Track meets in Albuquerque contribute significantly to local economy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - April 28, 2021 - PRLog -- When the city of Albuquerque—a premier location for indoor track in the United States—decided it was time for a new indoor track, it once more turned to Mondo, purchasing the company's portable, banked track with its state-of-the-art Mondotrack WS surface.
Albuquerque city officials chose Mondo again after its previous Mondo track withstood heavy use over 15 years of indoor track seasons. The Mondo track is installed each year at the Albuquerque Convention Center, which hosts 10 to 12 meets each indoor track season and serves as home for the University of New Mexico's indoor track and field program.
"By hosting meets such as USA Track & Field and NCAA indoor championships, Albuquerque has emerged as a national destination in the world of track and field," said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. "This track is a smart investment in our recreation, sports and tourism economy that will boost our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic."
The surface for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Mondotrack WS is the most technologically advanced athletic track in the world. The new portable banked Mondotrack WS at the Albuquerque Convention Center has a 200-meter oval with six 42-inch-wide lanes and a Mondo Fast Break infield with an eight-lane, 60-meter straight, a high-jump area and two long jump/triple jump runways. It boasts a distinctive color palette of turquoise and cherry red, a tribute to the color scheme of UNM track and field uniforms.
According to Stephen Madrid, Albuquerque parks supervisor, the Mondo Fast Break infield, which Mondo specifically designed for this application, is surprisingly simple to set up. "The simplicity of the newly engineered infield is very exciting and exponentially faster to set up than the previous track," Madrid said. "That will save our staff a lot of work and reduce the impact on their backs and knees during installation and takedown."
Since its first Mondo track was installed in 2005, the Albuquerque Convention Center has had many weekends when as many as 1,200 athletes would use the surface over the course of a few days. It has hosted numerous high-profile events, including:
- USA Track & Field Indoor Championships eight times since 2010
- NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2014 (also scheduled to host in 2023)
- Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships
- NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships
- USA Track & Field Masters Indoor Championships
Madrid noted that the previous Mondo track was both extremely durable and very easy to maintain. He also said the venue's track was a key reason Albuquerque has become known as the indoor track and field capital of the world.
"The records speak for themselves," Madrid said. "We had state records, national records and even some world records on the Mondo track. A lot of athletes see that we have Mondo, and they say, 'I'm going to set a PR on this track, because it's Mondo.' When athletes can compete on a Mondo track like the one we have and see all of their hard work and preparation turn into a personal record, that means a lot to them."
Track meets at the Albuquerque Convention Center have been a significant contributor to the local economy. Visit Albuquerque, the local visitors bureau, estimates that in a typical year, the events account for 4,500 room nights, 6,000 guests and $1.6 million in direct spending for the city.
"We are excited about the installation of a new indoor track at the Albuquerque Convention Center," said UNM Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez. "Not only does it impact our nationally ranked track and field and cross-country programs by giving us a world-class running surface and giving our student-athletes one of the best home track and field facilities in the nation, but it allows for the continued economic growth of Albuquerque and the downtown area by allowing us to host multiple major meets, including Mountain West and NCAA championships."
Ideal for high-level training and competition, Mondotrack WS also was the track of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The new convention center track was installed by Sport Surfaces Distributing, Inc., a leading installer of sports surfaces that serves the Southwest U.S.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the track and field, and indoor sport flooring markets. Hundreds of prestigious track and field competitions have been held on Mondo track surfaces, including the past 33 NCAA Division I men's and women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, 25 recent USA Track & Field Indoor Championships, and numerous NCAA Division I, II, and III men's and women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Mondo also is the sole supplier of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in athletic equipment and athletic track, and since the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the company has been the Official Supplier for athletics tracks, as well as equipment and surfaces for other sports disciplines.
Mondo's extensive research and development result in state-of-the-art systems that help athletes perform their best and set records; more than 280 world records have been set on Mondo's track surfaces.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries through Mondo-owned manufacturing companies in Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and China. For news updates, visit mondoworldwide.com, and the Mondo press room, and follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mondosportusa/), and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/1070464/admin/updates/).
Contact
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***@gibsoncommunications.com
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