Measurement in Sport:
Distance
From the millimetres that separate losers from winners in archery
to the 42,195 metres of a marathon, exact distances are part of
many sports events.
Rods and tape measures are often used to mark out
distances – but they need careful design. Objects change
shape as temperature rises and falls, and as a result,
rods are longer at summer events than events held in
the winter. So it is essential
to choose a material that
expands very little with
temperature.
And how do we know a
metre rod really is a metre
long? Until 1960, the ultimate
standards of length were
actual rods held in national
laboratories, but length
standards are now based on
the unchanging properties
of light.
Distance in metres
Men’s Javelin World Record progression
110
100
90
80
70
60
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1925
1920
1915
1910
Year
Changes to the rules of javelin construction by The International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) explain the oddities in the graph above. In 1986 they were adapted to land point first (making
them safer and easier to measure). In 1991 a new type of javelin with a serrated tail was banned.
In the 1908 Olympics, 385 yards were added to the planned 26-mile marathon
route, so that the race finished at the royal box. The resulting distance,
42,195 metres (42,194.988 metres to be exact), later became the standard.
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No games without measurement