Sprints

100m, 200m, and 400m

In the 100 meter sprint, athletes begin at the sound of a starter’s pistol and run at full speed to the finish.  100 meters is ¼ of a regulation track, therefore it is run on one of the long straight-away sides of the track.  The world record for the 100 meter sprint is 9.84 seconds.  In the 200 and 400 meter sprints, the runners start several meters apart in adjoining lanes which is called a staggered start.  This compensates for running on a curved track and ensures that each runner runs the same distance.  The world record for the 200m sprint is 19.32 seconds and the 400m sprint is 43.49 seconds.

Middle Distance

800m, 1500m, Mile, and 3000m

  An 800 meter race is two laps of a track.  A 1500 meter race is 3 ½ laps of a track.  A mile run is 4 laps of a track.  A 3000 meter race is 7 ½ laps of a track.  All of these events are started as a staggered start and runners must only stay in their lanes for the first half lap.  The world record for the 800 meter run is 1:42.5 minuets, for the 1500 meter run is 3:32.07 minuets, for the mile run is 3:43.13, and for the 3000 meter run is 7:20.67.

Long Distance

5000m and1 10,000m

A 5000 meter race is 12 ½ laps of a regular track.  A 100,000 meter race is 25 laps of a track.  In both the 5000 meter and 10,000 meter races the runners start at the sound of a starter’s pistol.  Like middle distance races, runners start at a staggered start and must stay in their lanes for the first half-lap only.  Runners must carefully pace themselves so that they don’t get tired.  The world record for the 5000 meter run is 13:05.59 minuets and for the 10,000 meter run is 27:07.34 minutes.

Hurdles

100m, 110m, and 400m

In all hurdle events there are ten hurdles made of wood and metal placed in each lane on the track.  Women’s races are 100 meters long, which means that participants have 10 meters of running between hurdles.  The world record for the women’s 100 meter hurdles is 12.38 seconds.  Men’s races are 110 meters long, which means that participants have 11 meters of running between hurdles.  The world record for the men’s 110 meter hurdles is 12.91 seconds.  Both men and woman can participate in the 400 meter hurdles.  The hurdles used in the 400 meters race are shorter then the then the ones used in the 100 meter and 110 meter races.  The world record for the 400 meter hurdles is 46.78 seconds.

Relays

4x100m and 4x400m

Each relay team consists of four members where each member runs for a quarter of the race’s distance.  When each runner finishes their leg of the race they must pass a baton to the next runner on their relay team.  The baton has to be exchanged within a set distance of ten meters.  This ten meters is called the exchange zone.  The baton must be passed correctly inside of the exchange zone or else the relay team will be disqualified, therefore the teams must practice and perfect their exchanges.  In the 4x100 meter relays each runner runs one quarter of the tracks distance, which is 100 meters.  In the 4x400 meter relays each runner runs one lap of the track, which is 400 meters.  The world record for the 4x100 meter relay is 37.40 seconds, and for the 4x400 meter relay is 2:55.74 minutes.