Athletics is a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common type of athletics competition is track and field, but also includes road running and cross country events.
- Athletics events are usually relatively simple to run, with the winner determined by who runs or walks an allotted distance the quickest, or who jumps or throws something – such as a shot put or a javelin – the furthest.
- Events are divided by different disciplines, with races run from anything between 100 meters and the 26.2 miles of a marathon. There are also different variations of jumping events, including long jump, triple jump or pole vault.
- Whilst events are traditionally run as individual competitions, there are team variations, such as a relay race – which involve passing a baton between team members over the course of a race.
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