Athletic Tracks?

Question

Why do athletes run anti-clock wise on tracks?

Answer 1

because they are protesting clocks!!!! Free the corn!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Most races (be it humans, machines or animals) on a circular or oval track run in a counterclockwise direction. The exceptions being the Australian version of NASCAR (AUSCAR) and some European horse tracks.

The reason for the counter clockwise direction for some sport like NASCAR is fairly obvious. Since the driver is on the left side of the car (in this country at least) driving counterclockwise provides a lot of physical advantages: drivers are shielded from the wall on banked turns, they have better visibility on the left side of the car where most people pass and the position of the driver is conducive to the effect of centrifical force. Since the boys from down under have the steering wheel on the right side of the car it only makes sense that they would drive clockwise.

In the case of American horse racing the reason has less to do with physics and much more to do with politics. In 1780, the first circular US race track was established by William Whitley near his home in Lincoln County, Kentucky. A staunch supporter of the Revolution, Whitley insisted that horses race counterclockwise, as opposed to clockwise as was the custom at the time in England. While some race tracks were slow to adapt (Belmont racetrack in NY actually ran clockwise until 1921), now all racetracks in the US follow Whitney's patriotic tradition. God bless America and the Kentucky Derby!

---NOW---

Pretend you are sitting in the stands in front of the finish line at a race running clockwise. Now close your eyes and visualize the finish. Feels kinda funny doesn't it. Almost backwards. That's because we read from left to right. It is also the way we graphically represent time on a timeline.

You may think this theory is a stretch, but if you think about there are many arbitrary things that we do that are based on ingrained habits of a completely different activity . A great example of this is our choice to walk on the right side of the mall. As an experiment, the next time you go the mall try walking on the left side. You'll bump more people than usual. Everyone (even the young punks with the baggy pants) walks on the right side. Yet there are no signs or laws mandating that you do so. You probably never even thought about it. You just naturally walk on the right because of the habits of completely unrelated activity, driving. I believe the same subconscious correlation happened somewhere along the way between reading and viewing races.