Is the Boston University Indoor Track short?

It’s just bouncy AF

The banks are less than some tracks which should make it slower yet it is faster. As you pointed out, elite groups send their runners there to stage a race so it is not the competition but the track. I believe it to be short.

longer than a 100 wrote:

The banks are less than some tracks which should make it slower yet it is faster. As you pointed out, elite groups send their runners there to stage a race so it is not the competition but the track. I believe it to be short.

Also interesting to see the number of people who have broken 4 in the mile there compared to any other track

asdf hjkl wrote:

It’s just bouncy AF

So you think the track is juiced?

There’s Flubber underneath the track.

Not that hard to measure the distance of a track. I’m sure if it was that someone would of exposed it by now. The only advantage that track has is the clout.

I seriously agree with that. If everyone tells you and you believe that a given track is faster then you will perform better.

Jesus Christ, we're going to rehash this conspiracy yet again? The BU track is fast because:

-It's a well-designed track with a bouncy plywood base and asymmetrical banks that are optimized for, I believe, men's middle distance speeds

-The meets are very well run. Events run right on schedule, the starters are very experienced, and there are paid rabbits in the fast heats.

-They run several large open meets every year with lots of top competition. Lots of fast runners running in lots of competitive races= lots of fast times.

-They are very accommodating to pros who want to set up a one-off time trial at one of their meets. At the last chance meet, they added an extra day to the schedule to accommodate the pros and even set up a special 4x800 race for some local masters farts who wanted to run an age group record.

-Most meets have large, loud crowds with people squeezed around the edge of the track screaming you on.

And for the millionth time, the track is not long, it's been measured and certified.

It’s very bouncy. I am surprised someone hasn’t gotten the blueprints and duplicated it in other regions.

Read that.

Pete Schuder, who helped design the track, has posted on here before. He had a host of reasons for the track to be “fast”: asymmetrical banking, the height of the banking (38” or 39”), and the plywood base on (I think) a steel frame.

Fan of the Sport wrote:

It’s very bouncy. I am surprised someone hasn’t gotten the blueprints and duplicated it in other regions.

If it's so much more bouncy than other tracks, doesn't that make it the vapor fly of tracks? What % performance gain to people get on this track versus a less bouncy indoor track?

longer than a 100 wrote:

The banks are less than some tracks which should make it slower yet it is faster. As you pointed out, elite groups send their runners there to stage a race so it is not the competition but the track. I believe it to be short.

The banks are actually higher than many indoor tracks (higher than The Armory, Mich, etc.) which makes it fast.

I have stood next to several of them. I believe that the tracks at the Armory, BU, and Iowa are all similar.

If you have been there you will understand why it is so fast. The banks are massive compared to other indoor tracks and it is bouncy as hell. They said that it is most effective when running 28-29 second laps which helps explain the sub-4 mile theory a tad. When a track is very fast, everyone in the area wants to use it. Once everyone in the area uses it and runs fast, this attracts people from further away and so on. Essentially, the track + the constant level of high competition + the environment has made this track what it is. It is not short.

The banks (18°) are the highest allowed by the IAAF. As seen in the article I linked above, the BU track is optimal for 26.8s per lap. The designers wanted it to be good for 400m runners, but the “bouncy” wooden base has made it great for distance runners.

Aren't the tracks at Iowa and BU the same other than bank height? Standing next to both, BU's is barely up to my chest while Iowa's is at my chin. So unless the base level is higher at Iowa, the banks are higher.

yeah, if you start to die in a distance race, it's hard not to fall into the infield.

extra motivation I suppose.

I go to BU and I can assure you it is 200m.... don't be a jackass

[quote]fast track wrote:

Jesus Christ, we're going to rehash this conspiracy yet again? The BU track is fast because:

-It's a well-designed track with a bouncy plywood base and asymmetrical banks that are optimized for, I believe, men's middle distance speeds

.round the edge of the track screaming you on.

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For your own sake, you shouldn't be taking the Lord's name in vain.

Secondly, just measure the darn thing rather than talk about it for years to come.