Anchor Olympics: Track And Field

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Last week, WCCO anchors competed in basketball, beach volleyball and badminton as part of the Anchor Olympics.

On Thursday, it was track day, and Chris Shaffer and Frank Vascellaro got a much needed lesson on running sprints.

Melvin Anderson knows a thing or two about speed. He played wide receiver for the Gophers and spent a year in the NFL too.

Anderson operates Youth Determined to Succeed (YDS). The mission is to inspire kids to develop healthy, responsible lifestyles and become successful community leaders.

One of the programs is Track Minnesota Elite.

Anderson says a track competitor will stretch for about 40 minutes before running a 10-second race, and it's not just the lower body that needs to be warmed up.

"Arms and legs go the same speed, so if you're trying to go fast it's the arms, not the legs," Anderson said.

Anderson's teenaged daughters, Taylor and Elise, are both AAU All-Americans. They helped Chris and Frank too, especially when it came to understanding how to fire out of the blocks.

Click on the video to see who won.