Sprinters’ paradise: 8 best tracks for fast times

This story is part of an Olympic.ca series on running called Canada Runs.

So you want to run fast. Maybe set a world record. Well, it’ll take more than pure athletic ability. You’ll need the right track, the right weather conditions and often the adrenaline that comes with racing in a major event.

At London 2012, world records were notably set in the men’s 800m, men’s 4x100m relay and the women’s 4x100m relay. There were also Olympic records in the men’s 100m and women’s 100m hurdles, not to mention a world best mark for the women’s 100m hurdles in the heptathlon and an Olympic best mark for the men’s 100m in the decathlon. Suffice to say, the track was fast.

But why?

Technology certainly helps. The Olympic Stadium track featured a special underlay that increased the track’s reaction to lateral movement and rebounded more energy from the sideways motion of the athletes’ feet. This was an improvement upon the Bird’s Nest track at Beijing 2008 which was already made to react to the forwards and backwards motion of the feet. The surface of the London track was also softer than that in Beijing, increasing its ability to drive energy back into the feet.

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Stadium architecture can also come into play. The partial roof of the London Olympic Stadium was designed to minimize wind on the track.

If you have to deal with wind, hope that it’s coming from behind which can go a long way to reduce atmospheric drag. World records are allowed to be set with a maximum tail wind of 2.0 metres per second.

And all sprinters hope for a hot day. The warmer the temperature, the thinner the air and the fewer molecules get in the way of the athletes.

Taking a look at recent world-leading times in the sprint events excluding hurdles (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay), it’s not hard to see the weather pattern as well as the intangible of competing in a meet that really matters at the right time of year. They’ve also taken place in a few notable venues. Side note: while most of the men’s top marks have been set in the last decade, very few women’s records have occurred in that time (as an example, only four of the top 50 200m times have been set in the 2000s).

Here are eight stadiums that helped produce very fast times recently: 

London Olympic Stadium (surface: Mondotrack)

Games of the XXX Olympiad 

Men’s 100m (5 m/s tail wind, 20°C, 54% humidity)    

9.63 seconds (2^nd all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica
9.75 seconds (T-7^th all-time) – Yohan Blake, Jamaica

Women’s 100m (5 m/s tail wind, 19°C, 63% humidity)

10.75 seconds (T-12^th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica

Men’s 200m (4 m/s tail wind, 25°C, 38% humidity)

19.32 seconds (T-4^th all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Women’s 200m (2 m/s head wind, 22°C, 85% humidity)

 21.88 seconds (T-23^rd all-time) – Allyson Felix, USA

Men’s 4x100m Relay (20°C, 53% humidity)

36.84 seconds (1^st all-time) – Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt (Jamaica)

37.04 seconds (T-2^nd all-time) – Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey (USA)

Women’s 4x100m Relay (25°C, 50% humidity)

40.82 seconds (1^st all-time) – Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter (USA)

41.41 seconds (4^th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kerron Stewart (Jamaica)

Berlin Olympiastadion (surface: Regupol Compact)

2009 IAAF World Championships

Men’s 100m (9 m/s tail wind, 26°C, 39% humidity)

9.58 seconds (1^st all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica

9.71 seconds (4^th all-time) – Tyson Gay, USA

Women’s 100m (1 m/s tail wind, 24°C, 50% humidity)

10.73 (T-10^th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica

Men’s 200m (3 m/s head wind, 28°C, 35% humidity)

19.19 seconds (1^st all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Men’s 4x100m Relay (20°C, 46% humidity)

37.31 (4^th all-time) – Steve Mullings, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell (Jamaica)

Beijing National Stadium or “Bird’s Nest” (surface: Mondotrack)

Games of the XXIX Olympiad

Men’s 100m (no wind, 28°C, 39% humidity)

9.69 seconds (T-3^rd all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Women’s 100m (no wind, 22°C, 74% humidity)

10.78 (T-15^th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica

Men’s 200m (9 m/s head wind, 27°C, 66% humidity)

19.30 seconds (3^rd all-time) – Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Women’s 200m (6 m/s tail wind, 21°C, 86% humidity)

21.74 seconds (T-9^th all-time) – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaica

Men’s 4x100m Relay (28°C, 60% humidity)

37.10 (3^rd all-time) Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell (Jamaica)

Shanghai Stadium (surface: Sportflex Super X)

2009 Golden Grand Prix 

Men’s 100m (no wind, 26°C, 64% humidity)

9.69 seconds (T-3^rd all-time) – Tyson Gay, USA 

Women’s 100m (2 m/s tail wind, 26°C, 64% humidity)

10.64 seconds (4^th all-time) – Carmelita Jeter, USA

Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne (surface: Conipur M)

2012 Athletissima Diamond League

Men’s 100m (1 m/s head wind)

9.69 seconds (T-3rd all-time) – Yohan Blake, Jamaica

Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels (surface: Mondotrack)

2013 Memorial Van Damme

Women’s 100m (3 m/s head wind)

10.72 seconds (T-9th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica

2011 Memorial Van Damme

Men’s 200m (7 m/s tail wind)

19.26 seconds (2^nd all-time) – Yohan Blake, Jamaica

Kaytanzogleio Stadium, Thessaloniki (surface: Sportflex Super X)

2009 IAAF World Athletics Final

Women’s 100m (1 m/s head wind)

10.67 seconds (6th all-time) – Carmelita Jeter, USA

Luzhniki Big Sports Arena, Moscow (surface: Mondotrack)

2013 IAAF World Championships

Women’s 100m (3 m/s head wind, 19°C, 73% humidity)

10.71 seconds (T-8^th all-time) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica

Women’s 4x100m Relay (24°C, 36% humidity)

41.29 seconds (2^nd all-time) – Carrie Russell, Kerron Stewart, Schillonie Calvert, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica)

At Rio 2016 athletics competitions will take place at Estadio Olimpico Joao Havelange on the Sportflex Super X surface.

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