The 2017 Footrace Fever bracket challenge is underway on Citius Mag and we’re calling on you to help us decide what is the greatest race ever. We have pop culture, Olympic, U.S. and classic race separated into different regions.

We ask that you download and print out a bracket, Fill it out and tweet it @CitiusMag with #FootraceFever in order for you to submit your bracket and be eligible for a surprise.

Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament, where you sit and watch the outcome out of your control, you have the power to rock the vote and help your favorite races advance. Vote in the polls below. Voting for the first round will end on Saturday. We will craft the next round of the tournament on Sunday and then voting will re-open for the following round on Monday.

Download your bracket now! Tweet it. Vote. Vote. Vote.

Olympic Races

A new star emerges vs. a star cements his greatness

2016 Rio Olympics – Wayde Van Niekerk vs 1984 LA Olympics Men’s 400mH

Wayde Van Niekerk gets the No. 1 seed because it’s a record and race that’s fresh in our heads. Not just a world record but Michael Johnson’s 400 meter world record…out of lane eight. The gap between two Olympic gold medalists in Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt is also remarkable.

Hurdles G.O.A.T. Edwin Moses won his second Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles to extend his streak of 89 consecutive finals won in the 400 hurdles. Danny Harris challenged Moses but at 19 years old came away with the silver medals.

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Drought-ending run vs. Cajones

2016 Rio Olympics – Centro 1500m vs 1988 Seoul Olympics 5000m

2016 was only the year for the Chicago Cubs’ first World Series since 1908 but also a year to end 108-year droughts on the track. Matthew Centrowitz took the victory wire-to-wire to become the first American to win gold since Mel Sheppard in 1908. The race also completed a global championship medal set for Centrowitz, which is comprised of his 2011 Daegu Bronze and 2013 Moscow silver.

John Ngugi displayed some cajones at the 1988 Olympics. At the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Ngugi ran 13:22 in the heats. He was unable to win in the final and so he came up with a different plan for the Olympics. Before the 1,000m, Ngugi took off and split 2:32 for the next kilometer and built up about a 50 meter lead on the rest of the pack. It started shrinking going into the final lap but he still managed to close in 60.8 to win by 30 meters. He proved that he was not just a force to be reckoned in cross country.

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Double gold vs. Redemption Run

2008 Beijing Olympics – Bekele 5000m vs 2016 Rio Olympics Jager 3000SC

Kenenisa Bekele closing the Olympic final in 53.87 to blow away a field that included Eliud Kipchoge. The win also completed the 10,000 and 5,000 double for the Ethiopian legend. Nearly 10 years later, it’s remarkable Bekele and Kipchoge are still titans in the sport but now on the roads.

In 2015, Evan Jager established himself as a threat to the Kenyan dominance in the men’s steeplechase. He lowered his American record despite falling. The added pressure may have hurt his world championship run and medal hopes but Jager came through and delivered at the 2016 Olympics. Hanging with Conseslus Kipruto and Ezekiel Kemboi, Jager was able to deliver the first Olympic medal in the event since Brian Diemer’s bronze in 1984. The monkey from 2015 was finally off Jager’s back.

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Epic finish vs. gut-wrenching finish

2000 Sydney Olympics – Paul Tergat/Haile vs 1992 Barcelona Olympics Derek Redmond 400m

Nine 100ths of a second is what separated Paul Tergat and Haile Gebrselassie in a clash of titans in Sydney. The bell lap of Tergat’s final 10,000 on the track saw the Kenyan star take-off and slightly lead over his Ethiopian rival and then one of the most dramatic finishes unfolds. Gebrselassie entered as the reigning Olympic champion with Tergat finishing behind him in Atlanta. This is one of the must-watch races in Olympic history and could be a No. 1 seed depending on who you talk to.

It’s not a winning moment but it’s one of the most heartwarming and just sneaks into the bracket. In Barcelona, Redmond recorded the fastest time in the heats to move onto the semi-final. In the semis, he pulled up with a torn hamstring yet continued to push toward the finish line. His father came to his aid and assisted him to the finish line.

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Gold spikes star vs. Golden moment robbed

1996 Atlanta Olympics – Michael Johnson 200m vs 2004 Athens Olympics – Men’s Marathon

In front of about 83,000 people, Michael Johnson donned the gold spikes to not only win the 200-400 double at the Olympics but when the clock flashed “19.32” it destroyed the previous world record of 19.66.

The men’s marathon in 2004 came back as a topic of conversation in 2016 when Vanderlei de Lima was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron. In the Olympic marathon, he took off after the half marathon mark and looked to be a lock for the gold medal before being pushed over by a defrocked Irish priest with about four miles remaining in the race. He was passed by Italian Stefano Baldini and American Meb Keflezighi but held on for the bronze medal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd7pPCpyHuI

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The GOAT vs. The First

2012 London Olympics – David Rudisha WR vs 1984 LA Olympics Joan Benoit

Beautiful running posture. Record breaking performance. David Rudisha stunned at the 2012 Olympics in London when he pretty much showed raw talent by setting a world record sans pacer. 100 seconds and he destroyed the world.

Joan Benoit’s gold medal run at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles is a monumental run in women’s history. She had already won Boston twice and held the marathon world record but her gold medal performance led to a boom in women’s running, especially in the marathon.

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Off-track distractions vs. On-track wow

1992 Barcelona Olympics – Women’s 1500m vs 2016 Rio Olympics Almaz Ayana WR

Algeria’s Hassiba Boulmerka has a very interesting backstory as she won the 1991 world championships but was highly criticized by Islamic fundamentalists that did not believe she should run with her legs exposed. There were rumors of an assassination attempt but she managed to overcome all off-track distractions as well as a field with Russians and allegedly doped-up Chinese runners to win gold at just 24 years old.

Almaz Ayana kicked off the 2016 Olympics with a world record in the women’s 10,000 meters. She destroyed a record that many believed to be tarnished by one of those aforementioned Chinese athletes, Wang Junxia, which had stood for 23 years.

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Lightning strikes in Beijing vs. America’s golden girl

2008 Beijing Olympics – Usain Bolt vs 2012 London Olympics – 400m Sanya Richards-Ross

Do we really need an introduction to this one. Yes, it could be the No. 1 seed and it could go all the way. Usain Bolt emerged onto the global scene in Beijing and becomes “The World’s Fastest Man” by winning the 100, 200 and 4×100 meter relay.

Sanya Richards-Ross’s gold medal win gets past the selection committee over one of the many medal-winning performances by Allyson Felix. Sad! Regardless, even if you have Bolt vs. Felix in the first round, no one is knocking him off this early.

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Do not forget to vote in the Classic Races, Olympic Races and U.S. Races brackets. Tweet your bracket to @CitiusMag and use #FootraceFever.