1600 meters is a middle distance

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

running event. It is a standardized event in track meets conducted by the NFHS in American high school competition. When the organization went through

metrication Metrication or metrification is the act or process of converting to the metric system of measurement. All over the world, countries have transitioned from local and traditional units of measurement to the metric system. This process began in ...

, finalized with their 1980 rule book, the 4 lap around a 440 yard, Imperial measured

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

, was replaced by the closest metric distance, 4 laps around a 400 meter track. That decision is not without controversy. The race is 9.344 meters shorter. Other organizations have followed the lead of the IAAF and use the

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athleti ...

as the closest equivalent. The current male high school record holder in the 1600 is Alan Webb from

South Lakes High School South Lakes High School is a public high school in Reston, Virginia, United States. The school serves grades 9-12 for the Fairfax County Public Schools. History South Lakes High School opened in 1978 with grades 7-10. Students in the first 10th-g ...

in Reston, Virginia. He ran 3:59.51 at the

Arcadia Invitational The Arcadia Invitational is a high school track and field meet in the United States. It is considered the most competitive meet in the country and has been billed as the "Home of National Records". The meet is held at Arcadia High School in Arcadi ...

against high school athletes on April 14, 2001. Six weeks later, while running a mile against seasoned international runners at the

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University ...

, he was timed in 3:51.83. Many, including ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

'' recognize the faster time, since he was technically still in high school at the time, but NFHS only recognizes the race against other high school competitors. The female record is less disputed as

Alexa Efraimson Alexa Efraimson (born February 20, 1997) is an American professional middle distance runner from Camas, Washington who competes for Nike. During the 2014 indoor and outdoor season, as a junior, she set a pair of U.S. high-school records, break ...

from

Camas High School Camas High School is an American public high school located in Clark County, in the city of Camas, Washington. The principal is Kelly O'Rourke. It has a grade span of 9th through 12th, and contains a total of 2,063 students as of March 2018. It ...

in Camas, Washington ran her 4:33.29 at the

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

4A Championships exclusively against other high school girls. 1600 meters is also the distance of the final leg of a

distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. With its inclusion in the IAAF World Relays program, the IAAF announced on May 1, 2015 that the event would be an official world record event. ...

, because it is an even 4 laps where at 3.75 laps, the 1500 would require the start line or finish line to be moved. The term when used in the phrase 1600 meter relay, usually is referring to the 4x400 meter relay, however the 2-2-4-8 version of the

sprint medley relay The sprint medley relay (SMR) is a track and field event in which teams of four athletes compete over sprinting distances as part of a relay race. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance. The sprint medley is rat ...

is also 1600 meters.

References

{{Reflist Events in track and field Middle-distance running