With it's history dating back to the ancient Olympic Games in 776 B.C., track and field has grown to become a staple in the world of sports. To this day, track and field is a mainstay sport in the Olympics, as well as in athletics programs from elementary school through college levels. Track and field meets feature various events that, as the name states, revolve around the use of a track and a field area.
Short Events
Sprints, dashes and hurdles comprise a large percentage of the overall events for a track and field event. Sprints and dashes are speed races set on the track that consist of any distance including or below 400 meters. This includes the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races. Hurdles also fall into the short events category. Hurdles are speed races that involve jumping over staged barriers. These events commonly include the 100-, 110-, 300- and 400-meter hurdles.
Middle and Long Distance
Middle- and long-distance runs are another portion of events for a track and field competition. Middle- and long-distance runs around the track commonly include events ranging in distance from 800 to 10,000 meters.
Relay
Another type of running event in track and field are relays. Relays are similar to other running events except they are performed by several runners instead of a single individual. Relays include the 4x400 meter, 4x800 meter, and a distance medley relay in which each runner runs a different distance. Typically a relay is run by four different runners.
Throwing
Throwing events make up one part of the field portion of track and field competitions. These events include discus, shot put, hammer and javelin. In each event the competitor tries to throw their equipment farther than the other competitors. A discus is a heavy metal or sometimes wood disc. A shot put is a heavy metal ball that is propelled with an overhand thrust from the shoulder. The hammer throw consists of a heavy metal ball with a wire attaching the ball to a handle. The javelin is a wood or metal shaft that is thrown similarly to a spear.
Jumping
Jumping events are the other portion of field events in a track and field competition. These events include the long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vaulting. The long jump measures how far the athlete can run and jump from a set point into a pit of sand. The triple jump uses the same pit but the jumper must make an additional two jumps off the same run. The high jump involves jumping without assistance over a bar, while the pole vault uses a long pole to assist the runner over a higher bar. In both events the goal is to vault over the highest set bar without hitting it.
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