I really didn't think that the track pictured in the
latest photo of Greg Fredericks was
THE track at
Hayward Field, but I couldn't resist throwing it out there for the inevitable corrections I would get. It was also a great excuse to put up an Animal House Trailer.
Larry Mangan correctly pointed the fact out quickly, but we are having a little trouble figuring out the exact track in question.
Leader of the Alumni Run Greg Fredericks himself points out that it may be a photo from
Bakersfield CA in 1970. The track was a clay track and this seems to fit his recollection. The younger crowd will probably be wowed by the fact that humans could actually run on such a thing, but I can go one better. The
1978 1979
(I was really, really close!) PIAA Class B State Track Championship was won by a team of only two from a school that only had a grass track. (Hint: There is a PSU connection.)
Does anyone know the PSU connection and the school involved? (Yes Virginia, It was Kennard-Dale and Todd Shenk!) I have also run on a
Macadam track in Ephrata PA (fast) and a
gymnasium floor in Gettysburg (painful).
Anyone run on anything weirder?
* The anonymous commenter gave us this pic. Try
12 X 400 at 70 sec. on that bugger, why don't you!
Rec Hall pr the Ice Palace - which was weirder?
ReplyDeleteWe ran intervals in the halls of the high school in bad weather (since our track sucked). Wipeouts were common.
Macadam tracks aren't that rare - especially down south where the sun melts the tartan - and painted onto parking lots where land or money are tight. Mike Cook may have had one of those?
Didn't Snyder, and maybe Wyatt, run a mile race on the Penn National Horsetrack in '79?
You need pics. Here are some goodies:
http://media.gamerevolution.com/images/misc/image/earthquake_track.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1166/1080550033_444b7efe1f.jpg
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/11/runningtrack.jpeg
One of the middle miles of the Disney Marathon used to be on the Nascar Track, one of the worst mile stretches ever. I also ran a 5K on an airport runway in the days of yesteryear.
ReplyDeleteAnd another 5K through 3-Mile Island in the 90's. Security was lax and if terrorists had trained properly they could have peeled off into the woods for foul play. Everyone got a glow-in-the-dark running cap too!
ReplyDeleteboth boys and girls team champions that year had winning relays. with only two team members? i don't think that's legal...
ReplyDeletePssst. Keep it down back there! We wouldn't want anyone to know how flawed I really am! What year did Kennard Dale win then? One kid won the Pole Vault (or 2nd or so) and placed high in both hurdle races. Todd Shenk won (or placed high) in both throws. My memory is crowded out by too much useless Physics and Podiatry knowledge now!
ReplyDelete1979, with 38 points, with Bill Butler winning the IH and PV.
ReplyDelete(Hint: Rod Frisco has an awesome PIAA site!)
We ran an indoor dual meet at Harrisburg High in 1978. The “Track” was a few large classrooms, adjoined by folding walls, with the walls opened up. All the desks were moved to the “infield” or along the sides of the classrooms. I forget how long the track was, but it wasn’t large. Many, many, many laps/mile. Dizziness was an issue.
ReplyDeleteWe also ran an indoor (season) meet in 1978 at, I think, Nanticoke, which was actually run around a parking lot. I believe it was a measured 220 yards, with 2 x 100 yard straights and a pair of 20 yard hairpin turns.
Neither meet produced a record.