800m Middle Distance

The 800 meter race is the shortest common middle distance track event. It is run over 2 laps of a standard outdoor track, and 4 laps around a standard indoor track. This race demands both speed and physical endurance to hold for two whole laps. It is therefore the challenge of participants in this event to find the most desirable combination of sprinting speed and middle distance pacing into one race.

In this race, players are positioned into staggered posts, distributed accordingly into separate lanes. Until they reach the first curve, they must remain within their respective lanes, after which they are allowed to break ranks and head to the inner lanes, for as long as they do not push or flagrantly prevent a competitor from advancing.

It is nigh-on impossible to run at full speed throughout the entire course, which is why tactics is as much a part of the game as speed and stamina. Running in the lead at the very start of the race for example, is highly discouraged, as competitors can choose to accelerate past the current leader in a more convenient time near the end of the race. That, and wind resistance is greater for those in front. Runners in the innermost lane, and not the leader of the race are also advised to take certain precautions, as they may be boxed in by other competitors, which may lead to loss of control over one's established pace. Running in the last place is also discouraged, as it may leave too much ground to catch up on, although this tactic has been effective for a select number of runners. Other top runners keep up a steady even pace for all laps, bursting into a sprint only at the last 100 meters. The strategy really depends on the person, but these are the most common of all tactics.

The 800 meter race has met with some controversy for women participants during the the 1930s to 1960s, due to several cases of shock and fatigue it induces in competitors. Similarly, if it weren't for modern training regimens, men would also be subjected to the same exhaustion at that time.

The current world record for the 800 meter race is 1: 41.11, which belongs to a male runner named Wilson Kipketer from Denmark. For women, the world record belongs to Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia, with a time of 1:53.28.