The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.

The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final, which was held on the second day, 7 April.

The track had very sharp turns and was made of loose cinders, making running difficult.

For the first round, the heats were the final event of the day on Monday; the "sun was setting" and "the air had become decidedly cold.

Jamison won by 13½ yards, with Hofmann and Grisel both having to run 401.83 metres after being penalized for false starts.