JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 51st annual Bob Hayes Invitational took place Saturday at Raines High School.
The event was started in 1964, the year Hayes set the Olympic record in Tokyo by running the 100 meters in 10.06 seconds, making him the fastest man alive at that time.
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More than 140 schools from as far away as New York were represented, with thousands of athletes competing.
It was also an opportunity for the athletes to interact with a few Olympians, including Ralph Boston, John Carlos, Bob Beamon and Richard Stebbins, all imparting their knowledge to the future of the sport.
"Well, it's something that you want to be a part of it and this is our 51st year we've run the Bob Hayes track meet," said James Day, director of the Bob Hayes Invitational. "I've been in all 51 of them and people come from all over the country to run in this basically to say that I've been there. They came from as far as New York this year to run in the Bob Hayes track meet, and we have thousands of athletes. We're known as the largest one-day high school track meet in the nation."
Day said it was an overall great day for the fans, participants and coaches who came to Jacksonville.
Hayes was awarded two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics.