Ranking track events

I’ve been running track since middle school, so I like to say I have some experience with each event. Although I haven’t run every event and I don’t do long distances, I have witnessed mostly everything. From the looks on the face of the 3200 meter runners, I can guess how they are feeling on that last lap.

I wouldn’t be able to fit every single event, so I’ll just cover a few.

Personally, my least favorite event is the 400-meter dash. Let’s address something first. I’ve never actually run a 400. You may think this makes my opinion on the event invalid, however I have witnessed some pretty gross things happen after those races.

Next, anything with hurdles. That stuff scares the crap out of me. Imagine tripping over a hurdle and falling straight on your face… not fun. Again – not an event I have tried, so I can’t bring much personal experience to the table.

The 200-meter dash is one event that I either really like or really don’t like depending on the day. Normally it is at the end of every meet, so to run a good race the weather has to be nice and I have to be awake enough to sprint that far at 6 p.m.

Starting to get into my favorites, the 100-meter dash is my favorite sprinting event. It is short and sweet, but there are still a lot of technical aspects to get into and that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s fun to fly down the straightaway in front of the crowd.

The 100 is also really nerve wracking, but sometimes that is what makes it so fun because there is a lot at stake.

The best events by far are the 4 x 200 and 4 x 100-meter relays. Relays allow you to run with a team while also focusing on your individual performance. Being on a team and winning as a team is the best feeling, and in my opinion that is better than any individual race.

Track and field is very complex and has a lot of different aspects. There are so many events meaning there is something for everyone, which I think is cool. Everyone has a preference, but all events are important and worth a watch.