Running track
An all weather running track is the common term to describe a rubberized artificial running surface for the sport of Track and field athletics. Throughout the history of the sport, there has always been a search for a consistent surface that gave competitors an equal advantage, to test their athletic ability not encumbered by dealing with adverse conditions. There are other events in and around the sport that do incorporate dealing with the elements as part of the sport, but Track and Field has always deemed most of its competition in more scientific terms. Various forms of dirt, grass, sand and ultimately crushed cinders were used. Many examples of these varieties of track still exist worldwide.
History
Starting in the late 1950's, artificial surfaces using a combination of rubber and asphalt began to appear. Possibly the first was a warm up track constructed for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.[1] During the 1960's many of these tracks were constructed, examples still exist today.[2] Their survival are a testament to the durability and inconsistency of these early attempts.
In the mid-1960's Tartan tracks, surfaced with a product by 3M. The name Tartan is a trademark, but many have misused it as a Genericized trademark. This process was the first to commercialize a Polyurethane surface for running tracks, though originally conceived for horse racing.[3] Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide including at many of the top Universities in the United States. Among that list was a Tartan track installed in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, home of the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City which were the first global championships to use such a track. It has become standard ever since. Another was installed on a temporary basis for the 1968 United States Olympic Trials held at altitude at Echo Summit, California, before being moved to South Tahoe Middle School, where it survived for almost 40 years. An original Tartan track[4] is still in place (though horribly mistreated) at "Speed City"[1] San Jose State University on a satellite to the campus at 10th Street and Alma. Years of the abuse of tractors tearing it and cars parked on it shows the durability of this original product.
Surfacing tracks has become an industry with many competitors.
- Tartan; The legacy of the brand is now known as Tartan APS
- Chevron 440[5][6]; was a popular surface of the mid-1970's
- Rekortan; was invented and used for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany [7] and is still licensed Worldwide
- Eurotan [8]
- Martin ISS [9] was another 1970's development which now goes by the name of the manufacturer "Benyon"
- Plexitracs[10]
and there are other techniques that distribute small chunks of rubber then adhere them in place with various Polyurethane or latex substances.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), international governing body of the sport, publishes very specific regulations for the conduct of a Global Championship or International level track meet (which is their jurisdiction of the sport).[11]
Since its inception in the early-1980's, the manufacturer of the surfaces selected for most championship meets has been by the Italian company, Mondo, again the trademarked brand name becoming misused as a genericized trademark. Mondo surfaces differ in that they are more of a rubber carpet, cut to size then tightly seamed together (in the linear direction along the lane lines). This form of construction gives a more consistent bounce (or energy return) and traction. Because of the tight fit specifications required for manufacture, construction surrounding these sites also has to be of a higher standard, making Mondo also one of the most expensive systems to use. Examples of Mondo tracks were used for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, 2000 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and 1996 Summer Olympics (since removed from the stadium) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and record setting locations King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium [12][13].
Another player in the marketplace is BASF owned Conica, which can boast the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany (where Usain Bolt improved his 100 meters and 200 meters world records), along with other record hosting venues like Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy [14]
References
- ^ http://www.wmloud.com.au/about_us_william_loud.html William Loud
- ^ http://www.trackinfo.org/tracks.html Trackinfo California listing
- ^ http://www.tartan-aps.com/history.php Tartan Track history
- ^ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/510257192.html?dids=510257192:510257192&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+06%2C+1967&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Tartan+Track+Set+for+UCLA&pqatl=google LA Times March 6, 1967
- ^ http://www.baylorbears.com/school-bio/bay-hart-trackfield.html Baylor track history
- ^ http://www.gopoly.com/index.php?p=facilities Cal Poly track history
- ^ http://precisionsurfaces.com/pages/rekortan/ Rekortan history
- ^ http://www.totalsportscy.com/eurotanlogo.html Eurotan website
- ^ http://www.beynonsports.com/aboutus/martin_surfacing.aspx Martin history
- ^ http://www.plexipave.com Plexitracs
- ^ http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/AboutIAAF/Publications/05/26/93/20090923010557_httppostedfile_IAAFTechnicalRegulations31July2009(4)_16740.pdf IAAF Technical Manual
- ^ http://www.mondoworldwide.com/Showreferences.cfm?pagina=1&id_root_ref=3&id_applicazione=15 Mondo references
- ^ http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Competitions/TechnicalArea/04/43/20/20091207100318_httppostedfile_Tracks_1Dec09_17528.pdf IAAF Certified Track list
- ^ http://www.conica.basf.com/en/news/Pages/World’sBestMeetings2009HostedonCONICATracks.aspx Conica references
Sport Surfacing Sport Surfacing & Constructions