The $5 million indoor track redrawing the map for American Track and Field
By Tim O'Hearn
They’re calling it the fastest indoor track in North America.
Manufactured by Mondo in Italy, the new world-class track has been assembled stateside in time for the 2024-25 season. Six lanes marked on the banked 200m oval, eight lanes on the interior straight, and a facility featuring a surplus of the most precious resource for wintertime track and field: space.
America’s newest indoor track is located in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC) in Reno, Nevada.
According to Reno Tahoe President and CEO Mike Larragueta, his team viewed the undertaking as something that would put Reno on the map. That map of the Western United States featured one facility certified for elite-level competition — the track in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which hosted the 2024 USATF Indoor Championships. Reno’s track, which cost $5 million, is of the same caliber and will be utilized to host a variety of competitions in the sport. The need for more regional venues is perhaps best underscored by the dozens of NCAA athletes from the Western United States who traveled all the way to Boston for Boston University’s home opener on Dec. 7.
With lanes alternating navy blue and silver, the track serves as University of Nevada, Reno’s home field, and was showcased in the Silver State Invitational & Multis Alumni Event from Dec. 5 through Dec. 7. After the conclusion of the first day of competition, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony which was emceed by Ato Bolden. Bolden, well known as NBC’s lead track and field analyst, is a multi-time Olympic medalist who revealed in his opening remarks that he had dedicated himself to the construction of the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, completed in 2009.
That Mondo track in Miramar was just announced as the venue for Grand Slam Track’s second meet during its inaugural season.
As Bolden expressed his support for projects that improve track’s reach and accessibility in the United States, he was joined onstage by Larragueta, Reno mayor Hillary Schieve, Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony, and Micah Walters, the Western Region manager for Mondo USA. There was broad enthusiasm for the new track, a replacement for the school’s old facility, which was deemed unsafe to run on in the 2000s, according to Nevada Sportsnet.
One of the words most frequently uttered was “fast,” a testament to the quality of Mondo’s tracks and the position of the city of Reno at 4505 feet of elevation. Athletes are used to traveling great distances during the indoor season, which stretches from December to March. Reno’s track presents an opportunity for students from schools in the Mountain West Conference to run quickly while remaining closer to campus. It also all-but-guarantees that the RSCVA will be bidding to host elite events in the future. The elevation means less air resistance, which results in faster sprinting times, easier jumps and vaults, and farther throws, compared to a track at sea level.
The remaining NCAA meets this season will serve to gradually validate the track’s quickness. It’s only a matter of time before this so-called spacious facility is crowded with athletes, coaches, and spectators. As Ato Bolden remarked, it’s special to witness a ribbon-cutting, a dedication, to be able to say one was present at the outset. This track at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center may be a centerpiece in the new era of track and field unfolding in America.
Note: The author’s travel and accommodation were provided by the event organizer. The author was not compensated to write this article and was not provided with editorial direction, guidelines, or pre-publication feedback by any third party.