Short-track speed skating and traditional long-track speed skating are very different events. Short-track skating contestants race against each other instead of the clock, unlike in traditional long-track speed skating, where athletes compete in time trials. While short-track skaters compete on an indoor track with a lap length of about 111 meters (364 feet), approximately the size of an ice hockey rink, the official rink for long-track speed skating measures 400 meters (about one-quarter mile) in length. Competitors in both events utilize different types of specialized equipment; short-track skating rules make it compulsory for athletes to wear helmets and thicker protective padding, and traditional speed skaters have used a clapskate, a special skate with a hinge that allows for greater extension and a longer stride, since 1996.
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