What running events are there in the Olympics?

Answer 1

There were several ancient Greek foot races. The original Olympic Games began at Olympia in 776 BC with a single, one way foot race of about 200 meters, called a STADE and we derive our word STADIUM (Latin) from the Greek word STADION, as a track where this was run; Olympia seemingly the first one. A STADE became a Greek standard unit of distance measurement for around 200 meters. Later, around 724 BC the running event was doubled to the length and back again and was called a DIAULOS, around 400 meters. The next ancient running event to be added around 720 BC was a long distance foot race called a DOLICHOS, which was around 20-24 lengths or around at least 4000 meters. If a competitor won all three of these first foot races, he (or possibly she) would be called a TRIASTES, meaning "triple" winner. Other running events included the HOPLITODROMOS, a race run in armor. First run with bronze shields, helmets and shin guards, later possible armor races of 25 contestants may have carried only bronze shields; at Olympia these were all the same weight for uniformity and attached outside the Temple of Zeus. This event, starting around 520 BC, was often understood as simulating or preparatory for military action. The word derives from the Greek word for an infantry soldier (HOPLITE) and the Greek word DROMOS, roughly meaning a "pattern" or race. Other ancient foot races run at night with a torch passed like a baton (note the Greek word for "lamp" was also our word source) could be called LAMPADEDROMIA, possibly the origin of modern Olympic torch running to begin the games. These were not necessarily the only possible ancient Olympic races, but were certainly the most important and time-honored. Boys, men and women did not compete against each other; women had their own games at another time in honor of the goddess Hera, games that were thus called the HERAIA. Boys and men ran naked and barefoot where women ran barefoot but clothed, all at separate times. Greek myth says that the STADE length was determined by being the distance that the hero Herakles (Hercules to the Romans) could run in 600 steps and also the distance he could run in only one breath. We have experimentally shown both of these to be possible at Stanford University. Male athletes with about a size 14 shoe could walk 600 footsteps heel-to-toe in about 200 meters. This suggests the ancient model for Herakles would have to been fairly tall or have had very big feet! We also showed 200 meters could be run in one breath by having some of our swimmer athletes run with mouths shut but full of water and noses closed by tight nose clips (so they could not breathe through the nose) and then spit out the full mouthful of water at the end of the 200 meters. Our national champion Stanford synchronized swimmers could all do this easily, but most people probably cannot. Thus, there seems to have been some truth to the ancient myth determining length of the ancient STADION race track regardless of whether or not a real Herakles figure ever existed. Some of this Herakles myth research and experimental material is also published in Dr. Patrick Hunt's book MYTHS FOR ALL TIME (2007); the best accessible book on the subject of Olympic foot races is probably Dr. Judith Swaddling's THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES (first published in 1980 but now updated in later editions).

Answer 2

There are many foot races for men and women in the Olympics. Some of these include the 100 meter race, the 200 meter, the 400 meter, the 1 mile race, and the 5,000 kilometer race.

Answer 3

htere the vruning races which include the sprints and there are the hurdles

Answer 4

they run 1oom 200m 400m 800m 1200m 1500m 30000m

Answer 5

There are relay races in swimming, so those are other races.

Answer 6

The Marathon, which is about 26.2 miles (42.195 KM).

Answer 7

chariot races