The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions.
In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m) – also referred to as the 'quarter-mile'. In the 19th century it was thought of as a middle distance race.[1]
World-record holder Lon Meyers of Virginia who ran in the 1880s was the first runner to consistently break 50 seconds at the distance, and ran more 440s under 50 seconds than the total run by all amateur and professional athletes of his era.[1][2] In 1947, Herb McKenley of Jamaica set a world record in the event with a time of 46.3 seconds, which he lowered the following year to a new world record of 46.0 seconds.[3] In 1971, John Smith lowered the world record to 44.5 seconds.[4]
Race distances changes as events with their roots in races of imperial measurements which were later altered to metric-distance races. The 400 Metre Dash is the successor to the 440 yard dash.[5] An athlete who competes in the 400 m may still be referred to as 'quarter-miler'.
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