Manchester Regional Arena, UK
Polytan installs our 4th World Athletics Certified Track in UK
Polytan successfully overcame COVID restrictions to install a new Class 1 Rekortan M track in Manchester two days ahead of schedule.
Polytan, a member of Sport Group, has been trusted and chosen in the UK and Europe for 50 years.
25% of all World Athletics certified tracks globally are from Polytan/Rekortan including 4 of the 9 World Athletics certified tracks in the UK.
Manchester Regional Arena
Manchester Regional Arena, the home of UK Athletics, is a multipurpose stadium in Manchester, England. It was originally built in 2001, using a Polytan/Rekortan M system as the warm-up track for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
The 2020 project was to build (refurbish) a new 8855m² track to World Athletics Class 1 standards to host high level competitions including the Diamond League. With our construction partner, Hunts Contractors, Polytan’s Rekortan M track was chosen in the public tender.
The project was led by Colin Aston, Polytan’s UK Technical Manager, who has installed 18 tracks in the UK in the last two years.
The project was completed two days ahead of schedule. The first major track meet at the arena was held at the Müller British Athletics Championships, on 4-5 September 2020.
“There are currently 153 Polytan/Rekortan M World Athletics Certified Tracks making it the most certified track in the world.”
Rekortan M is proven for UK conditions
Rekortan M is one of the world’s highest-performing and most reliable tracks. At the time of writing, there are currently 153 Polytan/Rekortan M World Athletics Certified Tracks making it the most certified track in the world.
The original Manchester Arena track was a Polytan/Rekortan Class 1 track, and with only one re-topping it performed at the highest level for 19 years. The 2020 track has been certified World Athletics Class 1 and passed five rigorous independent tests during construction.
UK venues are unique, they are often public facilities with a mix of community and elite needs. UK venues, in general, have much higher utilization than US college tracks and unlike dedicated Olympic-level facilities which can afford a short lifespan, they cannot replace tracks that become hard and unsuitable within two or three years.
Rekortan M, with its mix of high performance longevity, easy maintenance, repair and re-topping, is perfectly suited for multi-dimensional, high-use UK venues which host community, club and regional, as well as elite, events.
A key ingredient in the Rekortan M’s performance and longevity is the top layer made from EPDM rubber manufactured by Melos, a member of Sport Group. Melos are the world’s leader, and their quality combined with integrated systems from a single supply chain, mean Polytan/Rekortan tracks are made of the highest quality.
Rekortan M delivers proven, all-round excellence. With its extended longevity the system is very cost effective and well-suited to meet the new World Athletics 5 years + 3 years certification criteria.
International stadiums which feature Polytan/Rekortan M include: Manchester Arena (UK), Rabat (Morocco), Bressanone (Italy), Shenzen (China), Cardiff (Wales).
24 tonnes of EPDM recycled or repurposed
As a responsible and experienced installer we commit to best practices. This attention to detail meant, in Manchester, we were able to recycle or repurpose 24 tonnes of EPDM.
This was achieved by laying plastic catch sheets during the topcoat installation. The sheets captured EPDM rubber granules which were reused. This slows the works, but by using this method we saved 7 tonnes of unused EPDM and reclaimed 17 tonnes that will be repurposed in shock pads in future tracks.
We also recycled 161 empty steel drums of cured binders and PU coatings.
Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club: Earlier this year we used repurposed / reclaimed EPDM on an indoor sprint track for the Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club in Scotland.
Rekortan M features Green Technology
The polyurethane for the Manchester track was made by Polytex, Sport Group’s production factory, in Germany. Sport Group is the largest business dedicated to sport surfaces in the world and, with a $9 million R&D budget, Sport Group is the leading innovator in the industry.
Polytex is the only manufacturer in the industry to be certified ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 50001 (energy management). Polytex meets all European standards and only uses 100% renewable electricity. European manufacturing reduces the environmental impact of shipping to the UK, compared to products imported from Asia or America.
The Polytan/Rekortan M total green footprint is 49%, which is achieved with recycled (SBR rubber) and renewable material (bio-based PU). In addition, the base layer features Polybase GT, a revolutionary green technology which captures and uses CO₂ as an ingredient in the binder.
The most elite events
Rekortan, is the original synthetic track brand, and continues to lead the market. Polytan/Rekortan systems have been used for the most (55) Diamond League meetings and are chosen for major events around the world, including the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 South East Asian Games. Polytan/Rekortan is trusted by athletes, venues, cities, large multi-sport events and communities.
Read an interview with Shaun Goudie, Sport Group’s Head of Major Global Events about what it takes to deliver world class surfaces for some of the most unique and challenging events in the world. Shaun, with years of experience at Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and other major multi-sport events, oversees Sport Group’s major event projects.
Project details
Overall
The New Clark City Sports Hub is a major development project. The 50-hectare complex will host the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and the 2020 ASEAN Para Games.
The overall project is massive, with the sports facilities part being converted from an old US military base into a new city. Polytan is experienced at working within such complex construction environments and the track was successfully installed despite early arrival of the monsoons.
VENUE
New Clark City Athletics Stadium
LOCATION
New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Philippines
TRACK SYSTEM
Polytan Rekortan M
CERTIFICATION
IAAF Class 1
Scope of work
STADIUM TRACK
9 lane track
14,250m²
World Athletics (IAAF) Class 1
Supplied and installed all field equipment including hurdles, throwing cages, water jump, long and triple jumps, take off boards, covers, equipment trollies, pole vault and high jump matts, cages and uprights.
WARM UP TRACK
7400m²
World Athletics (IAAF) Class 2
Includes SmarTracks, 99 elements (single magnets) in the track, 30 gates
Supplied and installed all field equipment.
INDOOR SPRINT TRACK
Installed 2 lane 60m sprint track inside the stadium as part of the athlete gym and warm up area.