800m Rules

The 800m starts in lanes and athletes break for the inside after the first bend, at a marked line. That break is where most 800m incidents happen, as several runners converge on the same piece of track at speed.

Some club competitions use a waterfall start instead, with everyone on a curved line and no lanes at all. It is simpler to organise and slightly more chaotic; either is fine, but tell athletes which is being used.

The 800m is almost always run with a faster first lap than second, typically one to two seconds quicker. Athletes who try to run even splits usually find the pack has gone by the time they reach the bell.

In a league setting, running the event as a time trial rather than a tactical race often produces better performances for club athletes, since a slow tactical first lap suits only the fastest finishers.