All the tracks you see on the world stage are red or blue (outdoor). I've never seen or run on a black track that's on par with a red track as far as quality goes. Is it simply because black tracks are hotter?
If black tracks were made out of the same fine material as red or blue tracks, they wouldn't look so bad either, so I guess it's not an aesthetic issue.
Why?
They break down faster in sunlight. I've seen many high quality tracks with a black surface.
I know of one that's top notch.
Because anyone who's ever actually raced on them knows that they turn into frying pans on hot sunny days.
Kent Denver School.
First rate black rubber track.
You guys are all wrong. The reason there are no high quality black tracks is because they would never be able to read the photo finish at a high quality 100m race. You need a color that contrasts against the winners so you can see them.
It would be like cook hunting in the dark, nothing to see except their eyes and teeth.
Seriously though I think it the sun thing combined with tradition. At the beginnings of all weather tracks, you would want to advertise the fact that you had a nice facility. Kinda hard to do that when it looked just like the asphalt and cinder tracks it was replacing.