Run-Down Forums

[Micah Ward]

On a standard 400 meter track, 4 laps of the inside lane gives you 1600 meters. Which lane would give you a mile for 4 laps? I'm old and a traditionalist so I like to know my exact MILE time and not a 1600 time.
Micah

[Dan]

There wouldn't be an exact lane to mile correlation, as the lane staggers have nothing to do with imperial measurements. You would need to measure the 9.1 or so meters back from the 400m start, or find a track with a mile line already measured and painted.

On a related note, 400m tracks often are not exactly 400m, due to measurement tolerances and whether or not it was designed for a rail on the inside lane. If you can run right on the outer edge of lane line the whole way around, you actually run less than 400m.

Dan

[Guest]

I once ran on a 400m track and the sign said lane 7 is 440 yards.

[Anonymously Posted by: 'ganja boy']

[Dan]

That can't be right. The lane 7 stagger is *far* more than the difference between a 400m and 440y track, which is only 2.3 meters. The stagger for each lane is more than that. The only way a lane stagger could have an exact imperial equivalent is if the lane widths were set up to allow the measurement systems to coincide. The question is why would anyone bother to do that, and how would they decide what lane to do it for? Given the difficulties in accurately measuring the track itself, I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of calculating such lane widths for no apparent reason. Far easier to just mark the mile start like many tracks do.

I'm at a loss for ideas what that sign could've meant...

Dan

[graeme]

yeah, that's not true, unless it's a small track because the inside lane is 40,000cm and there are about 90cm in a yard so that would mean 440y is equal to about 39,600cm. Basically, 440yards is less than 400 meters... unless I made a huge error in my calculations

[Dan]

440y is actually longer than 400m by the amount I mentioned above.

Dan

[graeme]

ok, I didn't see that

[Micah Ward]

Dan, maybe I am confused by your answer. I am not talking about staggers. If I run in the 1st lane and I start and stop in the same place I have run 400 meters. (assuming correct construction) If I move out to lane 4, for example, and I start and stop at the same place I have run more than 400 meters. Is there a lane that would be 440 yards?

[Dan]

The stagger refers to the extra distance that must be made up for one lap run in that lane -- I thought you meant which lane would account for 4 laps' extra distance in that one lap stagger... It's highly unlikely that any of the lanes would be 440y sans stagger.

If it's important to you to find that exact distance, you will need to do some calculating yourself, based on 440y-400m conversion and lane width, which will probably yield something on the outer edge of lane 1 (that's completely a guess).

Dan

[Micah Ward]

With the caveat of not being a mathemitician (or even being able to spell it) I figured that a 440 is approximatly 12 yards/meters longer than a 400. Sound anywhere close?

[Dan]

I'm starting to wonder if I really did post the message above... The difference is 2.3 meters (longer), by my calculations. I've never measured the typical lane stagger (which surely varies by track based on lane width), but it probably isn't a whole lot more than that. 3-4m?

Dan

[Indeurr]

1. A mile is 1609.344 meters (IAAF uses 1609.32 about one inch too short).
2. How to run a mile on a 400m track?
I would propose two things:
-1) find the spots on track where the hurdles for 110m should be placed. They are all 10 yards apart or 9.144m. Start from the first hurdle and after 4 laps finish on the second hurdle, and you will have run 1609.144m (only 0.2 m too short).
-2) find the staring line for 110m hurdles. Start from this starting line, and after 4 laps finish on the 100m starting line, and you will have run 1610m (or about 0.5 meter too long).
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[Dan]

If I correctly follow what you are describing, I see a potential problem. Many tracks are laid out so that the 110m start line extends well beyond the end of the straightaway. So, in order to line up with the 110m start line while running laps, you'd have to be running in the outer lanes, or in some cases, off the track altogether, which would throw off your meticulous calculations by reintroducing the lane stagger factor.

Dan

[Indeurr]

I do not see your point.
1)The 110m starting line is usually 10m behind the 100m starting line. All you have to do, is to start from the 110m starting line-lane 1. Just start. Later you run 4 loops in the lane 1, and finish on the starting line of the 100m.
2) O.K. if the hurdle one spot is behind the starting line of the 100m (which I doubt, it is usually about a meter after it), pick hurdle two spot and finish on hurdle three spot.

[Dan]

On many tracks, the 110m start line intersects lane 1 well into the turn, making it difficult, if not impossible, to line it up as an accurate starting spot. Come to think of it, the only way I can picture a track having the 110m start line intersecting lane 1 on the straight (a track would have to have the finish line on the straight to be legal) would be to have a very long straightaway and short turns, making for some pretty goofy 4x100 handoff zones and inner lanes that no sprinter would want to run in.

Much easier to find a track with a mile waterfall start measured off or just mark off ~9m yourself. For me, that would be just under 10 steps at a comfortable walking pace. You can calibrate your steps over 100m and take about a tenth that number.

Dan