What object is passed between runners in a relay race? The answer is a baton.
A relay baton is a short, rigid tube that teammates pass from one runner to the next during a race. Each athlete runs a designated leg, and the team must complete the handoff inside a marked exchange zone. The baton must remain in the team's possession; dropping it can cost valuable time and may create a rules problem if the recovery is mishandled.
In sprint relays such as the 4 × 100 metres, the receiving runner usually accelerates without looking back. This “blind” exchange is practiced carefully, with verbal cues and predetermined marks helping the incoming runner place the baton into the waiting hand. Longer relays generally allow runners to look back during the handoff.
Relay racing developed in the United States in the 1880s, partly from charity races modeled on firemen passing a pennant between stations. The modern baton replaced that earlier signal. A flag, whistle, or ordinary stick is not the standard object in an athletics relay, even though a baton is stick-shaped.