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like the 100-meter dash, this is much easier to track and to see. All runners line up in a straight line, and a straight line is drawn across the finish line for them to cross. The situation gets more difficult for longer-distance races that take place on an oval track. Each lane on the track is a different distance due to the curves at either end. Therefore, runners start in staggered positions at different To calculate this, let’s take a blast to the geometry past. Remember circle radius? Let’s calculate the arc length of a circle. Just as in Figure 1, the lanes on a track share the same center, but the radius of each is a different length. The calculation for arc length(s) follows:

Races longer than 100 meters require a staggered start, with runners starting farther ahead in each lane as they extend out from the center.

points on the track. Is there a magic math formula that dictates the distance between each runner in the staggered position? Why, of course there is!

Figure 1

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CHAPTER 1 : RUNNING

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