It has often been said that the Penn Relays offer fans at Franklin Field a chance to see the rising stars of track and field before they become household names.
So when Justin Gatlin blazed his way to a gold medal in the 100-meter dash at last year's Athens Olympics, it was simply a confirmation of what everyone who had seen him race for years in Philadelphia already knew.
By the time Gatlin left Tennessee in 2002 to become a professional runner, he had already won six NCAA Championships and four Penn Relays Championships of America -- one in 2001 and three in 2002. The Pensacola, Fla., native returned to Franklin Field with the U.S. national team in 2003, anchoring the first-place 4x200m team and running the second leg on the first-place 4x100m team.
When Gatlin arrived at last year's Penn Relays, the media was finally ready to bestow the spotlight upon him, with Athens only a few months away. He delivered in the 4x200m, anchoring the USA Red team to a first-place finish by more than three seconds.
Months later, 9.85 seconds of brilliance in Athens made Gatlin a worldwide superstar. It was a mere one-hundredth of a second off the Olympic record, another one-hundredth better than second-place finisher Francis Obikwelu and nine-hundredths of a second better than fifth-place finisher Asafa Powell of Jamaica -- whose team finished second in the 4x100m at last year's Penn Relays.
It was, in other words, the fastest and closest 100-meter sprint in Olympic history. So when Gatlin comes to Franklin Field this year, he will do so having fully established himself in the category of runners he idolized not all that long ago.
"When I was at the University of Tennessee, it was like: wow, I get to watch the professionals run, I can't wait to get there," he said.
Once he got there, though, Gatlin was able to enjoy the trappings that being a celebrity entails, at least while track and field had its quadrennial few weeks at the front of the American sports conscience.
"I've gone to the Super Bowl and been recognized there," said Gatlin, who also went on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "A lot of doors have opened for me."
Now, though, he's just "working on people trying to remember me in 2006," the midpoint between the Athens and Beijing Olympics.
But at the Penn Relays, Gatlin will definitely be remembered.
"Penn's been there for a long time," he said. "To run in that stadium year after year after year and get recognition from a lot of people who are older than you, it means something to me."
Gatlin said that he also appreciates the atmosphere surrounding the Penn Relays. He praised it for being laid-back, despite the commotion in the paddock and on the streets around Franklin Field.
"It's like a basketball All-Star game for track and field," he said. "You can have a smile on your face and not always have to have a competitive look on your face when you're at Penn."
But that doesn't mean he won't be focused on winning or teaching a thing or two to some of the runners who haven't been to the Penn Relays before.
"They're gonna feel something in their soul when they step into the stadium," Gatlin said. "When they see the commotion, it looks like chaos, but it's fun -- be aware of your surroundings, be on time and be ready to run."
To be aware of the surroundings, on time and ready to run. No matter what level you're racing at, the rules of the Penn Relays apply the same to everyone.
