The Complete Handbook of Athletics
A practical reference for professionals, businesses, and serious enthusiasts in track and field, road racing, and cross country
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
From track surfaces to javelins: the complete operational guide to athletics equipment, installation, and business.
About this book
Athletics—track and field, road racing, and cross country—presents a unique challenge: nearly every piece of equipment is subject to performance standards, safety regulations, and environmental factors that do not affect more casual sporting goods. A track surface that is too hard, a starting block that slips, a discus that has warped—each is a liability, not just a performance issue. This handbook strips away the noise and tells you exactly what matters, from the chemistry of polyurethane running surfaces to the correct compression ratio of a throwing circle.
Designed for professionals and serious enthusiasts, this book covers the full lifecycle of athletics equipment. It begins with the fundamentals of competition rules as defined by the IAAF (now World Athletics) and works through detailed specifications for every event category. You will learn how to assess ground conditions, how to choose between a removable and a permanent shot put circle, and how to negotiate delivery and installation contracts for a new 400-meter track. The maintenance chapters provide step-by-step protocols for seasonal upkeep, surface repair, and equipment inspection, with a focus on what breaks and how to fix it.
The final sections address the commercial side of athletics. Whether you are a school district consolidating its bid list, a private club looking to lease underutilized facility space, or an entrepreneur considering a portable equipment rental service, the book covers the economics, insurance, and liability considerations. There is also a forward-looking chapter on material innovations (e.g., fiber-reinforced surfaces, biometric sensors) and the regulatory shifts affecting competition venues.
Reader Reviews
Mark Ramirez
★★★★★I run a small track club and had been piecing together advice from manufacturer websites and old forum threads. This book finally gives me a single reference. The maintenance chapter on high jump pits saved me from buying a new one—it just needed a re-cover and some foam repositioning. I docked one star because the business opportunities section felt a bit too US-centric for me, but the core technical content is spot on.
Matthew Perez
★★★★★A solid reference for anyone dealing with athletics facilities. I'm a facilities coordinator for a school district, and the chapter on choosing the right track surface was exactly what I needed for an upcoming renovation. It broke down the different rubber types and their trade-offs in a way our vendor didn't. The writing is dry, but that's what I wanted. Minor gripe: I wish there were more diagrams, but the text is clear enough.
Kathleen Rodriguez
★★★★★It's a lot of good information, and I can see it being useful for people new to this, but it felt heavier on the 'professional facility' side than the 'hobbyist athlete' side. I bought it hoping for more on maintaining my own equipment, but there's a lot of coverage of track surfacing and commercial installation that I'll never use. Still, the troubleshooting section was helpful, so I'll keep it on the shelf.