BEND SPRINTING AT DIFFERENT RADII OF AN OUTDOOR ATHLETICS TRACK

Abstract

Athletes in the inners lanes may be at a disadvantage during sprint races that contain a bend portion. This study investigated the effect on performance when sprinting on the different radii of an outdoor track. There was an approximately 2% reduction in mean race velocity from lane 8 (left step: 9.56 m/s, right step: 9.49 m/s) to lane 5 (left step: 9.36 m/s, right step: 9.30 m/s), with only slight further reductions from lane 5 to lane 2 (left step: 9.34 m/s, right step: 9.30 m/s). This was mainly due to reductions in step frequency as radius decreased. The disadvantage of the inner lane compared to the outer lane may be greater than previously suspected. Larger race velocity standard deviations as radius decreased may be indicative of athletes being differently able to accommodate running at tighter radii than others. This may have implications for training and competition.