Ghost is centered on Castle Cranshaw's initiation into track running, a foot-race sport in which humans have competed since the ancient Olympic Games.
Also known as track and field when jumping and throwing events are included, the foot-race contests of track are named after the running track on which certain events take place. Made up of two semicircles connected by two elongated straight segments, the standard running track, when constructed according to international guidelines, is four hundred meters long in the first of the track's nine lanes.
Competitors usually begin track races in a crouched lunge position with their feet pushing against angled starting blocks, which set them up to explode into a sprint at the sound of the starter's pistol, a firearm that makes a noise like a gunshot but fires no projectile. Historically, running tracks have been made from clay, grass, and asphalt. The modern-day standard is to have a track surface that balances hard and soft through the use of asphalt coated in a layer of rubber particles bound by latex or polyurethane. Sprinters may choose to wear track-specific shoes that feature short traction spikes protruding from the sole.
The current world record for running the 400-meter circuit—one time around the entire track so that you finish where you started—is held by Wayde van Niekerk, who completed the dash in 43.03 seconds in 2016. Aside from the 400-meter dash, typical track events include sprint races of 100 meters and 200 meters. There are also longer distance races measured at 800 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters. During Castle's first track meet, he witnesses older athletes competing in the hurdles event, which sees competitors leap over a series of barriers whose height can range from thirty to forty-two inches.
