On a standard running track, the 100m sprint is a straight line for all competitors - that’s about as fair as it can be.
The 200m sprint includes a section of curved track. Because the outer lanes have a greater circumference than the inner ones, the starting positions are staggered so that all competitors still have an equal distance of 200m to run.
But one thing that is not equal is tbe curvature. Runners on the inner lane have a slightly tighter curve to run around than runners on the outer track.
Does this make any difference?
Yes, but different runners have different preferences. The inside lanes have the tightest curves and are considered pretty undesirable. Some runners prefer the outer lanes as best suited to their running styles.
Just noticed i posted this in gd. Flagged for forum change request
In theory, the outside lane should be most desirable as it’s the least curved, but psychologically, it isn’t considered the best as you can’t gauge where your opponents are. I’ve never quite understood that since 200m is surely 80% flat out and pacing is only a minor part of it. The 400m, I can understand more why atheletes don’t like lane 8, as it’s far more of an endurance event.
You can tell the general preferences by the lane assignment rules. Runners are seeded 1 through 8 based on performance in the previous round. For the “straight” races (100m, 100m hurdles) lanes 3-6 are randomly assigned to the top four seeds; the next two seeds are randomly assigned to lanes 2 and 7; the lowest two seeds to lanes 1 and 8. For the “staggered” races lanes 3-6 are again randomly assigned to the top four seeds; the next two seeds are randomly assigned to the two outside lanes, 7 and 8; and the lowest two seeds are randomly assigned to lanes 1 and 2.
(Note that in these Olympics lanes for the staggered events are 2 through 9, just move everybody over one lane.)
If you’re in lane 4 or 5 you can see all of your competition easier; you might be able to see most of them out of the corner of your eye. if you’re in lane 1 or 8 it’s almost a 90° head turn to know if you need to give that extra ½% to win
The advantage is seeing and being spurred by competitors. This is why faster runners often prefer the middle lanes. Curvature is a much smaller factor IMHO.
I’m not a runner, in fact if you see me running, check for tigers, but it seems there might be some difference between running flat out vs running flat out against a closely matched competitor that perhaps cant be overcome by just training harder - a bit more adrenaline or something.
I wonder if there is any drafting advantage to be had in the inner lanes or middle lanes. Since inner lanes stagger behind the outer lanes slightly there might be a teensy tiny advantage to having a competitor partly in front of you for part of the distance. The small curved distance in the 200m might be no value, but maybe for the 400. When some races come down to thousandths of a second between competitors every fraction of a Joule counts.
Given the ridiculous resources pumped into Olympic performance I can’t image that this hasn’t been studied. If only to discount the idea.
No.
There is a drafting advantage in the middle distance events where competitors are running in single file but look how much more closer they are bunched. In the laned events you are fighting wind resistance on your own.
The faster runners don’t prefer the middle lanes, they are allocated to the middle lanes in the mechanism outlined by @Marvin_the_Martian.
If the fastest runner in the field preferred to run in Lane 9, they’d still be given a random draw of 4-7.
It is a bloody long sight easier to judge your run in a 200m/400m race coming from the inside lanes.
Sure there is a drafting advantage.
But the races where you must keep your lane are too short to take advantage of that. I.e. drafting is the same as loosing.
As I recall (300 yd hurdles), there is somewhat of a psychological benefit to seeing your opponents ahead of you and feel you are gaining on/passing them when you progress through the turn. In the outside lanes, there was just a sense of unease, “Where IS everyone else?” And the opposite sense of people catching/passing you on the turn.
(This was in high school, where no one was seeded.)
Referring specifically to the Paris Olympics, the outer lanes were dry for all the track and field events. Some of the inside lanes got wet when it rained because of the Stade de France partial roof.