I assume it happened when the majority of tracks switched from 440y to 400m. But why was it decided that high schoolers would run 1600 instead of 1500? Why would they decide to invent a new event based on an obscure distance that no one else in the world runs?
Mainly because 4 laps around the track makes much more sense than 3.75 laps around the track.
Charlie Stache wrote:
I assume it happened when the majority of tracks switched from 440y to 400m. But why was it decided that high schoolers would run 1600 instead of 1500? Why would they decide to invent a new event based on an obscure distance that no one else in the world runs?
since when did the US care about what the rest of the world does? I agree that 1600m (over 1609.344) is a little silly, but if the obscurity of a distance mattered then we'd be on SI units for everything
Around 1980
The m is an SI unit.
HSs should really abandon the 1600 as quickly as possible. Its really senseless. Same with the 3200.
Kids grow up doing the 1500 and 3000, then, if they run in college, they go back to the 1500 and 3000.
I agree, 1600 and 3200 are an abomination. High schools should follow Oregon's lead which runs 1500 and 3000. On the other hand, Oregon does not run 4x8 at state which is its own abomination.
The real abomination is the inability/unwillingness of those lining tracks to put down two more lines to mark the starts of the 1 Mike and 2 Mile. Isn't this America?
Alright, now! I'm the only Stache around these parts, so cut it out.
No one has mentioned that so many high school federations insist that runners start in lanes, not on waterfalls, even for all distance events. A 1500m starts on a waterfall and immediately breaks. High school federations do not want this for the possibility of collisions and impeding, etc. Running the curve in lanes, then breaking allows for some spreading out and less chance of impeding problems in distance races.
Why they couldn't just start the race at lane markers that are 9.3m back from the current start lines...I have no idea.
The Stache wrote:
No one has mentioned that so many high school federations insist that runners start in lanes, not on waterfalls, even for all distance events.
It hasn't been mentioned because it isn't true.
The Stache wrote:
Why they couldn't just start the race at lane markers that are 9.3m back from the current start lines...I have no idea.
It's simple really. When high schools went "metric" they realized that one mile isn't metric, but 1600m is. So they decided that 1600 and 3200 would be the logical distance races even though no one else in the world would ever be running those distances.
These are the same people who are educating your children. your children cannot read, write, reason or calculate. Instead, they are taught how to put condoms on fruits, loathe white people, blame America on all things, and celebrate all manner of deviancy and alternative lifestyle choices.
The only true abomination about the 1600 is when people call it a mile.
STFU, moran wrote:
The Stache wrote:No one has mentioned that so many high school federations insist that runners start in lanes, not on waterfalls, even for all distance events.
It hasn't been mentioned because it isn't true.
Go on over to Flotrack or youtube and pick a state meet video of a distance race. Go ahead. How many of them start 1600 and 3200 in lanes for the first 100m? All of them? Why? Because it is in the rules. Why is that in the rules?
I used to be a T&F official for University of Florida and for FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association). I was USATF certified and FHSAA "certified". Every race must start in lanes for at least 100m. This is to avoid any kind of funny business at waterfall starts. I know this because I asked the questions of FHSAA senior officials, and got that answer. And even though a very few meets in the state use the waterfall start every once in a while (more for fun than anything else), those times are not eligible for any kind of FHSAA record.
To summarize: It is true.
experienced observer wrote:
These are the same people who are educating your children. your children cannot read, write, reason or calculate. Instead, they are taught how to put condoms on fruits, loathe white people, blame America on all things, and celebrate all manner of deviancy and alternative lifestyle choices.
Are you for real???
I have never seen a 1600 start in lanes before.
I just did a YouTube search for state 1600m.
The first 5 results had a waterfall start so I stopped to come back for this post.
I am sure it may be done in some places.
But it is not the norm.
Anyway, to the OP.
I am sure they just changed from quarter mile tracks to 400m tracks and kept all start lines the same without thinking.
Thus, they inadvertently invented the 1600 and 3200m races.
Which had no historic or international relavence whatsoever.
Why do you think the 1500 was invented?
The first metric tracks were 500 meters, so they chose an obscure new distance that nobody ran, on the good grounds that it was exactly 3 laps. The olympics ended up using the new distance.
But when tracks were switched to 400 meters, the olympics refused for whatever reason to adapt the race to the 400 meter standard, forever condemning the world to run 3 3/4 laps, and making 300 meter repeats easier to do.
High schools don't have modern pentathlon, equestrian dressage, synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, why should they copy the 1500 either?
The Stache wrote:
Go on over to Flotrack or youtube and pick a state meet video of a distance race. Go ahead. How many of them start 1600 and 3200 in lanes for the first 100m? All of them? Why? Because it is in the rules. Why is that in the rules?
I used to be a T&F official for University of Florida and for FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association). I was USATF certified and FHSAA "certified". Every race must start in lanes for at least 100m. This is to avoid any kind of funny business at waterfall starts. I know this because I asked the questions of FHSAA senior officials, and got that answer. And even though a very few meets in the state use the waterfall start every once in a while (more for fun than anything else), those times are not eligible for any kind of FHSAA record.
To summarize: It is true.
You're supposedly a certified official, but you had to ask another about the rules? Please link us to ANY high school federation rule book that stipulates the 1600 and 3200 must start in lanes.
Bad Wigins wrote:
High schools don't have modern pentathlon, equestrian dressage, synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, why should they copy the 1500 either?
Because they are already running an even very similar to the 1500 and it is an event that is already established.
They are not already doing anything similar to the events you mentioned.
When they first invented the 1500 there was no established standard event to emulate like there was when high schools invented the 1600.
I haven't been certified in 13 years.
Ever heard of a rhetorical question?
Florida.
There are FL state meet videos on Flotrack.
You didn't ask a rhetorical question. Nor did you provide te requested link. Epic fail.
The Stache wrote:
I haven't been certified in 13 years.
Ever heard of a rhetorical question?
Florida.
There are FL state meet videos on Flotrack.
The Stache wrote:
I haven't been certified in 13 years.
Ever heard of a rhetorical question?
Florida.
There are FL state meet videos on Flotrack.
I was unaware that any states started th3 1600/3200 in lanes. I don't think most of them do and certainly the ones I have attended do not.