the weekend than just watch one of the world's largest track meets. "This is a carnival," Cosby said. "I love being here." On the Lott Courts, there was an opportunity for fans to test their track skills against the stars and food vendors lined the north side of the stadium. But the good times at the Relays were not just limited to the track "family" that Cosby spoke of -- the festive atmosphere was enjoyed by everyone who spent last weekend on 33rd Street.

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