A Few Track and Field Questions to Ponder


Which is better, a 50-foot shot put or a 50-second 400?


We're just about to Monday, February 27. On the calendar of my year, that ranks as the second-best Monday of 2017. And, no, Christmas is not #1.

In view of the imminence of that date, I thought I'd put a few track and field questions out on the table. Perhaps one or more of these will stir some discussion. In hopes of that, I've already started a thread on the forum where these questions can be discussed.

1. Which is more difficult, a (boys) 50-second 400 or a (boys) 50-foot shot put? One way of looking at the question is to count performances of both outcomes. Last year, there were 34 boys in Colorado who ran the sub-50 and 21 boys who threw the 50-plus. Well, that suggests an answer. But, another way of looking at things is how does the sub-50 compare to a theoretical limit for a high school 400 meter dash versus how does a 50-plus compare to a theoretical limit for a high school shot put. That suggests a different answer. And, there are still other ways of looking at this question...

2. It's pretty well accepted that increased altitude (or, more precisely, diminished oxygen density) puts a damper on distance performances. But, is this true for all runners, or just for runners who compete on the edge of their Max VO2? Or, again more precisely, is the relative diminished performance greater when you are running at the edge of your ability than when you're just moving along at some lesser pace?

3. Who started the convention of running counter-clockwise on tracks, and why? Is there more to the story here than an arbitrary choice that everyone eventually agreed upon?

4. Does the fact that CHSAA used a javelin graphic on the cover of the 2017 track and field bulletin hint that there's a willingness to discuss bringing in the javelin as a state-sanctioned event or just that the graphic was readily available? Is it okay to wish for one of these answers to be more true than the other?

5. Somewhere about 10 years ago, they decreased the width of the sector for the high school shot put and discus. Does anyone else wonder if the narrowed sector yielded more fouled attempts in the throwing events or if the throwers sharpened down on technique in view of the narrower sectors? Or maybe a little of both?

6. I'm not at all proposing taking a wind reading for sidewinds, but tacking into a sidewind is clearly not as efficient as running in still air. What, then, is the "cost" of running a 100, a 400, or a 1600 with a 15 mph sidewind up and down the straights?

7. In a horizontal jump or throws competition, a jumper or thrower has either three, four, or six attempts, depending on the format of the competition and, if prelims-finals, how the first three jumps go vis-a-vis the rest of the field. Which jump/throw is most likely (and how much more likely) to produce the best performance if a jumper has only three attempts? Four attempts? Six attempts?

7b. Does the answer to the question above vary significantly by event? And, does the answer to the question above vary significantly by the level of athlete (middle school/high school/college)?

8. What is the performance cost of a miss to a high jumper or pole vaulter? That is, suppose a female pole vaulter has a miss at 10-6, but clears the bar on second attempt, or on the third attempt. How much less likely do those one or two misses at 10-6 make it that the competitor will clear 11-0 (assuming a six-inch progression)? This is a very difficult question to answer due to the complexities involved (it's not just about how many misses there are at preceding heights, and the other variables are very difficult to control), but still one that fascinates me. I've heard pole vault and high jump coaches talk a lot about how many jumps or vaults an athlete has available in a given meet, but I've not seen much mathematical analysis put to the question.

9. How much faster is a Mondo track than a polyurethane coated track? Over 100 meters? Over 400 meters? Over 1600 meters?