VI.

Running Events

Running events are competitions that test athletes’ quickness, speed, and endurance. Athletes win running races by completing the distance or course in the least amount of time.

A.

Sprints

The shortest running events, called sprints or dashes, are the premier events at a track-and-field meet. The outdoor sprints consist of the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter events. Sprints contested at indoor meets include the 50-meter, 60-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter events. Past champions include Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Evelyn Ashford, Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Michael Johnson of the United States; Harold Abrahams and Linford Christie of the United Kingdom; and Donovan Bailey of Canada.

In running the sprints, the athlete crouches at the starting line, leaps into full stride when the official fires the starter's pistol, and races to the finish line at top speed. Sprinters gain traction and power in the start by placing their feet against metal or plastic starting blocks located behind the starting line. The athletes who are fastest coming out of the starting blocks have the advantage. The chief characteristics of an efficient sprinting style are high knee lift, free-swinging arm movements, and a forward lean of about 25 degrees.

Endurance is a major factor in the 400-meter race, because the athlete must maintain a sprint for such a long distance. It is rare for a runner to have both the pure speed and the stamina to compete in both the 100-meter and 400-meter events.

B.

Middle Distances

Races ranging from 600 meters to 3,000 meters are known as middle-distance events. The most popular distances are the 800-meter, 1,500-meter, and 3,000-meter runs. The mile run is also a popular event. It is the only nonmetric distance still officially recognized. Outstanding middle-distance performers over the years have included Paavo Nurmi of Finland; Roger Bannister of Britain, who was the first to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile; Jim Ryun of the United States; Sebastian Coe of the United Kingdom; and Noureddine Morceli of Algeria.

Middle-distance runners use a combination of sprint speed and endurance. They must stay in contention but also regulate their speed carefully to avoid tiring too quickly. Some middle-distance runners change speed several times during a race, while others maintain an even pace throughout. Nurmi, who dominated track and field in the 1920s, carried a stopwatch during races as a means of checking on his pace. An important element of middle-distance races is the kick, a sprint for the finish line on the last lap. Running form for middle-distance events differs from that employed in the sprints. Knee action is much less pronounced, the stride is shorter, and the forward lean is less extreme.

C.

Long Distances

Runs longer than 3,000 meters are considered distance events. The most common distance races are ones of 5,000 to 10,000 meters, and the marathon, which does not take place on a track but on paved roads over a course of 42 km, 194 m (26 mi, 385 yd). Star long-distance runners have included Ingrid Kristiansen and Grete Waitz of Norway, Emil Zátopek of the former Czechoslovakia, Frank Shorter of the United States, and Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.

Many of the best distance runners are small and light-framed. They use a running style that avoids excess motion. Knee action is slight, arm movements are reduced to a minimum, and the strides are shorter than those used in sprinting or middle-distance running. Although fitness is essential, competing in long distance events also involves careful strategizing. The top racers use a variety of techniques to outperform their opponents, from abrupt changes of pace during the race to fast finishing kicks.

Although cross-country races are not generally held during track-and-field meets, many distance runners compete at cross country during the fall and winter. Cross-country races take place over rough, rolling terrain and can be as long as 14.5 km (9 mi). Because of the varying conditions and sites, no world records are kept for cross-country racing.

D.

Relay Races

The relays are the only true team events in track and field. Relays are split into four sections called legs, with one runner covering each, then passing a baton to the next runner. The baton pass must be completed within a 20-m (65-yd) long exchange zone, or the team is disqualified.

The only relays at the Olympics and world championships are the 4 × 100-meter relay (in which each athlete runs 100 meters) and the 4 × 400-meter relay (in which each athlete runs one 400-meter lap). Less common relay events include the 4 × 200-meter, 4 × 800-meter, and 4 × 1,500-meter. Sprint medleys (400 meter-200 meter-200 meter-800 meter) and distance medleys (800 meter-400 meter-1,200 meter-1,600 meter) feature four athletes running varied distances. Shuttle hurdles involve teams of four hurdlers, two at each end of the track, who race back and forth.

E.

Hurdles

Hurdling events are dashes in which competitors must clear a series of ten barriers called hurdles, which are made of metal and wood (or metal and plastic). The hurdles are placed at equal distances over the course. The distance from the starting line to the first hurdle and the distance from the last hurdle to the finish line vary depending on the event. The key to success in the hurdles is sprinting smoothly while skimming just over the hurdles. It is grounds for disqualification if an athlete goes around the hurdle instead of over it, or if an athlete purposely knocks down hurdles. Outstanding hurdlers have included Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, Colin Jackson of the United Kingdom, and Lee Calhoun, Glenn Davis, Gail Devers, Roger Kingdom, and Edwin Moses of the United States.

Men run two hurdles events on the international and collegiate level. The 110-meter high hurdles features hurdles set at 107 cm (42 in) high and 9.14 m (10 yd) apart. The 400-meter intermediate hurdles has barriers set 91 cm (36 in) high and 35 m (114 ft 10 in) apart. Women run the 100-meter high hurdles, with barriers set 84 cm (33 in) high and 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in) apart, and the 400-meter hurdles, with barriers set 76 cm (30 in) high and 35 m apart.

In high school, the boys' 110-meter hurdles are set at 99 cm (39 in) and 9.14 m apart. Most states run the girls' 100-meter hurdles set 84 cm high and 8.5 m apart. The 400-meter hurdles are rarely run at the high school level. Instead, most states contest the 300-m hurdles, with the boys leaping 91-cm hurdles and the girls 76-cm ones. Both events set the hurdles 35 m apart.

F.

Steeplechase

The steeplechase covers 3,000 meters–seven and one-half laps around a 400-meter track. On each lap, runners must leap four hurdles that are 91 cm tall for men and 76 cm for women. In addition, each lap features a water jump, in which the athletes step on a barrier, then leap into a sloping, 3.7-m (12-ft) long pool of shallow water. Many successful steeplechase runners are also talented distance runners.

G.

Race Walking

Although race walking is not contested in most meets, it has been a part of track and field since the sport’s earliest days. The goal is to race as fast as possible while still maintaining a walking gait. During the race the heel of the forward foot must maintain touch with the track until the toe of the trailing foot leaves the ground.

The standard Olympic distances for men are 20,000 meters and 50,000 meters. Women formerly competed in the 10,000-meter event, but now their standard distance is 20,000 meters.