Short track races are skated counterclockwise on an oval track 111.12 meters in circumference around the inside. There are no lanes, but the curves are marked out with blocks. The skaters may skim the surface inside these blocks with their fingertips for balance if necessary. The number of laps for each race is as follows:
500m 4.5 laps
1000m 9 laps
1500m 13.5 laps
3000m 27 laps
5000m 45 laps
Long track speedskating features two skaters competing on a 400-meter track.
Skaters compete in separate lanes and all events must be run in a counterclockwise direction. Each lane is divided by snow or markers and the inside lane is shorter than the outside lane. In order for each racer to skate the same distance, they must change lanes during each lap at the crossover point in the backstretch. The skater crossing the outer lane to the inner lane has the right of way, since he would have opened a large lead to arrive at the cross-over earlier than his opponent in the shorter inner curve.