Middle distance track event

Middle distance may refer to:

• Middle-distance running, the act of running over a distance of between 800 and 3000 metres
• Middle-distance swimming, the act of swimming over a distance between 200 and 800 metres
• Middle-distance triathlon, a triathlon longer than sprint, but shorter than ironman distances (e.g. Olympic triathlon distance)
• Middle-distance horse racing, horse flat races over a distance between 9.5 to 12.99 furlongs (or 1900 to 2599 metres)
• Middle-distance orienteering, orienteering races with finish times in the region of half an hour
• Middle-distance iron, a golfing term for mid-range iron golf clubs
• The area between the foreground and background in an image or landscape painting

Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running three laps of a 500 m track, which was commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.