 The most common middle @-@ distance track events are the 800 metres , 1500 metres and mile run , although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle @-@ distance event . The 880 yard run , or half mile , was the <unk> of the 800 m distance and it has its roots in competitions in the United Kingdom in the 1830s . The 1500 m came about as a result of running three laps of a 500 m track , which was commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century . 
