Which track lane gives you a mile?

Triathlon Forum
1

On a normal track the inner lane gives you 400M I believe. According to google:

http://www.google.com/search?q=1+mile+in+meters → 1 mile = 1 609.344 meters

So apparently I need to run an additional 9 and 1/3 meters to make a full mile. Which lane should I use to most closely approximate a mile? (Assuming I run 4 laps in that lane.) I suppose I could do the math if I knew the exact width of a track, assumed the ends were perfect half circles, and knew the width of each lane.

It’s easier to ask though. :slight_smile:

2

1.25 meters of width per lane.

Each lane adds another pi * 1.25 meters to the lap. Or 3.927 meters.

I thin kthe assumption of the ends being semicircles is a good one.

3

Inner lane. If the track is a multiuse or high school track, there should be a painted line or marker indicating the one mile and two mile waterfall start points. (assuming the track is marked with a common finish lane) All the other lanes and staggers are going to be marked so the line’s 400M from the finish line anyways.

How US tracks are supposed to be marked:

http://www.trackinfo.org/marks.html

4

Thanks. Damn it’s complicated. I guess I’ll just take the inside lane and assume it’s one mile. I did bookmark the site and hope to read it carefully in the future.

5

Or you could be lazy like me and figure 1600 is close enough, lopping a few seconds off intended pace/mile.

6

In lieu of markings on the track, when I want to approximate a mile, I just run 3 laps in lane 1 and 1 lap in lane 2. That tacks on about 8 extra meters, making it quite close to a mile. Each lane adds a little over 7.5 meters according to a sign posted at my track. That’s close to Kevin’s calculation (except he forgot to multiply by 2, since the 1.25 m lane width shoud be added to the diameter twice.)

7

Why don’t you just run 10 meters past the spot you started on in the first lane? You may not be able to pace exactly 9.3 meters but it will be close enough.

8

Curmudgeon,

Unless the rules have changed from when I ran competitively, one mile is measures 12 inches (1 foot) off the inside edge of the inside lane. However, when I ran, tracks were 440 yards and 4 laps equaled one mile. I don’t believe all those high school tracks were tore up and rebuilt. You should verify the size of the track first from someone who knows. Like a track coach familiar with that specific track.

A track that is 4 laps to the mile is 440 yards per lap. This is 402.341 meters per lap. If you run on a track that measures 4 laps to the mile, then you need to run to a point approximately 30.7 feet before the finish line. However, if the track measures 400 meters per lap, then you are correct, you must run 9.364 meters further than 4 laps to equal a mile.

On staggered starts, the measured distance and stagger is based on measurements 12 inches off the inside edge of each successive lane out to the most outside lane.

You should run on the inside lane. Running in the second lane for four laps will exceed a mile by a large margin. This would be the stagger distance for 8 turns. You only need to run approximately 30.7 feet further. Take ten strides past the start /finish line. Mark the spot with a T-shirt or something easy to see and recognize. This is the distance you must run beyond the finish line to equal one mile if you run in the inside lane…

If you can run less than 12 inches from the inside edge of the inside lane and not step off the track on the inside on the turns, then conceivably you will run slightly less than a mile to get to the finish line. However, if you step off the track on the inside of the turn in a race, you can get DQ’ed.