Long track speed skating, also simply called speed skating, was pioneered by the Dutch and first introduced at the first Olympic winter games in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Long track speed skating competitions follow the European model of pinning two skaters against each other in five different skating races.
History
The sport of speed skating evolved out a form of transportation used by inhabitants of Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands. The frozen canal system in Holland was used as way to travel from town to town in winter months. This commuting style is believed to date back as far as the 13th century, with the first skating competition taking place in Holland in 1676. The first official speed skating events, however, took place in Oslo, Norway in 1863. Some of the first countries to send teams to compete for the world championship included the Netherlands, the United States, England and Russia.
Races
Long track speed skating features five different races in two specialties: sprinting and long distance. Every race features two skaters who race against the clock, not each other. Only one race, the team pursuit, features two teams of three. The race time for a team is recorded when the third skater crosses the finish line. Individual races are split into sprinting, which include the 500 m and 1,000 m races, and long distance races, which include the 1,500 m, 5,000 m and 10,000 m for men and 1,500 m, 3,000 m and 5,000 m for women.
Skating Rink
The oval-shaped skating rink for long track speed skating measures 400 m in length, on which skaters race counter-clockwise. Skaters start at opposite sides of the rink and in different lanes, which measure 4 to 5 meters in width. A third lane, the warmup lane, makes up the innermost lane of the rink. Cones are positioned between the lanes in the turns to keep the racers in their designated lanes. A lane-change is performed on one of the straightaways of the rink, which measures 70 m in length. This is done so that each skater races the same total distance.
Equipment
Skaters must wear specialized equipment for long track. Since skaters start a race in different lanes, each skater must wear a different colored armband to signify which lane they must finish in. Speed skaters wear distinct ice skates with blades that measure only 1 mm in thickness and 42 to 46 cm in length. Some skaters wear clap skates, which feature a hinging mechanism on the skate's heel to keep the blade on the ice longer when the skater begins a new stride. Nearly every skater protects his eyes from glare and ice chips with glasses. Skaters also wear a tight racing suit with a hood that reduces air resistance.
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