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100 meter hurdles
high jump
discus throw
pole vault
steeple chase
triple jump
javelin throw
relays
5,000 meters
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A Spectactor's Guide To The Sport
The following is derived from "A Spectator's Guide to Track & Field" produced by:
THE UNITED STATES TRACK COACHES ASSOCIATION
The following are just a few of the events comprising the sport of track and field.
100-meters
Down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. Wind can play a big factor in this event, and a trailing wind over 2.0 meters per second will dissallow any record.
The slowest 10 meters of the race is at the start as it takes even the best sprinters a few meters to get up to speed.
100-meter (W)
and 110 meter
(M) Hurdles
This race is contested over 10 hurdles. The men’s hurdles are 42 inches high and the women’s are 33 inches high. Runners must stay in their lanes during hurdle events.
High Jump
A competitor runs up to and jumps over a cross bar. Originally, the athlete was forced to land in sawdust. Fortunately, for today’s competitors, a large foam "pit" is now used. Each competitor is only allowed a maximum of three attempts at each height.
200-meters
This race is contested around the turn and the home straightaway. As in all sprints, runners must stay in their lanes.
The lanes are progressively more difficult as you move from the outside
lane to the inside lane due to the sharpness of the turn.
400-meters
One lap of the track, in lanes. Higher altitudes favors this distance, as well as all shorter events, because of the lessened effects of air resistance.
Hammer Throw
The hammer is not at all what we normally think of when we picture a hammer. It is actually a solid iron sphere with a steel wire attached. The overall length of the hammer is just over 4 feet and weighs 6kg (women’s) and 16 lbs (men’s).
The hammer is thrown from a 8-foot concrete circle surrounded by a mesh cage. A competitor will begin the throw by slowly rotating the hammer about their head and torso and will then begin to spin their body rapidly to finally fling the implement into the air.
Discus
Like the hammer, the discus throw is attempted from inside a large cage-like structure that protects spectators
and officials. The discus is a circular metal and wood disc that is thick in the center and tapering at the edges. It
weighs just over 2lbs for women and a little over 4 lbs for men. It is essentially 7 inches in diameter for men and a
little smaller for women.
800-meters
...Two laps. This race requires the runner to have speed like a sprinter, and strength like a miler. The last 200 of this race tests the mettle of even the best.
Pole Vault
The pole vault competition requires the athlete to clear a horizontal bar set at selected heights above a landing
"pit". The athlete uses a fiberglass pole to vault over the cross bar. In each attempt, the athlete, carrying the pole,
sprints down a runway and plants one end of the pole into a recessed metal "box" at the end of the runway. The
athlete then attempts to catapult over the crossbar using the elasticity of the pole and the momentum from the
run. The athlete, who attains the greatest height with fewest misses wins. Each competitor is allowed no more
than three attempts at each height.
Steeple Chase
The race is contested over 3,000 meters; with 28 hurdles and seven water jumps. Each barrier must be jumped. The hurdles are rigid and can be stepped on, unlike the hurdles used for the other hurdle races. The water jump consists of a 3 foot high barrier
followed by a 12-foot pit of water that declines gradually in depth from
knee-deep at the barrier to the dry track surface.
Long Jump
The competitor sprints down the runway and jumps into a pit of sand. A legal jump occurs when a competitor
takes off no further than the far edge of a take-off board and lands without touching the sides of the pit. A legal
jump is measured from the break in the sand made by any part of the competitor’s body or clothing, nearest to the
take-off board.
Triple Jump
This event was once known as the "hop, skip and jump," named for the three individual jumps within the event.
As in the long jump, the competitor sprints down the runway and takes off no further than the far edge of a
take-off board.
1500 meters
The 1500, or metric mile, is 109 meters short of one mile, and is often
considered the glamour event of track and field. A four-minute mile was
widely considered a barrier until Roger Bannister broke it in 1954. The
four-minute mile is still considered a major barrier to this day.
Javelin Throw
In the javelin, the competitor runs up to a foul line and throws the javelin downfield. As with all throwing events, the farthest throw wins. Distance thrown is measured from the foul line to the nearest spot where the point landed. The javelin is a spear usually constructed of a composite with a steel tip and a cord grip around the midpoint.
400-meter Hurdles
A physically demanding one lap race around the track over ten hurdles
with the men's hurdles at 36 inches and the women's at 30 inches. Each
runner stays in his or her lane for the entire race. The favored
athletes are typically found in lanes 4 through 6 as with all sprint
races held in lanes.
4x100, 4x400, 4x800, DMR, SMR relays
Teams of four runners exchange a baton between individual legs of the relay. The pass must be completed with a prescribed zone during the course of the race. If a baton is dropped it must be picked up, likely costing the team any chance of victory.
Shot Put
The shot is a solid metal sphere and is thrown by a competitor from
inside a 8 foot circle. In throwing some competitors slide or glide
across the circle and others use a spinning technique. A competitor is
not allowed to step outside the circle until the throw has been
completed under control.
Combined Events
Men compete in a rigorous 10 event challenge called the Decathlon (which includes throws, jumps, and running).
Women compete in the 7 event Heptathlon (which also includes throws, jumps, and running). Champions of the
combined events are often considered the greatest all-around athletes in the world.
5000 meters
The first event of the ancient Olympic Games held on a rectangular track
with 600 foot straight-aways, the "dolichos", or long distance race as
it was known, was approximately 4,800 yards. The 5,000 meters is 12 and
1/2 laps of today's modern 400 meter track.
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