Is it fair for the runners who start on different lines on the athletic track?
Yes, it’s supposed to be. It’s staggered to account for the curvature of the track. They’re each running a circle (okay, actually oval) with a different diameter / circumference, so need to start at different points for the final distance to be the same. The bigger the loop you’re running, the farther “ahead” you get to start. In some races, they’ll start staggered, but at a point where they’d have all run the same distance they’re then all allowed to all move to the inside lane and continue from there. They don’t have to stay in their starting lanes the entire race. Anyway, if you’re measuring anything, you’re mainly dealing with circumference, because it’s going to be different for each lane.
