Calculating Splits for the 4×200 and 4×400 meters

Last Updated on March 28, 2010 by Jimson Lee

This is a follow up to the relay article Baton Exchanges: How to Run the 4×200m & 4×400m.

If you are a new coach to a large group of kids, one of the best ways to determine the different levels of speed or SE is running relays in a Time Trial setting.

This post will also remind us how to take proper splits in an indoor 4×200 and 4x400m relay:

1. Start your stopwatch at the smoke, not the sound of the gun
2. The first split (or 2nd runner) is taken at the staggered 400m start line, not the exchange!
3. Splits are taken when the BATON crosses the line, not when the handoff is taking place
4. 3rd and 4th runners splits are taken at the finish line.

Running times from a 4x400m race or time trial may look like this (tenths of a second are truncated for simplicity):

1. 0:50
2. 1:41
3. 2:31
4. 3:19

Then you’ll have to subtract the times from the previous time to get proper splits.

A good stopwatch will give you splits automatically.  They have gone down in price substantially over the past few decades (we paid hundreds of dollars back in our days).  Having a stopwatch with memory functions help store the data until you get home (or on the bus) and write them down.  Some even have a paper printout like old fashion accounting calculators.  Thus, you will see an output like this:

1. 0:50
2. 0:51
3. 0:50
4. 0:48

For the indoor 4x400m, a good stopwatch can give you 200m splits as well.

Let the indoor games begin!

If you need a stopwatch, here is good one:

• Ultrak 499 2000 Lap Memory Multi-Function Ultrak Stopwatch
• Ultrak 499 Stopwatch & Printer (EA)
• Windows Computer Iinterface-DOS Driver for Ultrak 499 Stopwatch

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