I've been asked to layout markings for track events at a private high school.
Ever done it?
The track is defined by parallel/concentric curbs with decomposed granite running surface and a grass infield.
What would you mark the curbs with? (There may be some remnants of old marks)
They need something sort of idiot proof.
Dave,
I staked the track at Midwest WY many many years ago. From what I can recollect we made some measurements and established the radius points on each end of the track. Then with a bunch of fun calc's we calculated points on the track curbs for placement of aluminum stamped tags set in the curb with a Hilti .22 cal fired hammer, for various points i.e. 100m,400m finish etc. What was fun was calculating the baton handoff points for the relays. Don't know if this helps but it was after all over 27 years ago. :-O
Pablo B-)
I know Liz Gaines and I did that a few years ago. We had to set colored tags for the different events. I think we used a program made just for that. It was confusing!
In the early 70's we staked a college track that had just been resurfaced. First track meet many school records were broken, needless to say they had us back out checking to see if we had made a mistake. Turns out we were OK and it was the surface that made them faster.
We did it once. Once they gave me the radius of the circles at each end, it was a matter of laying out the rectangle, splitting the end distances, figuring out the lane width, and laying them in.
To be fair, they were not worried about starting and stopping lines where the distances were equal. We just laid out the figure and they did the rest.
I have a worn out diagram that may be helpful if you give me your email address.
Dave-
Any help ?
http://www.gogeomatics.ca/magazine/geomatics-in-action-how-to-survey-for-olympic-running-tracks.htm
Cheers,
Derek
PS- Do note, no snow blower storage shed area ! 😀
I remember in a surveying magazine, you had max/min applications for
tracks. Could you post links to those (maybe even with the solutions)?
it might be more complicated than you're making it sound. I think we had to send in the shape of the track survey to a company that designed the lanes for the events and sent us back the cad file to stake out. The critical point being that each lane had to run the exact same distance.
I'd hate to be the guy that gets someone's records vacated because the lane wasn't the right distance.
What's the allowable tolerance? In a quick scan of the NCAA document, I didn't see one for race events.
If I were specifying it, I think I'd make the 99% confidence lower limit of the measurement match the nominal distance, so that it was unlikely anyone's record would be overturned by another measurement finding the distance too short. That makes it probable that the runners will be going some extra distance. You need to hold the measurement tolerance as tight as possible, of course, using all the temp/pressure corrections and everything you'd do for your best control work.
Tolerance
I was told on one job that distances could be a meter long, but not a centimeter short.