A short guide about sprint tracks

Sprinting is a high-intensity exercise that helps build short burst cardiovascular endurance. Any high-intensity exercises like sprinting, jump squats, and jump roping are likely to cause injury if done on an unsafe surface. Sprint tracks are installed indoors that provide a soft and safe surface for sprinting. There are several materials used in the making of sprint tracks, they are synthetic rubber, latex, polyurethane, and more.

If a gym has a dedicated sprint track with the right kind of flooring, it can be used by fitness addicts to work on their cardio without the usage of treadmills. Sprint tracks are also useful for lunges and other weighted leg exercises.

How to design the perfect sprint track?

It’s very simple, you only need to check the flooring material’s elasticity and shock absorption while buying them. The subfloor of your sprinting space and the thickness of sprint tracks are the determining factorsin the quality of the surface you’ll finally get.

For instance, to get the required bounce, sprint tracks spread on a concrete surface needs to be thicker than flooring materials installed over a rubber surface. Sprint flooring comes in various colors, designs, and material choices. If your gym space is huge, you can use it to install a wider track to accommodate multiple runners at the same time.

What are different kinds of sprint tracks?

The surface type is highly responsible for the kind of friction a person will get while running, thus affecting speed, balance, and overall technique. Below mentioned are some of the popular running surfaces. After going through them, you’ll be able to tune in to their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Asphalt

In the modern era, asphalt tracks are used all over in competitive events. It’s made of asphalt with a combination of rubber and sand which makes it very durable and unreactive to water. Asphalt tracks allow runners to run at high speed and provide optimum steadiness. Note that asphalt is sensitive to temperature. Due to this they are soft in the summer months and get rigid during winter. Asphalt has a limited lifetime after which they become rigid which diminished the delight of running.

2. Grass and Turf

Grass provides a soft surface for running and exerts lesser pressure against your foot. As grass tracks are natural, unevenness is very common. The unevenness engages and develops the smaller muscles on the ankles, legs, and hips.It’s an excellent surface to work on your balance.

However, if you’re already dependent on the stability a tough and steady surface provides, you’re likely to get injured while running on this surface. Also, the presence of water on the surface can tamper with its traction.

3. Latex

Flooring made of latex is soft and they are perfect for running athletics. Latex is a water-permeable material. So, if water is accidentally spilled on it, it will seep through the surface after a while. Latex surface needs very minimal to no maintenance. To work as a division indicator, latex tracks come in three colored systems.

But latex is costly and as the production includes several coloring and designing, the product could be pricy for some.

4. Polyurethane

Polyurethane is more durable than latex and easily resists extreme temperatures. Polyurethane flooring works very well in gym facilities and schools. The material is resistant due to which cracks don’t occur that easily. You can add coatings on the surface in case the original coating gets damaged. Polyurethane is also water permeable like latex. This material provides the perfect balance between soft and rigid, thus proven to be an excellent indoor or outdoor sprinting surface.

So what is the best kind of running track? The most suitable running track differs from person to person as it all depends on the individual’s preferences and the running method. But while buying you need to consider your budget, usage frequency, and maintenance capability.