Aerobic exercise
Runners start the race from a standing position along a curved starting line and after hearing the [[starting pistol]] they head towards the innermost track to follow the quickest route to the finish. In 800 m races athletes begin at a staggered starting point before the turn in the track and they must remain in their lanes for the first 100 m of the race. This rule was introduced to reduce the amount of physical jostling between runners in the early stages of the race. Physiologically, these middle-distance events demand that athletes have good [[Aerobic exercise|aerobic]] and [[Anaerobic exercise|anaerobic energy producing systems]], and also that they have strong [[speed endurance]].