---
title: "Sprint start reaction: 140 ms"
description: "Sprint start reaction: typically 140 ms, really 120 ms to 180 ms. What is actually being measured, and why it counts as a reaction rather than one of the other two."
url: https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/sprint-start-reaction/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Sprint start reaction

**Sprint start reaction: 120 ms–180 ms**

Reaction — a decision, via the brain

World Athletics rules treat any reaction under 0.100 seconds as a false start, on the reasoning that a human cannot hear the gun and respond faster than that, so anything quicker was anticipation. Elite sprinters typically come out between 0.12 and 0.16 seconds. The threshold has been criticised because some athletes have demonstrated genuine responses slightly under it in the laboratory, but it remains the rule and it is enforced by force sensors in the blocks rather than by the starter's eye.

## The numbers

- **Typical:** 140 ms
- **Range:** 120 ms to 180 ms
- **What it is:** Reaction — a decision, via the brain
- **What is measured:** Time from the gun to measurable force change in the starting blocks.

## Why this is a reaction

A reaction is a decision: signal in, processing, movement out. The floor for a human is around 150 milliseconds, and anything measured below about 100 ms is anticipation rather than response.

## Where it sits against everything else

*Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.*

- Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex: 10 ms
- Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex: 22 ms
- Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit: 35 ms
- Blink reflex — Reflex: 40 ms
- Withdrawal reflex — Reflex: 90 ms
- Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit: 110 ms
- Sprint start reaction — Reaction: 140 ms
- Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction: 155 ms
- Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction: 170 ms
- Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction: 190 ms
- Formula One start reaction — Reaction: 200 ms
- Simple visual reaction time — Reaction: 250 ms
- How reaction time changes with age — Reaction: 250 ms
- What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction: 300 ms
- What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction: 320 ms
- Recognition reaction time — Reaction: 340 ms
- Choice reaction time — Reaction: 380 ms
- Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit: 400 ms
- Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit: 450 ms
- Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit: 500 ms
- Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction: 850 ms

## Sport

| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Time a jab takes to land | 110 ms | 80 ms–150 ms | Physical limit |
| Formula One start reaction | 200 ms | 150 ms–300 ms | Reaction |
| Time to hit a 95 mph fastball | 400 ms | 375 ms–425 ms | Physical limit |
| Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty | 450 ms | 400 ms–600 ms | Physical limit |
| Time to play a 90 mph delivery | 500 ms | 450 ms–550 ms | Physical limit |

## Common questions

### How long is sprint start reaction?

Typically 140 ms, with a real range of 120 ms to 180 ms. Time from the gun to measurable force change in the starting blocks.

### Is that a reflex or a reaction?

Reaction — a decision, via the brain. A reaction is a decision: signal in, processing, movement out. The floor for a human is around 150 milliseconds, and anything measured below about 100 ms is anticipation rather than response.

## Related pages

- [Time a jab takes to land](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/boxing-jab/)
- [Formula One start reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/f1-start-reaction/)
- [Time to hit a 95 mph fastball](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/baseball-fastball/)
- [Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/penalty-kick/)
- [Time to play a 90 mph delivery](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/cricket-fast-bowler/)
- [A reflex is not a reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/reflex-vs-reaction/)
- [Stopping distance at every speed](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/stopping-distance/)
- [Measure your own reaction time](https://atoneplace.net/tools/reaction-time-test/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)