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Athletics events that take place on a track are always run anti-clockwise (IAAF Track and Field Facilities Manual, section 2.2). There has been some discussion in the letters page in The Telegraph about the reason for this.

One writer suggested that the reason is down to uneven leg strength:

Athletes run anti-clockwise so that their right leg – for most people the stronger – runs the greater distance.

another writer suggested that it is due to the position of the heart:

When I was a junior athlete I asked the same question of a leading coach and sports doctor. They both told me that it was all to do with the position of the heart, which sits on the left side of the chest. This makes running anti-clockwise more natural and comfortable.

Is running anti-clockwise easier than running clockwise, and if so why?

Benjol
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Tom77
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  • I saw the junior athlete comment and thought "those guys were having a lend of a kid; bet they never thought it would make the paper!", but looks like it *is* [notable](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_athletes_run_around_the_track_counter-clockwise). – Oddthinking Jul 13 '12 at 13:12
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    +1 - I think it is because when they started doing races time was going backward. When time started going forwards and the clocks changed the runners were used to going that direction so it is a legacy from when time ran backwards. - Cliff Claven successfully channeled :) – Chad Jul 13 '12 at 13:26
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    @Chad - In a vain attempt to channel Woody, I thought it was because runners as a group tend to be democrats, so they naturally lean to the left. –  Jul 13 '12 at 14:18
  • Let me give it a try. – Polynomial Jul 16 '12 at 14:28
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    I'm dizzy now... O_o'~ – Polynomial Jul 16 '12 at 14:30
  • I'm guessing that this is to do with which side you are dominant in. Since your non-dominant eye tracks to look at the spot the dominant eye focusses on would lead to a preference in turning. Mythbusters did something on navigation in the wilderness that touched on this, how we tend to walk in circles, etc. – Tim Scanlon Jul 18 '12 at 05:23
  • I suspect this may have something to do with handedness. The same reason as originally people drove on the left hand side. Though I'd guess the true reason is lost to time. – salmonmoose Jul 19 '12 at 01:08
  • at least, on bicycles it is – ajax333221 Aug 11 '12 at 22:38
  • I wonder if there are any statistics on successful left-handed runners that would lend an argument either way to your first point. –  Aug 22 '12 at 12:07
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    Of course this is true, but only true for those born in the northern hemisphere. Those who were born in the southern hemisphere will run best on tracks that wrap in the opposite direction. It also explains why there are not many good track runners who were born in Antarctica, more clearly confirming evidence. They would be able to run well only on highly curved clockwise tracks. Finally, this hypothesis explains why the best marathoners in the world were all born near the equator, as they can run best in a straight line. All is clear to me now. :) –  Sep 18 '12 at 13:50
  • Some anecdotal... erm, anecdotes... [here](http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1416,00.html) and [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19047586). – Benjol Sep 19 '12 at 13:27
  • I wonder if Coriolis has something to do with this. Maybe we should run clockwise in the southern hemisphere? – Eregrith Sep 19 '12 at 13:40
  • I don't think it will be possible to find anything definitive as it is hard to make a study that negates the effect of people being used to running in the same direction. As to Coriolis - it is less than negligible, as running is usually done on a flat surface. I do believe there were studies that proved that people had an orientation preference when going around a large room, but again - I don't think it is entirely possible to separate these effects from nurture. – Ofir Nov 05 '12 at 17:52
  • Some [evidence](http://jeb.biologists.org/content/210/6/971.short) that turning speed is constrained because the inside leg can't push against the ground enough. – Oddthinking Nov 13 '12 at 03:01
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    It would be interesting to see the statistics from racehorses - do they prefer racetracks in one direction? Confounding variables might make it hard to draw a conclusion though. – Oddthinking Dec 09 '12 at 22:39
  • With no real evidence but experience I can tell you that it is easier to lean or turn left than right. This is the main reason why right steering wheel car drivers find the arm rest in the center of the car extremely useful while left steering wheel car drivers don't really care about it because the lean on the door. I cannot answer your why question though – John Demetriou Dec 09 '12 at 16:14
  • After a couple of seasons training on a track in the anti-clockwise direction, it is definitely harder to run in the opposite direct. If you trained going clockwise, it would be harder to run anti-clockwise. The direction is just convention, and athletes have adapted to it. – Evan Johnson Jun 13 '13 at 22:32
  • @Oddthinking I suspect that Answers.com info is bogus, as I know from experience that while running clockwise around a track feels odd and fatigues leg muscles in a manner opposite the effect of anti-clockwise running but has no noticeable effect on overall fatigue or aerobic performance. Even if there is some effect beyond muscular imbalance, it would not have been detectible when anti-clockwise tracks became standard. Clockwise running begins feeling far less odd within a few laps, and after a few miles it almost seems normal even after years of anti-clockwise running. – Evan Johnson Jun 13 '13 at 22:43
  • @EvanJohnson: All answers.com pages are bogus until proven otherwise. I offered it only for notability - that someone claims it to be true. – Oddthinking Jun 14 '13 at 00:44
  • @Oddthinking Right. I just felt like adding some anecdotal evidence to the tradition/training theory, because I felt the discussion was focusing too heavily "nature" rather than "nurture." – Evan Johnson Jun 14 '13 at 16:13
  • RE: Handedness - I'm left handed but feel more comfortable running anti-clockwise on a track. Draw your own conclusions. – Evan Johnson Jun 14 '13 at 16:20

1 Answers1

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The study below suggests that it is true. Whether the evidence is sufficiently conclusive for the question about easier running is debatable.

Bestaven E, Guillaud E, Cazalets J-R (2012) Is “Circling” Behavior in Humans Related to Postural Asymmetry? PLoS ONE 7(9): e43861. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043861. Available online, open-access.

In this study, they led blindfolded people attempt to walk straight in a room without any clues. They found that, for the total number of trials, 50% trajectories terminated on the left side, 39% on the right side and 11% were defined as “straight”. Quoting from the article:

Results were considered statistically significant for P<0.05. (...) One striking characteristic is the wide variability of the trajectories; some of them reached the edge of the area (Y axis) in less than 30 m (in the X direction) while other trajectories still remained straight at 140 m. The majority (50%) of the trajectories ended on the left side, 39% on the right side and 11% were defined as “straight”

This result shows that statistically speaking, on average, people do tend to turn left more easily than right, although the variability is large. This may suggest that running in a left-hand turn (counter-clockwise) is easier than in a right-hand turn (clockwise), because the left-hand turn would — statistically speaking — be the most likely to happen among the three alternatives left, straight, or right.

As to the why, this may not be strictly on-topic on Skeptics.SE, but quoting from the abstract (emphasis mine):

Posturographic analysis, used to assess if there was a relationship between functional postural asymmetry and veering revealed that the mean position of the center of foot pressure during balance tests was correlated with the turning score. Finally, we established that the mean position of the center of pressure was correlated with perceived verticality assessed by a subjective verticality test. Together, our results suggest that veering is related to a “sense of straight ahead” that could be shaped by vestibular inputs.

So, if we believe this article, neither of the reasons you quoted is correct.

Thanks go to my secondary school Biology teacher for his claim (some time around 2002) that when people cross over a field of grass in a park (e.g. to cut off a corner), the resulting path is not straight, but slightly curved, as can be easily seen by looking at the trail; he said that this was due to the asymmetry of the human body. I found the above article by his merit.

gerrit
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    The study doesn't show that it's "easier" to turn left, but that people tend to naturally move to the left, which _"could be shaped by vestibular inputs"_, where vestibular means _"relating to a vestibule, particularly that of the inner ear, or more generally to the sense of balance"_, which doesn't neccessarily mean it's easier, just a more natural tendency when the subject has no visual reference, which is not the case when running. – Johnny May 16 '17 at 21:59
  • @Johnny True. It needs a followup study. – gerrit May 16 '17 at 23:40
  • Some people can't turn left https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_EacLppMW0, maybe right as well? – AbraCadaver May 18 '17 at 18:46