Regular readers know about our regular obsession with obscure Olympic sports. Here is one we haven't discussed yet: team running.

That is not obscure at all, you might want to cry out. Today's Olympics are chock-full of numerous relay races along different distances!

Well, there are relays, and then there are team races, which were completely different. Unlike relays, everyone started at the same time, and points were awarded for the place of finish. First place got one, second got two, etc. The results for each country's top three finishers would be added up, with the lowest total score winning. Not confusing at all!

The distance started out at 5000 meters in 1900, and settled on 3000 meters in 1912. The Americans beat the host Swedes and the Brits in that year's final, and among the winners was Abel Kiviat, a Jew from New York.

Kiviat also won the silver in the still-contested non-team 1500 meter race, but that's not as interesting!