400 metres 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this
All-weather running track today. In the mid-1960s Tartan tracks, surfaced with a product by 3M. The name "Tartan" is a trademark, but many have misused it as a genericized trademark. This process was the first to commercialize a polyurethane surface for running tracks, though originally conceived for horse racing. Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide, including at many of the top Universities in the United States. Among that list was a Tartan track installed in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, home of the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City, which were the first global championships to use such a track. Olympic shot put champion