Sprints are short footraces. They don't last very long. A gun is fired in the air and the runners dash off at top speed. They never slow down until they pass the finish line. The shortest race is the 100 meter dash.

Hurdles are high gates that a runner will jump while sprinting. They must jump at just the right instant- not too soon or too late. This takes a lot of practice.

Jumping is one of the many field events. In pole vaulting, athletes use a long, flexible pole to hoist themselves over a tall bar. The winning athlete is the one who can go over the highest bar without knocking it down. In the high jump, competitors use their legs to jump over a tall bar. The athlete runs before jumping off one foot. It takes speed, strengthen, and skill.

Two other field events are the discus thrown and shot put. The discus is a round disk that looks like a small flying saucer but much heavier. A shot put is a small ball that is very heavy. The athlete puts the shot by his/her neck to throw it. The athlete spins around and then throws the discus or shot as far as they can. The longest throw wins.

Distance runners have to be very in-shape. They will run from one mile to twenty-six miles. They must pace themselves so they don't run out of energy too fast.

Relays, are when four runners on one team take turns running a certain distance on the track and is then replaced by another teammate. The runner must carry a metal tube called a baton. When they finish their distance, the runner must hand off the baton to the next runner.

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