Scrum: A Runner's Perspective
Growing up, I ran competitively in school for 10 years, less a couple years break due to school transitions and short-term attendance at a smaller US private school which did not offer a running program. My third grade teacher discovered me so-to-speak and encouraged me to try out for the team after having done well during an unofficial race in which my classmates and I participated.
Initially, the races in which I seemed to excel were relatively short: the 50 yard dash and the 100 yard dash. Of course, these races were run before the metric system was adopted, at least at the initial schools that I attended. A move to the metric system was later experienced at the high school that I attended, where my coach positioned me for the 400 meter run as my main event. During the same time period, I also participated in the 800 meter run and the 4×400 meter relay.
Although we called the 400 meter run "middle distance", this event is officially now considered a sprint, as is the 4×400 relay. Regardless, it was widely considered the most difficult run at my high school because it is short enough where a high speed is required, but also long enough where some strategy is necessary in order to win. And running 10 of these lengths back-to-back at near-full speed (about 60 seconds versus about 50 seconds) during practice once each week is probably branded in the permanent memories of all those who participated.