why is armory so much faster than other tracks?

[NYrunner]

Many of the indoor state records have been set at the armory and every single relay record was set there (4x200,4x400,4x800,4x1600,SMR, DMR). I have never run on that track but I did run on a fast banked track in Boston years ago. At that track, every one on my team took off a second per lap, or so, from their previous best time(ex:Our 400 guy usually ran :54 but he dropped a 52). Also, several runners from other teams ran appx. 1 second/lap faster. My friend from another school had been running 15:30's(15:32pr going in) all year for 5k and just wanted to avoid getting lapped in the race. He won with a 14:44!

Why don't more places build banked tracks? The one is Boston was removable so I would guess it is cheaper to build and maintain (sections can easily be replaced) then a flat track.

Anyone else have stories of huge PR's on banked tracks they want to share?

[ButterFace]

I mean NYS champs are held at the carrier dome which is a flat circular 200 meter track, and the winning time in the mile was 4:19. There were guys in the race who later in the year ran sub 4:15 so flat tracks are usually alot slower. I run at the armory often and the track has a better response than any other track. Plus on the turns, because of the bank, u dont have to turn as much as one would do somewhere else.

[I DON'T]

The price of an indoor removable banked track is ridiculously expensive. It is much easier to just paint some lines around a basketball court and call it a track. Also if your taking your track apart that often, it would probably be really shaky and not so great for racing.
About the states being held at the Carrier Dome, this is going to be that last year. As of next year it is going to be moved to the NYC Armory. Should make the state championship that much better!

[HINKLO]

This year's state meet is at Cornell, is it not?

[king99]

my opinion..if equally fit..almost any HS kid can run as fast or faster on this track as any outdoor venue.

It is am amazingly fast surface and has tons of give back. environment is close and electric, you will have seen many teams run faster in DMR there in january / Feb. than they did later in year

[coolrunnings]

This year states is going to be held at Cornell not the Carrier Dome.


And the armory track is probably just as good as any outdoor track, when you come off the turns you almost get slingshotted into the straightaways and it really helps, at least mentally it does. The mondo surface also lets you wear high quality spikes so traction isnt a problem. If you have the chance to run there, go it will be awsome.

[mhs-xc]

This year's state meet is at Cornell, is it not?
Yea, they have a new track.

[Sandy Irvine]

Same old track at Cornell - can't get the state coordinators to move to the armory.

[Rhodes-Devey]

i heard its becuase the armory is only 175 meters

[Kirschanka]

Aren't there speed-boosters that you can step on throughout the back straightaway?

[coachb]

yes it is in Barton hall and their track is only 2 yrs old {new surface} and the state meet is there for 1 year To have the state meet even as it is going to be this yr {girls AM boys PM } at The Armory in NYC will be a tough sell THE CITY is not a dues paying memeber to the NYPHSAA and it would be very difficult to convince them that the CITY should host Any other venues that could hold it ither than CU?

[Combat Chuck]

I've never been to the armory.

[flynn]

they have high powered fans on the straightaways to propell u forward...only in distance events when the wind isnt taken into account...thats why 55's arent quicker

[teamV]

its a mondo track, which is faster than that other surface

[400ihWI]

I always thought it was one of those 'magic carpet' things like at theme parks, must be an optical illusion

[MonWoodrunner]

Those triangles that are supposedly "markers for the exchange zone"...they're really speed boosters as featured in any racing video game

[flynn]

but u gotta watch out for the little triangles before the big ones marking the zones because those will actually decelerate u

[Shen Rules]

BU is a very similar track with a nearly identical feel but not quite the atmosphere.
I've run at the armory and BU on nearly back to back weekends and each on more than one occasion (the armory actually way more than BU) and I think I like the BU track better. People run very fast there as well as the armory... just not as much.

[UpstateRunner]

yes it is in Barton hall and their track is only 2 yrs old {new surface} and the state meet is there for 1 year To have the state meet even as it is going to be this yr {girls AM boys PM } at The Armory in NYC will be a tough sell THE CITY is not a dues paying memeber to the NYPHSAA and it would be very difficult to convince them that the CITY should host Any other venues that could hold it ither than CU?

Binghamton University has a brand new (I believe Mondo) 200m flat track, with enough seating for their basketball games... I believe that if NYSPHSAA could work something out with them this would be ideal.

[toetheline]

remember - it isn't just the NYPHSAA Championships - its a Federation Championship as well.

And if it was at the armory then we wouldn't have to have seperate boys adn girls meets, which I hate for a state meet. They're doing that at Cornell becuase it's not big enough.

I'd be all for Binghamton if it's big enough. How are the field event there?