Editing Running (section)

===Distances===

====Sprints====
{{Main|Sprint (running)}}
[[File:Sina Schielke (192) wins the 100 metres race - ISTAF 2006 - Berlin, 3 September.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|International-level women athletes competing in 100 m sprint race at [[ISTAF Berlin]], 2006]]

Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the [[Ancient Olympic Games]] featured only one event – the [[stadion race]], which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other.<ref name=Instone>Instone, Stephen (15 November 2009). [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml#two The Olympics: Ancient versus Modern]. [[BBC]]. Retrieved 23 March 2010.</ref> There are three sprinting events which are currently held at the Olympics and outdoor World Championships: the [[100 metres]], [[200 metres]], and [[400 metres]]. These events have their roots in races of [[imperial measurement]]s which were later altered to metric: the 100&nbsp;m evolved from the [[100-yard dash]],<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4661.html 100 m – Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> the 200&nbsp;m distances came from the [[furlong]] (or 1/8 of a mile),<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4677.html 200 m Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> and the 400&nbsp;m was the successor to the [[440-yard dash]] or quarter-mile race.<ref name="400M"/>

At the professional level, sprinters begin the race by assuming a crouching position in the [[starting blocks]] before leaning forward and gradually moving into an upright position as the contest progresses and momentum is gained.<ref name="100 m – For the Expert">[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4666.html 100 m – For the Expert]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> Athletes remain in the same lane on the running track throughout all sprinting events,<ref name=400M>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4682.html 400 m Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> with the sole exception of the 400&nbsp;m indoors. Races up to 100&nbsp;m are largely focused upon acceleration to an athlete's maximum speed.<ref name="100 m – For the Expert"/> All sprints beyond this distance increasingly incorporate an element of endurance.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4673.html 200 m For the Expert]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> [[Human physiology]] dictates that a runner's near-top speed cannot be maintained for more than thirty seconds or so as [[lactic acid]] builds up, and leg muscles begin to be deprived of [[oxygen]].<ref name=400M />

The [[60 metres]] is a common indoor event and it an indoor world championship event. Other less-common events include the [[50 metres]], [[55 metres]], [[300 metres]] and [[500 metres]] which are used in some high and [[college athletics|collegiate]] competitions in the United States. The [[150 metres]], is rarely competed: [[Pietro Mennea]] set a world best in 1983,<ref name=150M>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8039407.stm Superb Bolt storms to 150m record ]. [[BBC Sport]] (17 May 2009). Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> Olympic champions [[Michael Johnson (athlete)|Michael Johnson]] and [[Donovan Bailey]] went [[Bailey–Johnson 150-metre race|head-to-head]] over the distance in 1997,<ref>Tucker, Ross (26 June 2008). [http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/06/fastest-man-in-world.html Who is the fastest man in the world?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523165116/http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/06/fastest-man-in-world.html |date=23 May 2012 }}. The Science of Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref> and [[Usain Bolt]] improved Mennea's record in 2009.<ref name=150M />

====Middle distance====
{{Main|Middle-distance running}}
Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the [[800 metres]], [[1500 metres]] and [[mile run]], although the [[3000 metres]] may also be classified as a middle-distance event.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/381174/middle-distance-running Middle-distance running]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Retrieved 5 April 2010.</ref> The 880-yard run, or half-mile, was the forebear to the 800&nbsp;m distance and it has its roots in competitions in the United Kingdom in the 1830s.<ref name=IAAF800>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9389.html 800 m – Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 5 April 2010.</ref> The 1500&nbsp;m came about as a result of running three laps of a 500&nbsp;m track, which was commonplace in continental Europe in the 1900s.<ref name=IAAF1500>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9397.html 1500 m – Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved 5 April 2010.</ref>

====Long distance====
{{main|Long-distance running}}
Examples of longer-distance running events are [[Long-distance track event|long-distance track races]], [[half marathon]]s, [[marathon]]s, [[Ultrarunning|ultramarathons]], and [[multiday races]].