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Should more 400m Tracks be built?
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X King
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:37 am    Post subject: Should more 400m Tracks be built? Reply with quote

I didn't want to 'poll' this question so I turned it inot a topic.
Anyway, if more 400m Tracks were built in major Indoor venues (Lievin, Maebashi, Ghent, etc.) then possibly the performances would be like those of outdoors?
Theoretically in an ideal world, if the quality in performances went up, more people would watch, therefore Indoor Track & Field would be more popular, and the 'dream would kept alive' right?
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Dan
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Makes sense to me. Probably would make it more popular with the athletes, too.

Dan
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Conway
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it would make track more of a year round sport ... The winter season times would become a lot more meaningful ... And athletes could target the "indoor season" for truly getting their races in order ... At least in my humble opinion ...
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some people think that small tracks make it more exciting, and times will still be slower because of the air. That being said I'd still agree with you. Indoor really doesn't seem to be taken seriously.

In Calgary there's an indoor 500m track.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
In Calgary there's an indoor 500m track.

Whoa. Surprised What sort of building is it in?

Dan
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2003 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is something to be said for the proximity of the crowd indoors ... I've watched and run in several meets indoors and it does make it more intimate ... But I think you could get the same effect with an indoor 400 meter track ... The key is having the crowd closer to the action and circumfrence of the track is not the key factor ...

As for not having any air, I don't see why that would make the times any slower ... Would insure that no races would be wind aided ... And, technically, the air could be regulated to create whatever density was wanted I would assume ...

The more I think about it an indoor stadium might be preferable for all but the largest meets - Olympics or Worlds ... But even the National Championships run in June/July could probably benefit from being run indoors - wind, temp, humidity controls, etc ...
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, No, No! Do not put the outdoor Nationals indoors! That is an abomination on the same level as indoor football and baseball. :t-:

OK, I got that out of my system. Weather is just one of the variables that make sports interesting. I like the small tracks indoors from the standpoint of a spectator. An athlete may feel different. I hope to race on an indoor track someday so I guess I'll see then. As far as indoor track not being taken seriously, I think you have to look at the area. We don't have indoor track in the high schools in Georgia but it is big in other parts of the country.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LOL ... OK Micah ... I won't do it !!! LOL ... Not that I have any say ...

Weather does make some sports interesting ... I like a good bad weather football game ... But the weather often plays havoc with good track competition ... Sprints and hurdles into headwinds ... Obsessive heat or cold ... HUMIDITY ... Is nice when the conditions are right and the athletes can just go at it ...

And small indoor tracks are horrific for the competitiors ... Most are wooden surfaces ... Very hard ... And banked so you are always running at a tilt on the turns ... Larger tracks enable the tracks to be flattened out like normal ...

And I do find it interesting that the areas of the country with the greatest number of indoor tracks and meets DOES NOT produce a high number of high quality track and field performers !!!!

Personally I think indoors the way the tracks are structured nurtures many bad habits ... Pacing is totally different ... Indoor sprints reduce the phases ... Jump and vault run ups have to be shortened ...

But all just my opinion ... Smile
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
That is an abomination on the same level as indoor football and baseball.

Different maybe, but any worse? Have the Super Bowls hosted in New Orleans and Detroit suffered as a result of being in a dome? I've never gotten that impression.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good point ... I hadn't even thought about the "Domes" ... I wonder if you could make a portable 400 meter track ??? Enough domes around the US already that Trials or Championship meets could be held in them ...

I guess I just like the idea of controlled conditions ... Still air and constant temperatures ... Can you imagine Mo or El G or Geb in their prime in a big meet held in the Superdome ?????
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Superbowls will always sell out because of what they are. I guess I am just old fashioned enough to not like football or baseball indoors. But running is what we are interested in. Being mostly a road and cross country runner I look at the weather as just another aspect of the whole experience. Just like last nights race in the cold and dark. But I do like indoor track. Probably the reason for the short tracks is the lack of buildings big enough to hold a 400 meter track.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree about road and cross country running ... The elements and conditions are a part of the game there ... But it seems to me that track and "the roads" are two totally different kinds of distance running ... Or am I just a distance neophyte ???
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, you are right. The longest race I have run on a track was 5K. It seemed like it took forever, while a 5K on the road seems to be over in no time at all. I can't imagine running 5K on an indoor track.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree. Speaking as a part-time distance runner, foul conditions are expected and often enjoyed in XC and road races, but universally despised on the track.

Dan
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