How to Calculate the Distance Around a Running Track by Lane
- 1). Measure the distance from the start of the straightaway to the end of the straightaway. The straightaway starts where the turn ends--not where the starting line is for the 100-meter dash--and ends where the next turn begins, not at the finish line.
- 2). Measure the distance across the infield of the track to find the turn diameter.
- 3). Divide the turn diameter by two to find the turn radius.
- 4). Measure the width of each lane. Most lanes are between 1.2 and 1.28 meters wide.
- 5). Use the following formula to calculate the distance for any lane. S is the straightaway length. R is the turn Radius. L is the lane number. And W is the lane width:
Distance = 2 * S + 2*π (R + (n - 1) * W)
For example, if the straight away is 90.1 meters and the turn radius is 35 meters, lane one would be about 400 meters. If the lane width is 1.22 meters, a lap in lane five would be about 430.65 meters.