I posted something along these lines to the list about 2-3 years ago.
The Fenners track at Cambridge University, which was used for competition
up until about 1960 when the 400 metre track at Milton Road was built, was
one where the runners went around clockwise. This may have been to
optimise a finishing straight relative to the stands or something, because
the track was not at all symmetric. It was 3 laps to the mile, so each
lap was about 587 yards (546 metres) and I think it had two longish
straights joining each other at almost 90 degrees and a longer curved part
with slightly less sharp bends. It was like this because it was built
around the outside of a cricket field. I sometimes used to train on it
when I was at the University in the early 1960s, because it was close to
where I lived. It wouldn't surprise me if the film "Yankee at Oxford" was
shot on this track (in Cambridge).
David Dallman
On Mon, 9 Apr 2001, Edward Koch wrote:
> I recall an old (Pre WWII) movie about an American at Oxford (A Yankee at Oxford?)
>in which they are running clockwise around the track. I believe Robert Taylor was the
>actor.
>
> Ed Koch
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: "P.F.Talbot" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Oleg Shpyrko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: April 7, 2001 8:57:06 PM GMT
> Subject: RE: t-and-f: Fw: direction of running
>
>
> No Bannister didn't run clockwise in his sub-4:00. But I think that
> Oxford's team had a tradition of running clockwise.
>
> On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Oleg Shpyrko wrote:
>
> >
> > > Didn't they run clockwise at Oxford during Bannister's day?
> >
> > I don't think so. At least the picture of Bannister breaking the tape showed
> > him running left-to-right, not right-to-left. But I was told that ancient
> > drawings of greek Olympics showed they ran in both directions.
> >
> > Here's an old post to this list giving a few possible reasons for
> > counter-clock direction:
> >
> > http://wso.williams.edu/listserv/tfselect/Aug1598-Sep198/msg00472.html
> > (see text below).
> >
> > Frankly, I don't think Coriolis effect is significant enough to explain
> > this.
> > I could believe right-handed (and right-legged) explanation, though. When
> > people get lost in the woods they circle counter-clockwise due to the right
> > leg being slightly stronger than left leg. So counter-clockwise direction
> > could be a little more natural to most humans.
> > Oleg.
> >
> >
> > On Thu, 27 Aug 1998 14:08:25 -0400, you wrote:
> >
> > >AFAIK, track races have always been run in the counterclockwise direction.
> > >Does anyone know the reason for this, historical or otherwise? (I posted
> > >this question on the internet newsgroup rec.running. So far, the only
> > response
> > >comes from Steven Isham, who speculates (facetiously) that it is due
> > >to the fact that runners race "against the clock.")
> > >
> > >************************************************************************
> > >Terry R. McConnell Mathematics/304B Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-1150
> > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://barnyard.syr.edu/~tmc
> > >************************************************************************
> >
> > This question came up on this list a couple of years ago, and as I
> > recall, there were various answers offered, including these:
> >
> > 1. It was the direction the ancient Greeks did it, and we've stuck
> > with tradition.
> > 2. When running around a curve, the arm on the inside of the curve
> > must swing less than the arm on the outside of the curve. Therefore,
> > it helps to have a stronger right arm if you run around curves
> > counter-clockwise. Since there are more right-handed people in the world
> > than left-handed, running counter-clockwise caters to the natural
> > strength of the majority of people.
> > 3. Goes naturally with the coreolis effect- the direction water swirls
> > when it drains being the usual indicator. But that means that in the
> > southern hemisphere, they should be running clockwise :-).
> > Of course, our Australian friends claimed that THEY are the ones who
> > are consistent with the coreolis effect, and it's us northern hemispherers
> > who should be running clockwise around a track.
> > 4. When looking at runners sprinting down the homestretch from left
> > to right (to arrive at a finish line which nobody wants at the end
> > of a curve), it is more natural for spectators to want to see people
> > running from left to right, just like most Western nations read their
> > written language from the beginning to the end of a row of words.
> > 5. The horses on carousels always go counter-clockwise, for the same
> > reason (a bit of trivia I never knew).
> > 6. Horse races (at least in the U.S.) are always counter-clockwise.
> > 7. Same for dog races (i.e. greyhounds).
> > 8. Military parades always go counter-clockwise when they 'pass in
> > review' (centuries-old tradition). That's where the command 'eyes
> > right!' comes from.
> >
> > 9. And last, but not least,:
> > the IAAF rulebook says that is the direction races must be run.
> >
> > These are the ones I remember (some real laughers), but I think there
> > were others, too.
> >
> > R.T.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> *******************************
> Paul Talbot
> Department of Geography/
> Institute of Behavioral Science
> University of Colorado, Boulder
> Boulder CO 80309-0260
> (303) 492-3248
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
David Dallman
CERN - SIS
