From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tartan track is an all-weather synthetic track surfacing for athletics made of polyurethane. It lets athletes complete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces.

Only shoe-spikes which cause minimal damage to the surface are allowed to be worn on Tartan and other man made tracks. The most common specification is that spikes be of "Pyramid" shape and do not exceed 6mm (1/4 inch) in length. However every track has the right to set its own requirement and spikes may be checked by clerks or officials, resulting in penalties for athletes who wear non-conforming footwear. These criteria also apply to the fixing spikes for sprinters' blocks.

Because of the porous and self draining nature of some tracks, athletes are not allowed to use materials such as sand, chalk or talc to make marks on the surface. These substances clog the pores and encourage mould and moss growth.

Marks are best made using adhesive tape, duct tape giving the best adhesion, even in damp conditions. In very wet conditions it is common for athletes to secure their tape marks with a small safety pin, although this may be in breach of track regulations. Pins should of course be removed after the competition

1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City was the first Olympic Games to use the Tartan track surface in athletics. Current Tartan tracks include the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California; Stanford University; Princeton University; Dartmouth College; the University of Virginia; and the College of William and Mary.

• Tartantrack.com
• Teamtartan.org