History

In the year 776 B.C., Koroibos, a cook from the city of Elis, started the first Olympic Games in a 600 ft. long stadium race. Literary records show that this event was the only athletic event of the first 13 Olympic Festivals.

Some evidence, both literary and archaeological, suggest that these events might have existed as early as the 10^th and 9^th centruy B.C. A series of bronze tripods, dating back to 900 B.C., have been found at Olympia. These tripods are suspected of being prizes for some early Olympian events.

Sprints

Also called dashes, are considered the premier event at a track-and-field meet. Outdoor sprints consist of 100, 200 and 400-meter events. Indoor sprints consist of 50, 60, 200 and 400 meter events.

The athlete crouches at the starting line and leaps into a full stride when the official fires the starter's pistol. The event features the athletes top speed.

Middle Distance

Middle distance races range from 600 to 3,000-meters. The most popular race distances are 800-meters. Another popular distance is the mile long race.

Middle distance races are a combination of the runner's ability to sprint and to mantain his/her endurance. In some middle distance races, the runner may change his/her speed many times, throughout the race.

Long Distance

Runs that are longer than 3,000 meters are considered long distance runs. The most common range of distance, for long distance runs, is between 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Many of the best distance runners are light-framed and small. They use a specific running style that helps ensure endurance. This is achieved by using slight knee action with minimum arm movement. The strides are less lengthy than shorter distance runs.

Relay Races

Being the only true team event in track & field, relays are split the track into four sections, called legs. Each runner covers one leg. As one runner approaches the next, he gets ready to hand off a baton to the next runner.

Hurdles

Hurdling events are dashes in which the runners clear a series of 10 barriers caled hurdles by jumping over them. The hurdles can be made from either metal and wood or metal and plastic. The key to successfully completing a hurdling event is to keep a steady sprint while skimming just over the hurdle. The runner will be disqualified if he/she either runs around to purposely knocks over the barriers.

High Jump

In the high jump, athletes have three opportunities to leap over a crossbar set between two upright poles approximately 4 meters apart. The competitor takes a running start to jump over the crossbar and then lands on a soft cushion, called the pit.

Pole Vault

Like high jumpers, pole vaulters attempt crossing a crossbar. This bar, however, is set much higher (6-7 meters). The athletes use a flexible pole, usually 4-5 meters to propel he/she into the air and over the crossbar to their cushioned destination. Poles are now usually made of fiberglass. This replaced bambo or metal in the 1960s.

Long Jump

The long jump is a simple contest determined by who can jump the farthest horizontal distance. The runner sprints from a distance of about 45 meters, springs from the take-off board, sails through the air, and then lands in a sand pit. While in the air, the athletes make an un-natural feeling thrust of both feet forward, so that he/she leaves the farthest possible foot print, from the take-off board, in the sand. A foul occurs if the copetitor steps beyond the take-off board during the run to the pit.

Triple Jump

Very similiar to the long jump, the triple jump involves sprinting down the track to acheive the farthest possible distance between the take-off board and his/her footprint. Triple jumpers must master a three-phase sequence of a hop, a step, and a jump before landing in the sand pit.

Shot Put

In the shot put event, the competitor attempts to throw a 12-pound ball with one arm farther than his/her competition. Strength is not the only chip on the table, however. The athlete must also use quickness and agility to manuever the ball during the throwing motion.

Discus

The discus is a steel-rimmed metal or hardwood circular platter. Holding the discus in one hand, palm face-down, the athlete throws the discus while spinning several times within a 2.5 meter in diameter circle, to maximize throwing distance. Once the athlete enters the circle, he/she must not exit until the discus touches the ground.

Training & Preparation

To help athelets build and strengthen their muscles, most incorporate wightlifting in to their work-out schedule. All runners must use aerobic training in some form. A helpful exercise is to run at high elevations. The thin air forces the athlete's body to make more red blood cells (these are the ones that fill up with oxygen) because of their cardiovascular system adapting. Another thing is to consider a diet with low-fat, nutritious foods. The diet for distance runners often includes a larger portion of carbohydrates, the basic fuel for endurance performance.

Try-outs

Track try-outs are held in the late winter/early spring at the track around the football field. The try-outs for running events are determined strictly by time taken to complete the event(s).

Athletes need to try-out for at least one of the following events, at the try-outs, to expect a placement on the team.

• 100-meter
• 200-meter
• 400-meter
• 800-meter
• 1600-meter
• Shot Put

*Athletes must consider that the more events they try for, the less chance they have for later events they try for, due to exhaustion.

Track Events

Event	Judged by
3200 Meter Run	Best Time
Shot Put	Best Distance
Discus	Best Distance
Long Jump	Best Distance
High Jump	Best Distance
Triple Jump	Best Distance
Pole Vault	Best Distance
100/110 M. Hurdles	Best Time
4 X 100 Meter Relay	Best Time
4 X 800 Meter Relay	Best Time
100 Meter Dash	Best Time
1600 Meter Run	Best Time
4 X 200 Meter Relay	Best Time
400 Meter Dash	Best Time
300 Meter Hurdles	Best Time
800 Meter Run	Best Time
200 Meter Dash	Best Time
4 X 400 Meter Relay	Best Time