In Little Athletics, middle distance running includes events run over 800M (U/9 up) and 1500 (U/11 up). Greater endurance levels are required, and the running style has to be considerably less vigorous than for the sprints. Our younger athletes get a taste for middle distance over shorter runs such as 700m, 500m and 300m.

Hurdling involves running and jumping over an obstacle. Our Tiny Tots through to U7’s use low plastic hurdles and from U8’s move onto the proper hurdles. The heights of the hurdles, number of flights & distances vary depending on the ages of the athletes, getting higher and running further distances as they get older.

A team event where each athlete completes a leg of the run and passes the baton on to the next runner. Two types of relays are run – circular relays and shuttle relays.  Our youngest athletes run a shuttle relay back and forth along the 100m straight and our older athletes complete a circular relay around the track. Relays are run over a variety of distances with some types of relays, such as the ‘Swedish’ relay, involving runs of varying distances in the one race. In the Swedish relay the first runner runs 100m, the second 200m, the third 300m and the fourth runs 400m.

Race walking is a progression of steps whereby the athlete makes contact with the ground, so that no visible loss of contact occurs. Don’t be fooled by the name including the word ‘walk’ as there is nothing easy about race walking and it requires attention to technique. Judges assess each athlete carefully to ensure that the athlete does not break into a run and maintains contact with the ground at all times. The advancing leg shall be straightened from the moment of first contact with the ground until the vertical upright position. Race walking is conducted over longer distances such as 1100m.

The shot is a round steel ball varying in weight from 1kg to 4kg depending on the age of the athlete. The hand holding the shot must rest in the hollow where the shoulder meets the neck with the shot in contact with the side of the neck. The shot is then pushed out in one clean motion to land in the marked area. When the shot has landed the athlete must leave so that their first step outside the circle is behind the line extending from the sides of the circle.

This is one of the oldest field events, dating back to ancient Olympics. In Little Athletics a moulded rubber disk is used.  The discus must be thrown from within the circle and land within the marked area. When the implement has landed the athlete must leave so that their first step outside the circle is from the back of the circle behind the line extending from the sides of the circle.

The athlete’s task is to run up from an approach area and jump over a crossbar supported between two uprights.  Note that U/8, U/9 and U/10’s must use the ‘Scissors’ technique to be a legal jump. From U/11’s athletes may use the ‘Fosbury Flop’ technique. There are no vertical jumps events for Tiny Tots, U/6 and U/7’s.

Similar to long jump, triple jump involves sprinting along a runway and jumping into a sand pit to attain the longest distance horizontally. The athlete takes off from a board and performs a hop, step and jump into the pit. The athlete must ‘hop’ from the same foot that they have taken off and in the ‘step’ they land on the other foot from which the end jump action is performed. This event is offered for athletes in the U/11 age group and above.