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Hurdles race, what does it consist of?
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
The hurdles race is one of the events in athletics and is part of the Olympic Games. Although it was a sport practiced at some universities, it wasn’t until 1888 that France regulated the competition, establishing a series of distances between the hurdles and also for the total distance of the race.
We’re talking about a sprint race where coordination is fundamental to perfectly clearing 10 obstacles: the hurdles. Today, from the Tenerife Athletics Center, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about this exciting athletic discipline.
The Hurdles Race, a Sprint Event
There are different hurdle races: 110 meters for men, 100 meters for women, and 400 meters for both women and men. All of them have 10 hurdles, but the characteristics of each one vary.
Men’s 110-meter Race
The first hurdle is 13.72 meters from the starting line, the distance between hurdles is 9.14 meters, and there are 14 meters between the last hurdle and the finish line. In this case, the hurdles are 1.06 meters high.
Women’s 100-meter Race
The first hurdle is 13 meters from the starting line, the distance between hurdles is 8.5 meters, and there are 10.5 meters between the last hurdle and the finish line. In this case, the hurdles are 84 centimeters high.
Men’s 400-meter Race
The first hurdle is 45 meters from the starting line, the distance between hurdles is 35 meters, and there are 40 meters between the last hurdle and the finish line. The hurdles are 91.4 centimeters high.
Women’s 400-meter Race
The same rules apply as in the men’s 400-meter race, except for the hurdle height, which in this case is 76.2 centimeters.
The competition consists of covering this distance in the shortest possible time, clearing the hurdles without knocking them down.
Would you like to learn more about athletics? At the Tenerife Athletics Center, we have the best professionals to help you discover this sport.
