Metric mile
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| SI units | |
|---|---|
| 1.6 km | 1,600 m |
| US customary / Imperial units | |
| 0.9942 mi | 5,249 ft |
A metric mile is a distance of 1600 metres. This distance is used when it is desirable to approximate the statute mile, yet also desirable to use a convenient round number in SI or metric units. A statute mile is actually 1609.344 metres.
The metric mile is especially common in track running, where the 1500 m race has replaced the mile race in most international competition. Most running tracks have a lap distance of 400 metres in the innermost lane; thus the metric mile is four laps around the track.
Some United States high school competitions use the term metric mile to refer to a 1600 m distance, which is four laps of a standard 400 m track and 9.344 metres short of a statute mile.
