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)
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