Bubbling over

While Harvard runners and administrators have been bubbling over the new million-dollar, superfast outdoor track ever since it opened several months ago, the track has been doing some bubbling of its own--air bubbling.

As a result of the way it was laid down, air pockets have popped up in certain sections, making it unsuitable for competition.

Generally regarded as one of the world's fastest and finest tracks because of its unique design, Harvard's newest athletic facility has the ability to increase runner's speeds by about three percent. Experts also say the 400-meter, eight-lane track, located behind the Stadium, reduces fatigue and decreases the chance for injury.

Yet, the bubbles sprang up unexpectedly during the last meet of the season on April 29. Although both the meet and the season were completed without trouble, use of the track has been limited ever since because of the chance of tripping, says Harvard track Coach Frank Haggerty.

The track, which consists of a specially design-synthetic surface placed over a layer of panels, was constructed in late September, and opened just in time for the Crimson's outdoor spring season.

As the weather began to heat up, though, the surface slowly expanded, allowing air pockets to pop up, Haggerty explains.

Because the track was laid during cooler weather, the material had not stretched out enough, and when temperatures rose, so did the bubbles.

If the surface had been laid during a warmer period, the bubbles would not have developed, officials explain. "If the temperature went down 40 degrees tomorrow, the bubbles probably would disappear," Haggerty says.

Surprise

"It was sort of a surprise and concern when they popped up," he adds, but officials from the Italy-based company that constructed the track inspected the structure and "weren't all that surprised."

They did, however, agree to repair the track at no cost.

Despite the problem, Haggerty and other officials agree that the latest in a series of improvements to Harvard's athletic facilities has succeeded with flying colors.

"It's an extraordinary engineering feat," Haggerty says, citing fewer injuries and faster times as evidence of its impact.

The eight-lane structure consists of a rubber surface supported by a rubber waffle understructure, resting on an asphalt base, which experts say gives it enough flexibility not only to increase speed but also to reduce fatigue and decrease the chance for injury.

George Oommen, a special assistant to the vice-president and designer of many of Harvard's athletic facilities (including Blodgett Pool and Bright Hockey Center) helped develop the track. He fine tuned its compliance which minimalizes the time a runner's foot is in contact with the surface to bring about its assets.

International Impact

The track's impact will not only be felt at Harvard but also internationally. Oommen says, World class runners who are very close to setting records "may want to come and use the track to improve their time by the small amount necessary," he adds.

Some of the country's premier runners may compete on the track if Boston is selected as the site of the 1986 National Sports Festival. The United States Olympic Committee is considering 12 cities, and will make its decision later this year, a spokesman for the games said.

Indoor Track

Harvard's indoor track, also designed by Oommen, was built in 1977 using the same concept as the outdoor track. But because it is housed in the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Building, where the temperature remains relatively stable, it has not experienced the same problems with bubbling. The indoor track is regarded as one of the world's fastest and close to a dozen other universities have already used the same design.