The 400 Meters: Records, History, and More

The 400 meters is one of the most demanding track and field events, requiring considerable speed and endurance. It’s considered to be the longest sprinting event, ahead of the 100-meter and 200-meter. Many also consider it one of the most challenging events to train for.

Historically, the 400 meters has been a showcase of some of the sport’s most iconic athletes, including Michael Johnson and Wayde van Niekerk on the men’s side, and Marita Koch and Sanya Richards-Ross among the women. It is contested at all major track competitions, from the Olympics to national and collegiate meets. Some indoor competitions run the 300 meters instead. The 300 meters is also sometimes run as an exhibition event.

History of the 400m | 400m Track History

The 400 meters has a long history in track and field, dating back to the early days of organized athletics. Its roots lie in the quarter-mile race, a popular distance in the 1800s in England, which measured 440 yards. When metric measurements became standard in international competition, the race was adjusted to 400 meters, slightly shorter than the original quarter-mile.

Lon Meyers was the first recorded person to run the 400-yard race in under 50 seconds in 1881. The current record for this non-standard distance in modern track and field is 44.5 seconds, set by John Smith in 1971.

During these early races, two strategies developed. Some people would try to run consistent times in the first and second half of the race, while some others would go all out in the first half and hold on as much as possible in the second half. 

The 400 meters was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 for men. Women’s 400-meter races were introduced later, first appearing at the Olympic level in 1964.

The 400-meter race has seen remarkable performances and iconic athletes. Michael Johnson’s 43.18-second world record in 1999 stood for 17 years before being broken by Wayde van Niekerk, who ran 43.03 in 2016. In the women’s event, Marita Koch set the still-standing world record of 47.60 seconds in 1985.

Men’s 400m Record Progression

For modern world records to stand, they must be ratified by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF). The record has progressed significantly over the years due to improvements in training, track surfaces, and overall sport participation.

The first ratified world record for the men’s 400-meter was 47.8 seconds set by Maxey Long in 1900. Americans would continue to dominate the event through the early years, with only Americans holding the record until the German Rudolph Harbig ran 46.0 seconds in 1939, a time that would be tied two years later by another American, Grover Klemmer.

This mark would last eight years until the Jamaican Herb McKenley ran 45.9 seconds in 1948 and later 45.8 seconds. His compatriot George Rhoden would break his record with a time of 45.8 in 1950.

Hand-timing would continue to be used for official records until 1968, when Lee Evans set the first electronically timed record with 43.86 seconds, set at the Mexico City Olympics.

This mark would only be broken three times, with Butch Reynolds running 43.29 seconds in 1988, Michael Johnson running 43.18 seconds in 1999, and Wayde Van Niekerk running 43.03 seconds in 2016. Van Nierkerk’s time remains the current world record.

Women’s 400m Record Progression

The first ratified record for the women’s 400m was a time of 57.0 seconds run by Marlene Mathews of Australia in 1957. This mark would last less than a year when fellow Australian Marise Chamberlain tied this mark, and then Nancy Boyle ran 56.3 seconds. In the same year, the Soviet sprinter Polina Lazareva would run 55.2 seconds. Finally, another soviet sprinter, Mariya Itkina, would break the record for the last time in 1957, running 54.0 seconds and then 53.6 seconds. Over the next five years, she would break her record twice more with times of 53.4 seconds.

In 1962, the record would be broken by North Korea’s Geum-Dan Shin in Pyongyang when she ran 51.9 seconds. This mark would last for seven years until France’s Nicole Duclos and Colette Besson would both run 51.7 seconds.

The record would progress to 49.9 seconds, run by Irena Szewińska in 1974, before future records would be electronically timed. After losing her record for two years, Szewińska would take it back in 1976, running 49.75 seconds and 49.29 seconds.

The East German Marita Koch would break the record in 1978 when she ran 49.19 seconds. She would then break the record five more times over the next four years, lowering the record to 48.16 seconds.

The Czechoslovakian runner Jaermila Kratochvílová would briefly hold the record with a time of 47.99 seconds before Koch took it back with the current record of 47.60 seconds, set in 1985.

Men’s 400 Meters | Fastest 400m Men All-Time

Here’s a look at the 10 fastest times in the history of the men’s 400-meter.

Men’s Season Bests since the Year 2000

Here’s a look at the fastest men’s 400-meter times each year since 2000.

Women’s 400 meters | Fastest women’s 400m

Here are the 10 fastest times in the history of the women’s 400-meter. 

400 Meters Women Yearly Top Lists since 2000 | Women’s 400m

Here’s a look at the fastest time in the world each year by a woman since 2000.

2024 Olympic Finals | 400 meters Olympics 2024

These are the most recent results of the 400-meter finals at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Men’s 400m Final at the 2024 Olympics | Olympics 400-meters Men

Here are the results of the men’s 400 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.

Women’s 400m Final Olympics 2024 | 400 Meters Olympics Women

Here’ a look at the women’s 400 meters finals from the Tokyo Olympics.

400m FAQs | 400 Meters Questions

These are some frequently asked 

How far is 400 meters in miles?

Four hundred meters is roughly a quarter of a mile. It’s one lap around a standard-sized running track.

How far is 400 meters in feet?

Four hundred meters is 1312.34 feet or 437.45 yards.

How Many Laps is 400 Meters?

Four hundred meters is one lap around a standard running track. If you’re running in a lane other than the inside lane, it will be slightly less than a lap.

How Long Does it Take to Run 400 Meters? | Average Time to Run 400 Meters

Elite males can run 400 meters in a little over 43 seconds. Elite females can run it in close to 48 seconds, and rarely under 48 seconds.  For an average male who’s fit, running under 60 seconds is generally considered good. For females, a comparable time based on scoring tables is about 76 seconds.

How Many Football Fields is 400 Meters?

An American football field is 120 yards long, including the 10-yard end zones, or roughly 110 meters. To run 400 meters on a football field, you would have to run down the field 3 times and then 80 yards down the field, including the end zone.

What’s a good 400-meter Time for My Age? | Average 400m by Age

A time of 60 seconds is often considered good for an adult man who’s fit, which is about 17 seconds off the world record. Running 17 seconds off the unofficial world record for each age from 5–19 would give the following time, rounded to the nearest second:

And for women, a time of about 76 seconds is awarded the same number of points as 60 seconds for males. Using the same logic, average times might be: