We're looking at running an indoor HS meet in early March on tracks I've never seen. One is the indoor track at DePauw and the other is at Purdue. Although I've heard that DePauw's indoor facility is really nice, I've haven't heard much more than that and have met no one who can tell me about Purdue's indoor track.
I'd appreciate having someone who's run on both, or at least one of these tracks, provide their opinion about each.
I haven't been to Purdue in years, but I think I heard that they have a new surface. The bad part about Purdue is that the seating is directly above the track, so if you are sitting in your team camp area, you can only see the runners on the other side. Depauw is a more open facility and has a very nice surface. I believe they held their indoor nationals there a few years ago, so I would say it must be pretty good if it is good enough for the NCAA.
I have never been to DePauw.
I have run at Purdue 4 times, and like it pretty well (I think I have set 5 PRs there, so I have a soft spot for it . . .) The surface is a good one; it feels pretty fast. The stands are pretty much above the track on three sides (no stands on the first curve), so that is the main drawback. Still, it seemed like a good atmosphere to race in, and not really too bad for the fans.
Raced at Depauw's indoor track once for NCAAs and loved it. It has a really good feel to it. However it is flat, but the surface, lighting, stands and feel to it are very nice. Plus using the indoor tennis courts as a warm up area was a cool feature.
Have you contacted either facility? It's not like reserving a tennis court. You might not have an option.
I officiated at DePauw last year when their facility was used for the Horizon League Champs, even though DePauw is not in that League. The place is just great from what I recall. Obviously the Horizon League liked it or they would not have cut a deal to use it.
prognisticator wrote:
Have you contacted either facility? It's not like reserving a tennis court. You might not have an option.
Not yet with the Purdue meet, although I plan to very soon, but both are offering their meets up as invites and neither is closed so I don't expect much problem with entry.
I have had the privilege of running on both tracks multiple times.
Both are great indoor tracks. DePauw has a great wide open feel to it and lots of space to warm up and move in it. Plus they have an amazing trail system right outside the door if you would like to go for a longer warm up or cool outside. It was nice to have the option of indoor or outdoor warm ups.
At Purdue I liked the intimacy that the smaller area brought, but I did think the turns were a bit tighter than DePauws track. A few times the Purdue athletes were able to take a few seconds off of their times run at their track for conference because of how tight the track was. (Like the opposite of adding time because of an oversized track...)It was interesting getting used to having the stands above you while you were running. I had to warm up outside on the streets there because of the lack of space inside the track.
I really did enjoy both tracks, so I don't think you can go wrong. But I do have a personal bias towards depauw :) I think it depends on what kind of atmosphere you want and what kind of warm ups your kids are willing to do.
I ran at the boilermaker invitational at purdue for two years and all of the track meets at DePauw. Loved racing in both!
We went to DePauw in college once or twice. It was a nice facility, but I think this was the place that required 1/8" spikes which drove our sprint coach crazy. I don't think they were checking it for field events, I don't remember swapping mine.
I checked their website and it currently says, "1/8 inch pyramid spikes only or 1/4 inch pyramid with a recessed sole. No needle or pin spikes!"
Something to keep in mind!
Depauw Track and area surrounding track > Purdue Track and area surrounding track..
however...
Purdue Competition > Depauw Competition
Sourc: Raced both places over 5 times each...
IU
letnotrunandsaywedid wrote:
IU
+1
