 The finish of a race is marked by a white line 5 cm wide . The finishing position of athletes is determined by the order in which any part of their torso ( as distinguished from the head , neck , arms , legs , hands or feet ) reaches the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line . Fully automatic timing systems ( photo timing ) are becoming more and more common at increasingly lower levels of track meets , improving the accuracy , while eliminating the need for eagle @-@ eyed officials on the finish line . Fully automatic timing ( <unk> ) is required for high level meets and any time a ( sprint ) record is set ( though distance records can be accepted if timed by three independent <unk> ) . 
