City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department Unveils New Indoor Track

Today, the City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department unveiled its brand-new indoor track. In October 2019, Mayor Tim Keller and the City Council included $2.5 million for a new indoor track in the Lodgers Tax bond package.  

“From USA Track & Field to NCAA indoor championships, Albuquerque has emerged as a national destination in the world of track and field,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This track is a smart investment in our recreation, sports, and tourism economy that will boost our recovery from the COVID pandemic.” 

VIDEO: Mayor Tim Keller and UNM Athletes at the indoor track

The new track replaces the City’s first indoor track, which was purchased used in 2005 and became the home of the University of New Mexico’s Track and Field Program, hosting 15 years of local, regional, and national track events.

"We are excited about the installation of a new indoor track at the Albuquerque Convention Center," said UNM Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez.  "Not only does it impact our nationally ranked track and field and cross country programs by giving us a world-class running surface and giving our student-athletes one of the best home track & field facilities in the nation, but it allows for the continued economic growth of Albuquerque and the downtown area by allowing us to host multiple major meets, including Mountain West and NCAA Championships.”

Visit Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Sports Commission, who work to promote the City as a tourism, convention and sporting event destination, have helped bring countless indoor track meets to the Duke City utilizing our indoor track facility – including numerous Mountain West, NCAA and USATF Indoor Championships.

“This new track – along with our weather, first-class hospitality and local expertise – will help Albuquerque maintain its reputation as a premier sporting destination at a time when standing out from the competition will be vital for the strong recovery of our city and the local hospitality industry,” said Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque. “Years of increased visitation prior to the pandemic and the strong historical performance of lodgers’ tax made this purchase possible. We are grateful for the City’s investment in the track, which will be the site of world-class events such as the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2023. We look forward to many collegiate, U.S. and world records being set here in Albuquerque.”

Featuring a 200-meter banked oval, the new track has a red and turquoise color scheme that pays homage to the original UNM colors and matches their track team uniforms.  The track was manufactured by Mondo and shipped straight from the factory in Italy to the Albuquerque Convention Center. Mondo is widely considered to be the world’s premier track manufacturer, and their newest track surface, the MondoTrack WS, is the fastest competition surface in the world – and is used on the City’s new track. The only other facility to use this new surface is the Olympic facilities in Tokyo, Japan.

“This track adds a fantastic asset to our park and recreation program,” said Director of Parks and Recreation, Dave Simon. “Working with our partners, the University of New Mexico and Visit Albuquerque, our City will keep sprinting to remain at the front of the pack.”

Features of the new track include:

• Mondo portable banked 6-lane, 200-meter oval with 42” wide lanes, 12-degree banking, and 21-meter radius
  • Competition surface is 13.5-millimeter MondoTrack WS, custom colored to match UNM
• Mondo Fast Break infield with 8-lane, 60-meter, 48” wide lanes and a high jump area
• Two long jump/triple jump runways, 189’ and 160’ long, with two sand pits and two sand catcher systems
  • One removable pole vault box