UNIQUE RAISED TRACK MAKES GREAT NORTH CITYGAMES POSSIBLE
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission
GATESHEAD,
England (18-Sep) -- Today's Bupa Great North CityGames, the track and
field prelude to tomorrow's massive Bupa Great North Run half-marathon,
is made possible by a unique portable track, specially adapted for
street use. The 190-meter straight track with four lanes is laid so
precisely that it meets all IAAF standards for record setting.
"Basically,
two years ago we had the concept to have track races on the Quayside,"
explained John Mayock, a former European Indoor Championships medallist
who now works as an events manager for Nova International. "But what we
wanted to do was take it to the next level."
That required the
Nova team to work with a stage flooring company to produce a portable
platform so massive and so stable that it would not only have the feel
of a regular track, but also be strong enough to drive emergency
vehicles on it if needed.
"Basically, you could drive a fire truck on it," said Mayock.
To
set up the track on a road surface next to the Tyne River here, a
construction team installs a system of galvanized steel legs, leveling
plates, and floor panels which allows for just a tiny 2mm of height
difference per 100m of track distance. The floor panels have a mass of
650 kg (1430 lbs) each, and are put in place with a crane. A laser
leveling device is used to make sure the surface is perfectly flat.
Finally, after the nearly two-day process to install the floor is
completed, a Mondo track surface is installed on top of the floor, then
IAAF-certified.
"Within half an hour of doing strides, the athletes think it's just as good as a regular outdoor track," Mayock explained.
Five
events --men's 100m, men's and women's 150m, men's 110m hurdles, and
women's 100m hurdles-- will be contested on the track here today, while
the men's two-mile and women's mile will finish on it. Spectators are
invited to watch the races free of charge, and the entire event will be
carried live on BBC One. Marlon Devonish, Andy Turner, and Sally
Pearson are amongst the Australian and English sprint stars who will
compete in a national team competition.
"It's like resurrecting athletics, really," Mayock concluded. "It's bringing athletics back to the people."
PHOTO: Final preparations are made for the 2010 Great North CityGames on the Gateshead Quayside (photo by David Monti)
ENDS