Spikes

I've been coming across a lot of questions about running spikes lately, so I figured I would share what I know about them. First of all, the reasons for wearing spikes at track meets is to give you more traction, which makes you faster. The standard size spikes to use for most meets is 1/4 inch. I know this to be true for sprinters at least. I have heard that the size can be a little bigger for distance runners at times. Also, concerning types of spikes, yes there are multiple different types of shoes for different events. If you are a distance runner (800m or more), you will want to get distance spikes. If you're a sprinter (400m or less), you will need sprinting spikes. The difference is that when you sprint, you want to be up on your toes the entire race, never landing flat footed; however, in distance races, you run slower, so your whole foot will touch the ground. There are also special jumping spikes for long jump and triple jump. These are specifically for triple jump, because they are a bit wider on the bottom to give you a wider base for landing throughout your three phases. This gives you less chance of landing wrong and injuring your ankle or knee. I'm sure there are also special shoes for throws as well, but you will have to forgive me for not knowing much about those events. I'm also not sure about hurdlers. I would assume they just use normal sprinting spikes, but jumping spikes may also be helpful to them.