Guide Relay: 4 × 50 with Baton and Tether

Team relays of four pairs where one runner wears a blindfold, tethered to a guide, and hands the baton to the next pair. It builds shared speed and applies the real rule of Paralympic track: the guide may not pull or finish first.

How to play

1. Guide running review: the runner sets the pace, the guide steers with voice and tether without pulling, and the runner crosses the line first (3 min).
2. Pairs on a 30 m straight with a blindfold: three fast-jog straights, then switch roles (7 min).
3. Baton exchange practice: the arriving pair calls "hand!" and the guide places the baton in the next runner's hand (5 min).
4. 4 × 50 m relay (or whatever the yard allows) between teams; two heats switching who wears the blindfold (12 min).
5. Team review: what went wrong in the handoffs? (3 min).

Rules

• The guide doesn't push or pull; if it happens, the pair repeats the leg.
• The blindfolded runner must cross the line before the guide.
• Each pair runs in its own lane marked by cones.
• The blindfolded runner chooses the speed; no one pushes them to go faster.

Variations

Adaptations

• Blind or low-vision students: run with a trusted guide and can share tips about the tether.
• Limited mobility: run the leg in a wheelchair with a guide alongside, or run the start and stopwatch.
• Students uneasy with blindfolds: run their leg as a sighted guide and try the blindfold only in practice.

Learning goals

• Coordinate running with another person.
• Pass and receive the baton safely.
• Know the rules of guided running.

Equipment for a class of 25

• blindfolds: 8
• short tether cords: 8
• relay batons: 4
• cones: 16

Teacher tip

Keep lanes at least 2 m apart; a pair takes up a lot of room. Common mistake: the guide drifts ahead; ask them to stay half a step behind the runner's shoulder.

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