Sunbeam — one does not need to be concerned about running the very outside. A runner covering 4 laps in the middle of Lane 1 (of a 400m track) will actually complete a mile+.
The math works this way: .5 meters from the inside rail yields a lap distance of 403.14m (per calculator). Thus, 4 laps at that distance becomes 1612.56 — which assures a mile (and 3 meters).
