22/12/2025
🏃♂️ Ever wonder why runners always race counterclockwise?
Runners circling the track counterclockwise isn’t just a quirky tradition—it’s a choice shaped by history, physiology, and even cosmic patterns.
In the early days of modern athletics, events like the 400m at the 1896 Olympics were run clockwise. But athletes soon reported discomfort, particularly strain on the left leg, which bore more impact in clockwise races. To reduce injury and improve performance, athletic authorities flipped the direction in 1913, officially standardizing the counterclockwise motion we see today.
But why does this direction feel more “natural”? Science reveals a deeper rhythm: counterclockwise motion appears consistently throughout nature and the universe. Blood circulates counterclockwise in the human body, electrons spin that way around nuclei, and celestial bodies—from the Moon to entire galaxies—follow this same pattern. Even cultural rituals, like the Muslim practice of walking counterclockwise around the Kaaba, echo this motion.
Source: Stoddart, B. (2012). "Why Do Athletes Run Counterclockwise?" Journal of Olympic History, 20(2), 30–35.
CTTO
