While prefabricated running track material is more expensive than traditional options like sand and concrete, the three-dimensional structure offers numerous beneficial features, resulting in its growing popularity.
These benefits include excellent shock absorption, safety, sustainability, versatility and durability, which significantly impact the athlete's performance. Below, we explore the main reasons that prefabricated athletic tracks are game-changing for amateur and professional athletes.
Grip, traction and friction all significantly impact a runner's performance. World-class, competitive athletic tracks must provide sufficient and consistent grip between the athlete's foot and the surface underneath in all weather conditions.
Prefabricated rubber tracks meet the World Athletics' minimum dynamic friction coefficient of 0.5 under wet conditions and have higher coefficients under dry conditions. This desired friction is achieved by altering the surface's texture to enhance grip.
The concave bottom air cushion and unique undulation design provide ample shock absorption, seamless energy transition and feedback, ensuring safety and enhancing athlete performance. The texture and composition of rubber athletic tracks meet the friction standards while providing runners with a uniform grip level. This allows better traction maintenance and facilitates extended ground contact to boost speed and efficiency.
These synthetic running tracks offer a uniform dynamic response and more control over stride, balance and rhythm to reduce the runner's energy needs. The softness of rubber systems allows athletes to make more precise turns, push off the ground faster, improve run times and minimize fatigue to ensure peak performance.
Prefabricated athletic tracks enhance runner safety and reduce the risk of injuries and accidents. They have superior anti-slip and anti-skid properties that are maintained even in wet weather conditions.
Fissures, bumps, bubbles, uncured areas and delamination are all irregularities that pose safety risks, such as leg stiffness, to runners and other athletes. The installation process of prefabricated rubber tracks allows consistent and even surface leveling that eliminates any imperfections.
Though prefabricated tracks have impressive traction properties, leveling enhances safety by preventing water accumulation and decreasing the risk of slip-and-fall accidents. The tracks' thickness and three-dimensional internal structure provide elasticity and shock absorption, essential in boosting athlete well-being by minimizing fatigue and micro-injuries. Being softer than many other track surfacing options, they reduce the impact on runners' joints and decrease muscle stress that can lead to serious injuries over time.
With sustainability at the top of everyone's mind, many runners appreciate knowing that their activities have minimal environmental impact. Prefabricated rubber tracks are made from environmentally friendly synthetic or natural rubber materials.
These materials are often obtained from recycled rubber granules derived from discarded tires and other reclaimed rubber sources. This reduces the energy, waste and landfill usage required for their production. They do not contain any heavy metals or harmful chemical substances, and they produce very low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Additionally, their chemical and physical properties comply with federal standards and environmental protection requirements.
Runners can enjoy better performance on tracks made for their specific needs because prefabricated rubber tracks are highly customizable. Manufacturers offer different track thicknesses, lane markings, color schemes and textures to fit the specific requirements of varying sports and activities. They can also adjust the track's banked curves and incorporate technologies for measurement and timing to enable peak performance.
These tracks can be modified to meet the unique needs of a specific event to maximize utility and cost-effectiveness. Most rubber sports flooring designs include interlocking tiles that can be assembled authentically and easily disassembled to facilitate track relocation. This makes repair and replacement easy because you can perform these tasks on specific sections without dismantling the entire track.
The construction of prefabricated rubber tracks makes them resistant to damage and wear and tear. The upper layer comprises a sturdy surface with high glue content that gives it long-term resistance to ultraviolet light and other extreme weather conditions. This layer's thickness ensures the track maintains its integrity for longer despite constant contact with long spikes on the runner's shoes.
Prefabricated rubber tracks have a superior anti-aging ability, maintain their color, reflect minimal light and prevent glare, boosting runners' performance. Even with frequent usage, they don't produce rubber granules. Prefabricated rubber is designed to last for many years with minimal maintenance. Premium brands like MONDO boast a self-cleaning mechanism that keeps it safe and hygienic. Others enable climate conditions to clean your outdoor rubber tracks naturally.
As the prefabricated rubber matures with time and use, it becomes easier to maintain because it attracts less dirt and dust. Here are some best practices for maintaining prefabricated rubber for optimal runner performance:
Avoid using steel wool, abrasive brushes, acetone, gasoline, turpentine and black or brown scrubbing pads to clean the tracks, as these may damage the material.
Are you looking to update the floors in your sports arenas, schools, track and field venues or other athletic facilities? Consider prefabricated rubber running tracks from MONDO. Our prefabricated athletic tracks use vulcanized rubber under controlled factory conditions to produce high-quality, eco-friendly tracks. They are ideal for outdoor applications, boasting premium elastic response and shock-absorbing properties that boost athletic performance.
Our prefabricated running track surfaces are continuously tested to provide runners with uniform biomechanical response that ensures their safety and reduces the risk of injuries. Contact us today for more information about our products or to discuss your project needs before requesting a quote and product samples.