They start out in staggered lanes, to make the distance the same for each runner, but the race soon becomes open with no lanes and the runners must to pass around each other to gain the lead. Also, the runners don't stay in a single lane for the entire race. They rely more on endurance and pacing than just pure speed. These races require different skills and tactics to win that the sprints. The middle distance races are the 800m, the 1500m, and the 1 mile long runs. They should be focused on their lane and the track at the start and the finish line for the last half of the race or so. Sprinters should remain relaxed while running and move their arms in a straight back and forth motion. Once top speed is achieved then endurance kicks in as the runner tries to maintain that speed for the rest of the sprint. The initial part of the race the runner is accelerating to top speed. The runner should exhale and run out of the blocks not jumping. Then there is the bang and the race has started. At this point the runner should get their hips slightly above shoulder level, feet pushed hard into the blocks, holding their breath and ready to race. At this point the racer should be focused on the track, have their feet placed in the blocks, fingers on the ground behind the starting line, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, muscles relaxed. The original Olympic event, the stadion race, was a sprint of around 180m.Ī sprint race starts out with the runners in starting blocks in their lane.

In a track and field competition there are generally three different sprint distances: 100m, 200m, and 400m.

Other words for running track