PoleVaultPower.com

I'm a design professional (read "architect") working on a renovation of a high school track in NE Ohio. They would like to have a new pole vault facility, but I'm having a difficult time locating the dimensions required.

From what I see the runway should be 147'6" x 42", and the landing pit should be 19'-8" x 20'-2", with 16'-5" "behind the plant box". Does that mean that from the narrow end of the plant box there should be 16'-5" of pad, or from the wide (front?) end there should be 16'-5"? And what is the location of the plant box to the runway - is it partially on the runway?

So I guess what I need is a dimension of the hard surface pad that the landing pads rest on, with the plant box and standards location included.

Thanks for any help.

Steve Z

Go to this web page and see if you can get what you need.
http://www.gillathletics.com/gillFacility.aspx?Category=10#targetList
Work your way through a few links and you should see some pit and field layouts.

-master

I took Jan Johnson's safety certification class and it had the complete specs for a pole vault layout in it. One thing that I hope you keep in mind. Please DO NOT stick the pole vault area behind the darn bleachers! The pole vault is the first event to start at a meet and the last to finish. In most cases, it finishes after the sun goes down. When you stick the pit and runway behind the bleachers or "out of the way" the lighting is terrible and the situation becomes unsafe. Not only that, (OK I might be a little biased here but) it's also the most dinamic track and field event. Therefore it should be where the most people can see it. Inside the track running parallel to the front straightaway. Think about it and consider what I've said. Jan Johnson's web address is http://www.pvscb.com
later............Mike

Also, if possible, consider two runways to account for wind direction. Two runways extending in opposite directions from the center pole vault pit is optimal. That way the landing pads only need to be rotated in place instead of carted 120 feet away to the other end of the runway if wind direction is a factor. Putting long jump pits at the end of each runway helps them with that event as welll. All of this is more applicable if the wind direction is regularly blowing in the directions the runways are pointing (not blowing across the runways in either direction).

Practicality aside, all tracks should be built around the vault...build the runways for the pole vault first according to wind direction and location in front of the stands, then fill in the rest around it!

ifavault
www.inflightathletics.com

Thanks for the help. That Gill site really answered my questions. Photos & AutoCAD drawings - perfect!

Thanks again.

Steve Z

Also take into mind the high jump location. We always run into problems
if they are put in the same end of the football field and run at the same time