All-weather running track

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Starting lines on an all-weather track Athletics track.jpg
Starting lines on an all-weather track

An all-weather running track is a rubberized artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, various forms of dirt, grass, sand and crushed cinders were used. Many examples of these varieties of track still exist worldwide.

Cinder track

A cinder track is a type of race track, generally purposed for track and field or horse racing, whose surface is composed of cinders. For running tracks, most cinder surfaces have been replaced by all-weather synthetic surfaces, which provide greater durability and more consistent results, and are less stressful on runners. The impact on performance as a result of differing track surfaces is a topic often raised when comparing athletes from different eras.

Contents

Surfaces

Starting in the late 1950s, artificial surfaces using a combination of rubber and asphalt began to appear. An artificial warm-up track was constructed for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.[ citation needed ] During the 1960s many of these tracks were constructed; examples still exist today. [1]

1956 Summer Olympics Games of the XVI Olympiad, celebrated in Melbourne in 1956

The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1956.

Melbourne City in Victoria, Australia

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Its name refers to an urban agglomeration of 2,080 km2 (800 sq mi), comprising a metropolitan area with 31 municipalities, and is also the common name for its city centre. The city occupies much of the coastline of Port Phillip bay and spreads into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. It has a population of 5 million, and its inhabitants are referred to as "Melburnians".

In the mid-1960s Tartan tracks were developed, surfaced with a product by 3M. The name Tartan is a trademark, but it is sometimes used as a genericized trademark [ citation needed ]. This process was the first to commercialize a polyurethane surface for running tracks, though it was originally conceived for horse racing. [2] Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide, including at many of the top universities in the United States[ citation needed ]. 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. Olympic shot put champion Bill Nieder was instrumental in developing the product and selling it for this first use in the Olympics. [3] An all-weather surface has become standard ever since.

Tartan track chemical compound

Tartan Track is a trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane used for track and field competitions, manufactured by 3M. It lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces. It also provides a more consistent surface for competition even under optimum weather. Such tracks have become the standard for most elite competitions.

3M American multinational conglomerate corporation

The 3M Company, formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company is an American multinational conglomerate corporation operating in the fields of industry, worker safety, health care, and consumer goods. The company produces a variety of products, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, window films, paint protection films, dental and orthodontic products, electrical & electronic connecting and insulating materials, medical products, car-care products, electronic circuits, healthcare software and optical films. It is based in Maplewood, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul.

Polyurethane polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links

Polyurethane is a polymer composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. While most polyurethanes are thermosetting polymers that do not melt when heated, thermoplastic polyurethanes are also available.

Another Tartan track 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 is still in place at "Speed City" 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.[ citation needed ]

United States Olympic Trials (track and field) United States Olympic Trials for track and field

The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of track and field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the year's USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events, this has been considered by many to be the best track meet in the world. The event is regularly shown on domestic U.S. Television and covered by a thousand members of the worldwide media. As with all Olympic sports, the meet is conducted by the national governing body for the sport, currently USA Track & Field (USATF), which was previously named The Athletics Congress (TAC) until 1992. Previous to the formation of TAC in 1979, the national governing body for most "amateur" sports was the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Echo Summit mountain pass

Echo Summit is a mountain pass over the Sierra Nevada in the western United States, located in eastern El Dorado County, California. At 7,377 ft (2,249 m) above sea level, it is the highest point on U.S. Route 50 in California, which traverses it at postmile 66.48 between Twin Bridges and Meyers, south of Lake Tahoe.

California U.S. state in the United States

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents across a total area of about 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

Surfacing tracks has become an industry with many competitors.

Chevron Corporation American multinational energy corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation. One of the successor companies of Standard Oil, it is headquartered in San Ramon, California, and active in more than 180 countries. Chevron is engaged in every aspect of the oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy industries, including hydrocarbon exploration and production; refining, marketing and transport; chemicals manufacturing and sales; and power generation. Chevron is one of the world's largest oil companies; as of 2019, it ranked eleventh in the Fortune 500 list of the top US closely held and public corporations and 28th on the Fortune Global 500 list of the top 500 corporations worldwide. It was also one of the Seven Sisters that dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the 1970s. Chevron is incorporated in California.

1972 Summer Olympics Games of the XX Olympiad, held in Munich in 1972

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972.

Munich Capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany

Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, the second most populous German federal state. With a population of around 1.5 million, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and thus the largest which does not constitute its own state, as well as the 12th-largest city in the European Union. The city's metropolitan region is home to 6 million people. Straddling the banks of the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps, it is the seat of the Bavarian administrative region of Upper Bavaria, while being the most densely populated municipality in Germany. Munich is the second-largest city in the Bavarian dialect area, after the Austrian capital of Vienna.

There are other techniques that distribute small chunks of rubber then adhere them in place with various polyurethane or latex substances.

Latex stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium

Latex is a stable dispersion (emulsion) of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. It is found in nature, but synthetic latexes can be made by polymerizing a monomer such as styrene that has been emulsified with surfactants.

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). [13]

Since the early 1980s, the manufacturer of the surfaces selected for most championship meets has been the Italian company, Mondo, again the trademarked brand name becoming sused as a genericized trademark. Mondo's track surface is called Mondotrack. The surface differs from the particles stuck in adhesion techniques, 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. [14] Because of the tight fit specifications required for manufacture, construction surrounding these sites also has to be of a higher standard, making a Mondotrack one of the most expensive systems to use. Examples of Mondotracks were used for the 1996 Summer Olympics (since removed from the Centennial Olympic Stadium) in Atlanta, Georgia, United States; 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece; 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China; 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [15] [16]

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 [17]

Measurement of a track

The proper length of the 1st lane of a competitive running track is 400 m (1,312.3 ft). Some tracks are not built to this specification, instead some are legacy to imperial distances like 440 yd (402.3 m). Prior to rule changes in 1979, distances in Imperial units were still used in the United States. Some facilities build tracks to fit the available space. One of the most notable examples of this is Franklin Field where the 400 meter distance is achieved in lane 5. Olympic tracks in the early 20th century were of other lengths. Each lane of the track could (by IAAF rules should) be as wide as 122 cm (4.00 ft), [18] though the majority of American tracks are built to NFHS high school specifications that allow smaller lanes. [19] The IAAF also specifies a preferred radius for the turns at 37 metres, but allows a range. Major international level meets are conducted and world records are allowed to be set on tracks that are not exactly 37 metres, but do fall in the range.

Lane measurement

Track and field stadium layout Piste athletisme-en.svg
Track and field stadium layout
LaneTotal lengthRadiusSemi-circle lengthDeltaAngle
1400.00 m36.80 m115.61 m0.00 m0.00°
2407.67 m38.02 m119.44 m3.83 m5.78°
3415.33 m39.24 m123.28 m7.67 m11.19°
4423.00 m40.46 m127.11 m11.50 m16.28°
5430.66 m41.68 m130.94 m15.33 m21.08°
6438.33 m42.90 m134.77 m19.16 m25.60°
7446.00 m44.12 m138.61 m23.00 m29.86°
8453.66 m45.34 m142.44 m26.83 m33.90°
9461.33 m46.56 m146.27 m30.66 m37.73°

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "California and Nevada All-Weather Tracks". Trackinfo.org. 17 February 1997. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Tartan - History". Tartan-aps.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Bill Nieder: Putter Formulated The Rubber Room". Elitetrack. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tartan - The ORIGINAL Polyurethane Athletic Surface". www.tartan-aps.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  5. ↑ http://www.baylorbears.com/school-bio/bay-hart-trackfield.html Archived 24 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine Baylor track history
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Cal Poly track history
  7. ↑ http://precisionsurfaces.com/pages/rekortan/ Archived 19 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Rekortan history
  8. ↑ "Products Eurotan". Totalsportscy.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  9. ↑ http://www.beynonsports.com/aboutus/martin_surfacing.aspx Archived 19 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine Martin history
  10. ↑ "Beynon Sports - Making fast look good". www.beynonsports.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Plexipave – A California Sports Surfaces Brand". Plexipave.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Mondo Spa". Mondotrackusa.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ Martins, Alejandra (23 July 2012). "Inside line on 2012 Olympics track". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  15. ↑ http://www.mondoworldwide.com/Showreferences.cfm?pagina=1&id_root_ref=3&id_applicazione=15
  16. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Competitions/TechnicalArea/04/43/20/20091207100318_httppostedfile_Tracks_1Dec09_17528.pdf Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine IAAF Certified Track list
  17. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 December 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ↑ "IAAF Track and Field Facilities Manual 2008 Edition - Chapters 1-3". IAAF. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  19. ↑ "2013 NFHS Rule Book - USA Track & Field" (PDF). NFHS. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Running Track Geometry". datagenetics.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  21. ↑ Schuster, Kurt (11 September 2017). "What Is the Distance Around a Running Track for Each Lane?". LIVESTRONG.COM . Retrieved 1 June 2018.
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