"Mcewen, Brian T" wrote:
> Question: Since all races in lanes (relays, 200m, 400m, races with
> staggered starts in lanes) are essentially a race on a track without a curb,
> when a track has a curb in the innermost lane the width of Lane 1 would have
> to be different from the other outer lanes, right?
No, see below.
>
>
> The circumference of Lane 1 (with curb) would be slightly less because it is
> measured at 30 cm "inside" the theoretical 400m path. The other lanes have
> no curb so the circumference is different ( measured at 20 cm "inside").
>
> I know that all lanes are the same width, so I am betting that the start
> lines take this into consideration, and "adjust" the theoretical distance
> traveled in Lanes 2-7 appropriately.
This is in fact what is done.
>
>
> Starting to get the feeling that only the 100m is reasonably certain of
> being the distance it purports to be?
Not by people who know what they are doing. Unfortunately, some people try to
mark tracks without knowing what they are doing.
>
>
> NOTE: the difference in circumference of the innermost lane line between
> the two track-types would be:
>
> 2 x 3.14159 x 10 cm (change in radius) = 62.8318 cm
Correct.
>
>
> ... if you assume a 100m straight and a 100m turn, which I believe is NOT
> the IAAF spec, but is close enough for a ballpark approx. of the
> circumference difference.
In fact this will be true for any track composed entirely of arcs of circles
and straight sections.
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Wayne T. Armbrust, Ph.D.
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