Running is a sport that increases cardiac endurance, thereby impacting the risk of heart attack and the development of cardiovascular conditions. It also helps maintain average blood pressure within normal limits, stimulates the functioning of the respiratory system, and achieves excellent mental tone if practiced regularly.
Experts recommend that this physical activity be carried out in specially arranged spaces so that runners benefit from enough space and do not interfere with other people in the area. Therefore, running tracks covered with rubber represent an ideal setting. The use of this material offers various benefits, analyzed as follows.
What is the rubber safety surface?
Poured rubber is a mix of raw materials, especially SBR and EPDM rubber granules. These are mixed at high temperatures with polyurethane binder and then poured into a special mold on-site, resulting in the final product: poured in place rubber surface.
Rubber flooring can be poured in various thicknesses or lengths, depending on the project's specifications. It is recommended to choose a type of surface in accordance with the highest requirements in the field if you want to set up an athletics track for competitions or training of high-performance athletes.
The rubber surface applied along the running track consists of two layers. It ensures optimal adherence, and depending on how the material is poured, it can be draining or waterproof. This mix of rubber granules and binder can be applied without problems in both warm climates and in areas where average temperatures are low.
Poured in place rubber used for athletics tracks can be black or colored, granulated, virgin or recycled. On the ground, before applying this material, a solid concrete slab will be poured so that the track does not sink into the ground under the pressure exerted on its surface.
What are the advantages of rubber running tracks?
Using a rubber-covered track and the maintenance process ensures important benefits for both the administrators of such a space and the athletes:
Maintenance does not require increased effort
Until the popularization of rubber surface as a solution for setting up athletics tracks, slag or sand seemed like ideal materials for such a project. Although they were associated with convenient installation costs, problems arose in the stages of surface maintenance, always incurring additional costs for material replacement and leveling.
In the case of rubber flooring, application costs are higher than the materials mentioned in the paragraph above. However, it ensures the benefit of maintenance at much lower costs and with reduced frequency. Depending on the guarantees offered by the manufacturer and the quality of the work, rubber running tracks can ensure a usage period of 10-15 years, or even longer.
The risk of injury is reduced
Poured in place rubber is the best option when considering the risk of injury faced by runners. Firstly, this material allows very good ground adherence, even in unfavorable weather conditions. However, we recommend avoiding running in the rain to prevent the risks caused by possible slipping.
Secondly, the risks of injury occurring over time, as a result of prolonged use of the running track, must be analyzed. Compared to a concrete athletics surface, the rubber surface is much softer, better absorbing the shocks felt by the body, at the level of bones, tendons, and joints involved in the effort.
Improves the analyzed parameters
Thanks to the very good traction they enjoy when running on a rubber surface, athletes can improve their rhythm and speed. Improving these parameters represents a stake for high-performance runners. Also, the effort on this type of track does not involve the need to wear sports shoes with studs on the sole.
Therefore, since there is no ground penetration, the time to retract the foot is reduced, significantly influencing the duration of completing a full lap. Moreover, the rubber sports surface expands and contracts upon foot contact with the ground, thus contributing to improving the runner's propulsive force.
In what projects can rubber surface be used?
The ground covered with poured rubber is the perfect solution for projects to set up sports fields. However, this material can also prove its usefulness when used to cover the surface around a pool, due to its very good adherence.
Because it is a soft and flexible material, poured in place rubber is increasingly used to set up indoor or outdoor playgrounds. For such projects, it can be poured in different shapes, and even markings can be made on its surface so that children can play tic-tac-toe, hopscotch, and other fun games.
Discover the entire range of outdoor safety flooring and choose the most suitable products for covering arranged surfaces, so that the users of these spaces enjoy comfort, adherence, mobility, and safety. We offer both artificial turf models and solutions for covering areas with poured rubber. If you want to learn more about how these are installed, do not hesitate to ask us for advice!