Sunday Times Teaser 3025 – Please Mind the Gap

by Howard Williams

Published Sunday September 13 2020 (link)

Ann, Beth and Chad start running clockwise around a 400m running track. They run at a constant speed, starting at the same time and from the same point; ignore any extra distance run during overtaking.

Ann is the slowest, running at a whole number speed below 10 m/s, with Beth running exactly 42% faster than Ann, and Chad running the fastest at an exact percentage faster than Ann (but less than twice her speed).

After 4625 seconds, one runner is 85m clockwise around the track from another runner, who is in turn 85m clockwise around the track from the third runner.

They decide to continue running until gaps of 90m separate them, irrespective of which order they are then in.

For how long in total do they run (in seconds)?