Team Endurance Relay

Teams of 4 keep one runner on the track at all times for 20 minutes and decide when to hand off. The team with the most total laps wins, so students build aerobic endurance and learn to plan effort as a group.

How to play

1. Mark a 200 m loop with cones and a 10 m exchange zone. Make 6 teams of 4, each with a baton, a worksheet, and a pencil (2 min).
2. Each team spends 2 minutes planning its strategy: how many laps each runner will do per leg (minimum 1, maximum 3).
3. On the signal, each team's first runner takes off. After their laps, they hand the baton to the next runner inside the exchange zone.
4. Teammates who aren't running record the team's laps on the worksheet and walk or jog lightly near the exchange zone (20-minute block).
5. At the 10-minute mark, the teacher gives teams 30 seconds to adjust their strategy if needed.
6. At the end, each team totals its laps and discusses whether the split was balanced and how everyone felt (1 min).

Rules

• Hand the baton off inside the exchange zone; never throw it.
• Every team member runs at least 4 legs.
• Waiting runners stay off the course.
• If anyone feels discomfort, they say so and the team reorganizes.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: complete a shorter section marked inside the loop that counts as a full lap for the team.
• Visual impairment: run with a guide, who can be from another team, in the outside lane.
• Lower fitness level: always run one-lap legs and walk part of the loop if needed.

Learning goals

• Develop aerobic endurance through repeated efforts.
• Plan how to distribute effort as a team.
• Value each member's contribution to the shared result.

Equipment for a class of 25

• batons: 6
• cones: 10
• stopwatch: 1
• worksheets: 6
• pencil: 6

Teacher tip

Teams tend to overload their fastest runner; remind them the winning team is the one that splits the work well. Put the exchange zone on a straightaway so handoffs are safe.

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