Well, let me tell ya ’bout them indoor tracks, ya know, the ones them youngsters run around on. I ain’t no expert, but I seen a thing or two.
First off, the size of the darn thing. They gotta be big, real big. I heard tell one of them regular outdoor tracks, the big ones, takes up a whole lotta space. Somethin’ like, hold on, let me get this right… 157,092 square feet! Can ya believe that? That’s a whole lot of dirt, or well, whatever they make them tracks outta nowadays. Now, the indoor ones, they ain’t quite that big, seein’ as they gotta fit inside a buildin’ and all. A regular indoor one, with six lanes, and goin’ round just 200 meters, that’s still a big ol’ space – 78,546 square feet, they say. And if they wanna make it a little longer, say 300 meters, well, that’s even bigger, like 110,922 square feet.
Them tracks ain’t just flat circles, neither. They got curves, ya know, like a road bendin’. And these curves, sometimes they’s tilted, like, slanted a bit. They call it “banked,” I think. Why? Well, it helps them runners go fast without hurtin’ themselves too much, I guess. Makes sense, I reckon, when you’re runnin’ fast around a corner, you don’t wanna fly right off the track! Outdoor tracks are 400 meters, big circles, but indoors, they’re only half that, 200 meters. So, them runners gotta go around more bends. Twice as many, they say.
And speakin’ of runnin’, the things they do on them tracks, well, it ain’t always the same inside as it is outside. They got races in both places, sure, but sometimes the distances are different. Like, I dunno, maybe they run shorter races inside ‘cause there ain’t as much room? I ain’t quite sure, but that’s what I heard.
- Size matters: Bigger the track, the more room they got. But even the smaller indoor ones are still pretty darn big.
- Curves and bends: Them tracks ain’t just straight lines. They got them curves, and sometimes they’re tilted to help the runners.
- Inside versus outside: They run different races sometimes, and the tracks ain’t the same size.
Now, if you’re thinkin’ ‘bout buildin’ one of these tracks, there’s a whole book about it. Somethin’ called a “Facilities Manual,” and it’s got a whole chapter, Chapter 8, just about these 200-meter indoor tracks. They even got pictures and stuff, “markin’ plans,” they call ‘em, to show ya how to lay everything out. Sounds complicated if you ask me.
And get this, them fancy universities, they got big ol’ buildings just for track and field. But you don’t gotta be all fancy to have a track, I guess. People buildin’ all sorts of tracks these days, not just them big schools. They lookin’ for ideas, seein’ what others have done in the last few years. Tryna make ‘em better, I suppose.
I also heard folks askin’ if indoor track is better than outdoor. Well, I say it depends on what you’re lookin’ for. Indoor’s good ‘cause you don’t have to worry about the weather, no rain or snow. But outdoor, you got more space, maybe. It’s all a matter of preference, I reckon. And if you’re lookin’ for a place to run, there are ways to find them, some kind of maps and stuff, to show ya where the nearest track is. They even built a new one in Providence, Rhode Island, a while back. Seems like these tracks are poppin’ up everywhere!
So, there ya have it, that’s what I know ‘bout indoor track requirements. It’s all about size, and curves, and what kind of runnin’ you wanna do. And if you’re lookin’ to build one, well, there’s plenty of folks doin’ that too.
In short: you need a big space, the track’s gotta have curves, and remember there’s a difference between indoor and outdoor running. And if you need to know more, there’s books and stuff out there to help ya.
Tags: [indoor track, running track, track dimensions, track design, indoor sports, athletic facilities, track construction, track requirements, banked curves]
