S.Falls Prepares for Milestone! 100th Year of Howard Wood Relays

When it comes to signs that Spring is down the hall, to the left, and right around the corner, talk of the Howard Wood Relays ranks right up there with the snow melting, temperatures getting warmer, robins returning, and the days getting longer.

This year the Howard Wood Relays will celebrate a huge milestone!

2025 marks the 100th running of the Howard Wood Relays, and this year's 100th-year celebration is scheduled to happen right here in Sioux Falls during the first weekend of May.

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Believe it or not, the event first started back in 1923. That's the year legendary coach Howard Wood from Sioux Falls Washington High School helped to organize a track meet on May, 4th 1923 here in the Midwest, that was comprised of athletes from nine high schools and a couple of colleges.

Years later, the event would eventually become the Howard Wood Relays.

Throughout the years the Howard Wood Relays has grown from just a handful of high schools and colleges to a huge sporting event that has grown to over 3,000 student-athletes showcasing their talents from all over the Upper Midwest and Canada.

On average around 20,000 people flock to Sioux Falls to attend the Howard Wood Relays, and to help illustrate the kind of impact the Howard Wood Relays have had over the years, the Sioux Falls track event has produced 17 Olympians to date.

With the 2025 event rapidly approaching, the planning stages are already in motion.

Dakota News Now reports that on Monday, (February 24) the Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary Club began to hold a series of discussions regarding this year's 100-year milestone. One of the major topics of discussion included the planned improvements to Wood Field prior to this year's event.

The running of the 2025 Howard Wood Relays is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 3rd and 4th at Howard Wood Field on Western Avenue.

Source: Dakota News Now

7 Famous Athletes from South Dakota

South Dakota may have a small population, but our state's contributions to sports have been pretty big.

People born in the 605 have gone on to be in the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, WWE, WNBA, and in the Olympics.

Meet seven of the most famous:

5 Things South Dakota Gave the World

South Dakota may not get much respect. We get a blizzard and it's a footnote on the national scene, but if Florida gets a bit chilly it's breaking news. But, maybe it's fine to be forgotten about. We kind of like being left alone on our quiet piece of the plains.

South Dakota has given a lot to the world though. Not just giant mountain carvings and settings for HBO shows, but awesome things that the rest of the world should thank us for.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns