Indoor Track
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

Indoor track is one of the lesser known sports in Michigan. It's also another avenue to achieve a solid workout or compete in your age group at open meets.

At the high school level, indoor track is available through the Michigan Indoor Track Series. The series has meets scheduled through March at Macomb Community and Hillsdale colleges, and Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State and Eastern Michigan universities. The state high school indoor championships will be March 5 at the University of Michigan.

The Big Ten, Mid-American Conference and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference all compete in indoor at the varsity level. Thanks to former U-M athletic director Don Canham, the NCAA National Indoor Championships were held at Detroit's Cobo Arena from 1965 to 1981. It was thrilling to watch famous runners like Marty Liquori, Jim Ryun, Larry James and Suleiman Nyambui compete on a wooden track before a sold-out arena.

Kansas and Texas-El Paso were indoor track powerhouses in the 1970s and '80s before Arkansas dominated for almost 15 years. The national championships are now held at Arkansas after a long stint in Indianapolis.

College indoor tracks are typically all-weather surfaces measuring 200 meters around. Compared to outdoor tracks, the turns are tighter and a bit tougher on the knees. At indoor track meets, athletes soon become aware of the difference in air quality. Chests burn and throats are rough for days after a hard-fought race. Ryun once competed at Michigan State's indoor track when it was still dirt. Hillsdale's bright blue surface is wonderful to run on.

The Ann Arbor Track Club meets regularly on Tuesdays at U-M's Indoor Track Building. Due to scheduling conflicts, Macomb's facility doesn't have open public workouts this winter. The University of Windsor's St. Denis Centre is available most evenings, but call ahead to make sure other activities aren't scheduled.

Running indoor track is a nice change of pace compared to fighting the elements or playing mind games on the treadmill. It's also an opportunity to meet and run with other runners. Many local fitness clubs have indoor tracks, but they are often eleven or more laps to the mile. Such tracks are more conducive to walking, easy runs, and a warm up or warm down before a treadmill workout.

Still want to race outside? There are a number of excellent races to give your training some focus during the next two months.

�Feb. 13, 10 a.m., Riverview's Winterfest Run, four miles. Call Total Runner at 734-282-1101.

�Feb. 19, 10 a.m., Flushing's Sweetheart 5K and 10K runs, put on by the Riverbend Striders. Call Bauman's Running Center at 810-238-5981 or Gault Race Management at 810-659-6493. Or go to www.riverbendstriders.com .

�Feb. 26, 8 a.m., Detroit's Beat the Streets 5K and 10K. Call Stephen Moran at 313-887-1173 or go to www.heatthestreets.org .

�March 13, Noon, St. Patrick's Parade Corktown Races in Detroit, 1/4 Mile Kids Run, 1.5 mile walk and four-mile run. Call Total Runner at 248 354-1177 or go to www.downtownrunners.com/corktownraces.htm .

Contact Doug Kurtis at Detroit Free Press, 600 W. Fort St. Detroit, 48226