The sport of track and field consists of various competitive athletic events usually performed on a running track or in an area adjacent called a field.
Track events include:
- 100m, 200m, 400m
- 800m, 1500m, Mile
- 5000m, 10,000m, Marathon
- 100m Hurdles, 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles
- 3000m Steeplechase
- Relays including 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m, and Medley Relays
- Half Marathon and Marathon
Indoor variations include:
- 60m, 150m, 300m
- 600m, 1000m, 3000m
- 60m Hurdles, 200m Hurdles
Field events include:
- Shot Put, Javelin, Discus, and Hammer
- High Jump, Long Jump, Pole Vault, and Triple Jump
Indoor variations include:
- Weight Throw
Multi Events include both track and field events and are run indoors and outdoors. Outdoors, there is the decathlon for men and the heptathlon for women. Indoors reduces the events for both men and women.
For more information about these events, including history, landmark achievements and biomechanical information Wikipedia is a great place to start.
Most often the term athletics is used to refer to track and field events but is also used more generally to include cross country races, road racing and race walking.
The international governing body for track and field is the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations). The rules and guidelines used by the majority of track and field competitions are taken from the IAAF Handbook.
The national governing body for track and field in Canada is Athletics Canada.
The provincial governing body for track and field in Alberta is Athletics Alberta, a division of Athletics Canada.
