National Geographic

Manuallytimed record``````Electronicallytimed record``````Men``````Women``````KEY``````Progression of 100-meterdash world record,1910-2018``````10.6 secondsDonald Lippincott, U.S.July 6, 1912``````10.2Jesse Owens, U.S.June 20, 1936``````13.6 secondsMarie Mejzlíková II,CzechoslovakiaAugust 5, 1922``````10.5``````11.0``````11.5``````12.0``````12.5``````13.0``````13.5seconds``````10.0``````1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960``````Duration of recordTHESPEED OFINNOVATIONStronger startsEarly racers dug holes intothe tracks, which were usu-ally laid with cinders. Theintroduction of solid start-ing blocks in the late 1920sled to new world records. Lighter shoesThe first running shoeswere simply leather dressshoes, with nails to providegrip. Today’s shoes boastnylon, fiberglass, andsingle-use spikes.``````MALE AND FEMALE RUNNERShave bested world records in the100-meter dash over the past century.But the gear and the track infrastructureare what have changed most dramat-ically since the first competitionswere run with the help of nailsdriven into the soles ofdress shoes.JASON TREAT, NGM STAFF; MEG ROOSEVELTART: SERGIO INGRAVALLE. ICONS: ÁLVARO VALIÑO. SOURCES: ADRIEN MARCK,52 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT, EXPERTISE AND PERFORMANCE, FRANCE; IAAF