Why are the two inner lanes of a race the best?

Answer 1

The two inner lanes of a race are the best because the distance to run, or driven, are measured between those two lanes. The farther away from the inner lanes you move, the longer the distance becomes due the the longer radii of the turns and the correspondingly longer straightaways. For this reason if you are running in the outermost lane, you will run a much longer distance than any one else. This only holds true for races in which you must run through at least one of the turns on the track.

Answer 2

Usually lanes 4&5 are given to the fastest runners in the race because they are able to be seen by all other athletes and push the others to run faster.