What is the length of a standard outdoor track lap?

The length of a standard outdoor track lap is 400 meters. That distance corresponds to one complete circuit around the inside lane of a modern outdoor athletics track and is the basis of the 400-meter sprint.

The familiar oval layout usually has two straights and two semicircular bends. Tracks are marked into lanes, and because the outside lanes cover a larger arc on the bends, races longer than a straight sprint use staggered starting positions. In the 400 meters, each athlete stays in a separate lane for the entire race.

The distance is not identical to the older quarter-mile tradition. A 440-yard race measures 402.336 meters, slightly longer than 400 meters, and was once common in countries using imperial measurements. International athletics gradually standardized the metric distance, which is now used at major championships and the Olympic Games.

The track's exact geometry can vary in radius and layout, but lane markings are designed so that a lap in lane one measures 400 meters. A 200-meter race is half a lap, while an 800-meter race equals two laps, with athletes typically moving toward the inside after the opening section.