Iowa City, Iowa, December 16, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Benyon Sports' celebrated indoor track from Nike and TrackTown’s “House of Track” - used for both the IAAF World Championship and the USATF Championship track meets earlier this year - has found its permanent home at the University of Iowa.
Beynon Sports designed, manufactured and constructed the renowned polyurethane track surface, regarded as one of the fastest and exceptionally built indoor, banked tracks in the world. The track design and efficient construction were vital to the success of the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Championships - and now offers the University of Iowa one of the best indoor track facilities in the nation.
This track is a game changer . . . the addition of the Beynon track is going to take the facility from the middle of the Big Ten pack to one of the best in the world. There are not many facilities and tracks in the whole world that have a better set-up. The entire infield is raised, including the straightaways, and it creates a stage that is set up for big time performances.
Joey Woody, Director of Track and Field/Cross Country
In the beginning, the intention for the Beynon track was to be used for the USATF Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Championships and then stored until a permanent home could be found. However, when the news of the new indoor Beynon track caught the attention of Joey Woody, Head Coach for Iowa Track and Field, he brought the idea to University of Iowa administration and the planning began.
However, before landing in the Midwest, the Beynon track had garnered quite a following in the world of track and field. In January 2016, the track world buzzed over the new facility built by Benyon in a historic warehouse in Portland, Oregon. Once completed, a series of impromptu high-performance and community meets held at what TrackTown USA and Nike later dubbed the "Nike + Run Club House of Track.” The biggest names in track and field competed on the new Beynon track during Friday and Saturday night speed trials for over a month. In March, the Beynon track moved to the Oregon Convention Center for the USATF Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Championships.
In October 2016, over 18 trucks carrying the dissembled Beynon track traveled from Portland, Oregon to the University of Iowa. One month later, over several hundred tons of steel was transformed into a six-lane, 200-meter banked track unlike any other in the United States. On December 7th, the University of Iowa unveiled the Beynon track to the Hawkeye student body.
For the first time in school history, University of Iowa track and field is attracting programs from coast-to-coast. The Hawkeyes host Florida State on Jan. 20-21, Notre Dame on Jan. 27-28, and names like Texas, USC, and Washington are considering a meet in Iowa City as well.
Source: Benyon Sports
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