New surface for athletics track in Limerick

This might be of interest to any readers in the Limerick region. The athletics track at the University of Limerick is in the process of being resurfaced at the moment.. As can be seen from the photo above, the old surface is nearly gone now and the new track will be put down soon.

Athletics track in Letterkenny under water...Nov 2015

Earlier this year in July, there were a number of high profile races on the athletics track in Letterkenny, Co.Donegal including a steeplechase race where three Irish women qualified for the Olympic Games...Kerry O'Flaherty, Michelle Finn & Sara Treacy.

Fast forward to November and the track is now under water. The photo below shows the Danny McDaid Track at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny and what it used to look like...(notice the yellow arrow on the left)...

This is the view from where the yellow arrow is after all the recent rain...

Whether its just need some cleaning or if there is more longer term damage remains to be seen. If the water gets under the track surface then they could be in right trouble.

Letterkenny AC are based there.

Track with right angle bends built in China...

This is one of the stories doings the rounds on the net today. It was recently announced that a track with 90 deg bends has been constructed in China.

The track was completed recently as part of a major refurbishment of a stadium in Heilongjiang province. While there is an impressive artificial grass football pitch at its centre, the track seems to have been a bit of an afterthought.

When quizzed, officials admitted that painting right angles was faster than painting curves and that they were rushing to get ready for an official visit from an official of the Communist Party.

It turns out that instead of keeping the visiting dignitary happy, the track is now featured in the world press as an object of ridicule.

Christmas storms cause damage at the CIT track

The recent storms over the Christmas period have caused some damage to a building at the CIT track...

It would seem as if the metal cover for the pole vault mats became dislodged and then proceeded to fly across the track, hit the roof of a small building and then land on the roundabout outside.

Fortunately there was no damage to the track itself and it was open again for business on the 2nd of Jan after the Christmas break.

(Photo credit...Ian O'Sullivan of CIT)

Work continues at Ireland's newest indoor running track in Athlone...

Work is continuing at present on a new €13 million indoor sports arena in Athlone. It is hoped that the completion of the first element of the indoor sports arena will be in the next few months with the new six-lane indoor athletics track becoming the only IAAF approved facility in the Republic. According to Athletics Ireland, the "indoor athletics track and field auditorium comprises a 200m-banked running track, spectator seating for 1,500 persons, as well as an elevated athlete warm-up area with an 80m sprint track. The separate multipurpose indoor sports auditorium will cater for basketball, futsal; as well as volleyball, badminton and multiple other sports. It too will have spectator seating for 1,500 persons, which can be increased to 3,500 spectators in concert setting. The building incorporates all accepted passive and sustainable technology, including rainwater harvesting and high degrees of insulation. The main athletics arena is naturally lit to reduce running costs, with lights used rarely. The auditoria are naturally ventilated, and the preferred ambient temperature of a sports centre – 16 degrees – facilitates the lowest possible energy use for a building of this type."

For the best part of the last decade, the Irish Indoor Athletic Championships have been held at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. Once this new facility in Athlone is completed, it will be much more accessible to athletes from all corners of the country. These are some of the travel times to get to Athlone......Dublin 1:30, Galway 1:00, Limerick 1:50, Cork 2:50, Waterford 2:30, Derry 3:40, Belfast 3:20, Sligo 1:50.

The current plan is that extensive testing will take place in late January / early February and the Athletics Ireland Senior Indoor Championships will be held at this new facility in Athlone on the 16th and 17th of February 2013.

Just before the new Mondo track is put down. Photo shows the spectating area.

Plenty of glass on the side of the building allowing lots of daylight in

Plenty of glass on the opposite side as well making for a really bright indoor track.

 Photos courtesy of Athlone IT Athletic Club...

3D Running Track in Spain...

Recently, this new track facility was built in Alicante, Spain....

A standard 400m track except that it also has a 3-D feature..it has a hill as well!

An extra section of track curves up over an artificial hill with the changing rooms underneath. Between the curved hilly section and the normal track is a terraced section for spectators with an access tunnel under the track...

Obviously, the hilly section wont be used in competitions but what a novel feature...

UCD apologise for handling of track closure in Dublin...

 

University College Dublin director of sport Brian Mullins has apologised for the way the college authorities handled the track closure. Last week, they closed the track for 'Safety' reasons and then proceded to dig up the track straight away without any warning. In an interview, Mullins said...."We had a report that indicated we were taking a (safety) chance every day we left it open, but we did not communicate this very well to our students and other athletics people and I apologise openly for that". One of the most vehement critics of the sudden closure was Senator Eamonn Coghlan and he is among those whom UCD have now enlisted to serve on a task-force to fast-track a replacement facility on the other side of the Belfield campus.

Mullins admitted that the track was allowed to go into disrepair because the campus layout has changed dramatically in recent years and all of the university's newer sports facilities have deliberately been grouped at the Clonskeagh end of the extensive grounds. "Apart from a few remaining soccer pitches the track was the last remaining outpost and it was decided not to invest in repairing hard-earned money into something that was going to be shifted in due course," he said. UCD has had planning permission for a track near its sports centre at Clonskeagh since 2009, but those plans were then hit by the recession. Mullins said: "We're quite positive now that we will get commitment for the funding soon and will move to deliver a replacement track as quickly as possible."

Dublin loses one of it's most famous tracks

Back in the 70's, the athletic track at the UCD campus in Belfield, Dublin was one of the finest in the country. Starting this week, the diggers were in ripping it up. The reason given for it's closure was “health and safety concerns” and as you can see from the photo below, it was neglected for years.
There is a proposal to build another track elsewhere on the campus but obviously, it would be a lot cheaper to re-surface the existing one rather than build a completely new one. According to an Irish Times article today, they speculate that the real reason is that it will ..."end up as a car park or the site of student accommodation".

The full Irish Times article can be seen HERE  (Photo: Bryan O’Brian)

While this may appear as a Dublin related news story, it raises the issue of other running track around the country. These tracks are not just the preserve of elite athletes intersted only in track and field events. Plenty of athletic and running clubs use them for speed training, especially during the winter months when the roads are dark.If a track like this in the capital city can be left go to ruin, what about other tracks elsewhere?

How to build a 400 metre track...in 2 mins

Here's an interesting video clip......the construction of the new track at Albert Park's Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

This is how you construct a world class IAAF standard track in just over 2 minutes...