I don’t think it’s a cheat track. The old track had a quite noticeable bounce to it, making it slower. The new track doesn’t have that bounce, making it faster. But it’s not big-time faster.
Seriously what have they done that is special? I assume the surface is a more or less standard surface. I don’t remember anything about tuning like BU.
I assume they studied BU. I assume they said "we want the fastest track in the world for the wannamaker mile." And BU was the place to study for that request. And they did a great job. I'd love to read an interview with the renovators, or maybe a video piece even. Let's run, get on it! You renovate a track and then two world records are set, we need an interview!
It would seem logical to "standardize" tracks both indoor and outdoor if you're going to legitimize qualifying times and world records. Built with the same material, same foundation, and exact specs. It's not that difficult and will erase any questions of legitimacy. If not, all performances are subjective and open to speculation.
You renovate a track and then two world records are set, we need an interview!
Grants time is amazing but nuguse has run 3:43 outdoors so it’s not like this is a jump in performance for him. It would be more so for the people behind him maybe, but that tends to happen in fast races
I don’t think it’s a cheat track. The old track had a quite noticeable bounce to it, making it slower. The new track doesn’t have that bounce, making it faster. But it’s not big-time faster.
Seriously what have they done that is special? I assume the surface is a more or less standard surface. I don’t remember anything about tuning like BU.
Is this a real question.
There are literally multiple videos and detailed articles on the design and 'tuning' of fast indoor tracks.
If you are genuinely interested, this is easy information to find.
If I have 30 seconds later I can do the homework for you and send some links.
New tracks are always faster, in fact when someone says a track is fast it usually means the surface is relatively new. With that said, it is a mental thing as well because when athletes know that fast times are being run on a particular track, it because a self for filling prophecy.
tracks and conditions have been a huge factor for a long time.
in horse racing, the world record is quite an achievement but not that big of a deal overall.
they recognize the variations in the track from the get go.
you can tell unusual conditions when everyone runs a PR.
intriguing is select back in the day performances, on say, beat up tracks, odd pacing or none,. windy and rain.
one performance that I wonder about is Walker's 2000m WR 451 1976 in the wind and rain as reported by Arch Jelley, and what was the real speed factor of that track? same as Walkers 349 solo for 800m and pacing 55 + 60 for the other 800, and on a track how many seconds worse than a Monaco??
then there is Snell on wettish grass in 144 seventy years ago, Arch Jelley says that is equivalent no doubt to 142, perhaps 141.
tracks and shoes. don't get too carried away with that.
with all that said, you can see in the forms of the runners that they are truly world class.
that said, you're not going to see vast improvement on the forms or talents of Wolhutter Van Damme and Juantoreana.'
their 143s are not faster than Snell 144 on grass, and not slower than super shoes and track 141.
that said, top talents, without too much PEDs, with all today's hacks, can break 140.
Arch Jelley wondered aloud these sentiments back in the day and recently in a podcase on his 101 th birthday, where Arch recalls back in the day times to the tenth of a second without fail.
Indoor tracks should've been standardised decades ago.
The University of Wisconsin, one of the great dominant NCAA running programs of all time, won't even (re)build a reasonable indoor track facility for its program. Any concept of standardizing indoor tracks is completely unrealistic for funding reasons, size and shape of facilities, etc... Progressions in technology just exist. Even the same track changes over time. There are major indoor meets happening in Europe on four lane tracks with tight turns. Indoor is a wild landscape. The big performances are most likely to happen in the big meets at the best facilities. So be it.