 Races with hurdles as obstacles were first popularised in the 19th century in England . The first known event , held in 1830 , was a variation of the 100 @-@ yard dash that included heavy wooden barriers as obstacles . A competition between the Oxford and Cambridge Athletic <unk> in 1864 refined this , holding a 120 @-@ yard race ( 110 m ) with ten hurdles of 3 @-@ foot and 6 inches ( 1 @.@ 06 m ) in height ( each placed 10 yards ( 9 m ) apart ) , with the first and final hurdles 15 yards from the start and finish , respectively . French organisers adapted the race into metric ( adding 28 cm ) and the <unk> of this race , the men 's 110 metres hurdles , has remained largely unchanged . The origin of the 400 metres hurdles also lies in Oxford , where ( around 1860 ) a competition was held over 440 yards and twelve 1 @.@ 06 m high wooden barriers were placed along the course . The modern regulations stem from the 1900 Summer Olympics : the distance was fixed to 400 m while ten 3 @-@ foot ( 91 @.@ 44 cm ) hurdles were placed 35 m apart on the track , with the first and final hurdles being 45 m and 40 m away from the start and finish , respectively . Women 's hurdles are slightly lower at 84 cm ( 2 ft 9 in ) for the 100 m event and 76 cm ( 2 ft 6 in ) for the 400 m event . 
