Diaulos
During the first thirteen Olympic Games, the stade or the stadion was the only event that athletes competed on. On the fourteenth Olympics, a new event was introduced. It was another ancient foot race called the diaulos. It was a race wherein runners sprinted 
down the racing path until the end of the track, made a speedy turn on the post that marked the end, and ran at full speed back to the starting point where the race began. If the race finished at the end point in stadion and runners stayed at the finish line after the sprint, the runner in diaulos had to double back to the starting point, running twice the length of the runners in a stadion race. This is why the diaulos was always described as a two-stade race.
Because it was so sudden and the distance was not increased gradually, athletes who participated in this foot race had to undergo a compulsory training period that lasted at least one month before the date of the race. One month was usually not enough for all the necessary preparations that athletes needed though, because this event was very taxing. Some records showed that athletes trained all year round for these events, running incredible distances and speeds on a daily basis.
What made diaulos unique from all the other ancient foot races was the turning point in the middle of the race. Runners were not only supposed to possess the skills in running, but they needed to have a graceful method for turning while maintaining their speed and balance. Diaulos runners have a straight and stiff posture. Their arms are outstretched in a forward and backward motion to propel their bodies down the racing field. They run with the balls of their feet touching the ground with every step and their heels barely making contact throughout the race.