Athletics
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking.
World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, defines athletics in six disciplines:
Mountain running was added in 2003 and trail running was added in 2015.
All forms of athletics are individual sports with the exception of relay races. However, athletes’ performances are often tallied together by country at international championships, and, in the case of cross country and road races, finishing positions or times of the top athletes from a team may be combined to declare a team victor.
Track Events
| Sprints | Middle-distance | Long-distance | Hurdles | Relays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m 100 m 200 m 400 m | 800 m 1500 m 3000 m | 5000 m 10,000 m | 60 m hurdles 100 m hurdles 110 m hurdles 400 m hurdles 3000 m steeplechase | 4×100 m relay 4×400 m relay |
Field Events
Combined Events
Road Running
Road running competitions are running events (predominantly long distance) which are mainly conducted on courses of paved or tarmac roads, although major events often finish on the track of a main stadium. marathon races are one of the most popular aspects of road running events. Road racing events can be of virtually any distance, but the most common and well known are the marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km. The marathon is the only road running event featured at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics and the Summer Olympics, although there is also an annual IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. The marathon is also the only road running event featured at the World Para Athletics Championships and the Summer Paralympics. The World Marathon Majors series includes the six most prestigious marathon competitions at the elite level – the Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City and Tokyo Marathons.