Tell us more wrote:
160m makes sense but why 160y?
I don't know if this is why...but what was explained to me when I ran on 160 yard tracks in the 1970s, both high school and college, e was that it worked out well with the standard (outdoor) distances of the time, 440 and 880 yards. The 440 was two laps plus three quarters of another, meaning you could start and finish on a full straightaway. The 880 was 5 full plus one half, which doesn't work out as well. Of course we used to run the 600 and 1000, NOT the 440 and 880--that did work out well, 600 was just an extra lap on the 440 and the 1000 was 6 laps plus a straightaway.
I really liked running the 600--it was really exciting, and long enough to wipe out the real sprinters.