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The many track and field events are placed in the following categories. For juniors, see also the list of Sportshall events.

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Running

Running events include:

• Sprints (100m, 200m, 400m)
• Middle distance (800m, 1500m)
• Long distance (3000m Steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m)
• Hurdles (110/100m, 400m)
• Relays (4x100m, 4x400m, mixed 4x400m)

Jumping

Jumping events include:

• Long Jump
• High Jump
• Triple Jump
• Pole Vault

Throwing

Throwing events include:

• Discus
• Shot Put
• Javelin
• Hammer Throw

Multiple Events

The Men’s Decathlon and Women’s Heptathlon include a combination of events, held over two days each. Points are awarded for each event and the overall winner is the athlete with the most points.

• The decathlon includes ten events in the following order, for the first day: 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m. The second day events are 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin, 1500m.
• The heptathlon includes seven events in the following order, for the first day: 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. The second day events are long jump, javelin and 800m.

Walking Events

• Race walking is a special long-distance race event in which the participants must walk as fast as they can, while they are expected to maintain good form. The competitors are penalized for bending the knee as it passes under the body or having no foot-to-ground contact.
• The men compete in both 20km and 50km events, women only in the 20km event.

Marathon

• The marathon is a long-distance running event, taking place over a course of 42.195km or (26 miles & 385 yds.) in length.
• The marathon was originally conceived as a race for the 1896 Olympics in Athens, commemorating the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died.
• The unusual distance of the marathon is a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London where the race distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box.

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Related Pages

• Sportshall Events — indoor athletics events for juniors
• Olympic Games track and field events
• Commonwealth Games athletics events
• More about Athletics Events