Hand Timing the 60 m Dash: Accuracy Check

Students run 60 m while several timers clock the same runner, compare their results and discover the error in hand timing. It builds speed and teaches students to run and officiate an event with care, as in a track meet or an academy fitness test.

How to play

1. Set a 60 m straightaway with 3 lanes. At the finish, 4 timers per lane; at the start, a starter with a flag (3 min).
2. Explain the technique: start the watch when you see the flag drop, not when you hear the voice, and stop it when the chest crosses the line (2 min).
3. First round: each runner sprints 60 m at 95% while the four timers clock them; record every time (7 min).
4. Rotate roles so every student both runs and times (7 min).
5. For each race, each group works out the gap between the highest and lowest time and the average (3 min).
6. Discussion: how much a single timer is off, why several are used and why meets use photo finish (3 min).

Rules

• The starter calls "On your marks," "Set" and then drops the flag.
• No timer shares their time until everyone has written theirs down.
• Timers stand to the side of the finish, lined up with it, never in the lanes.
• Safety: leave 20 m of clear space past the finish to slow down.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student serves as starter or timer and analyzes the group data.
• Deaf or hard of hearing: the start already uses a flag, so the student can run and time with no changes.
• Shy students: run in heats of three with no audience and pick their preferred lane.

Learning goals

• Sprint 60 m at top speed from a formal start.
• Perform starter and timer roles accurately.
• Evaluate the reliability of a measurement and its sources of error.

Equipment for a class of 25

• stopwatches: 12
• cones: 8
• flags: 2
• score sheets: 25

Teacher tip

A gap of 0.2 to 0.3 seconds between timers is common, and that is the key fact for the discussion. Bring tested stopwatches with fresh batteries and give one to each timer.

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