Spring Track & Field National Championship - Venue Change
March 13th, 2018
The 2018 NIRCA Track & Field National Championship will be moving locations to Shelbyville, IN.
With only four weeks out from Spring Track & Field and Half Marathon Nationals, this email contains important news to about the upcoming Spring National Championship events.
NIRCA will not have access to the track and field complex at Indiana University for Spring Track & Field Nationals this year.
While this is not an ideal scenario, especially because of this short notice, the decision has been made to continue with Spring Track & Field Nationals. Countless options were considered in the process. While the goal is to create the least disruption to our usual Spring Nationals routine as possible, unfortunately, club travel plans could be impacted.
What Does This Mean For Clubs and Athletes?
Half Marathon
the NIRCA Half Marathon National Championship race itself will not experience any changes. Half Marathon athletes will run the Hoosier Half Marathon in Bloomington, IN on Saturday, April 14th at 8am as planned.
Track & Field
- Track & Field Nationals is moving venues for Spring 2018 to Shelbyville High School in Shelbyville, IN.
- Shelbyville is 35 minutes southeast of downtown Indianapolis and 75 minutes northeast of Bloomington, IN.
- Shelbyville is 35 minutes southeast of downtown Indianapolis and 75 minutes northeast of Bloomington, IN.
- The facility is set up for high school competition, with additional implications.
- The steeplechase will not be offered as a competition event this year.
- Throws will continue as planned, however, all athletes must provide their own implements.
- Long jump and high jump events will continue as planned. We will provide more info on triple jump shortly.
- The 8-lane track (versus our usual 9 lanes) will affect the number of heats for the 200m, 400m, and 400m hurdles. The 10-lane front straightaway which will not affect 100m dash heats.
- Track markings are those of a high school track. Events that are not offered at the high school level, such as the 400m hurdles, may be missing markings
In the spirit of open communication and minimizing surprises, these are all of the changes anticipated at the current time.
Next Steps
- Registration will open as scheduled on Friday, March 16th and close on April 6th at 11:59pm EST.
- You will get important information via email if anything new emerges. All else will be updated in the race info.
- The Participant Guide will be updated soon to reflect the change in venue & competition logistics.
- Hotel information for Shelbyville will be released next. Parents, spectators, and supporters may use discounted hotel blocks.
Our Clubs Make NIRCA = Club Running
Thank you for your flexibility and passion for club running.
As an organization, we are working hard to keep moving forward - and in NIRCA, it’s not as much about where you compete as it is about the people you’re with, the adventure, and the experience along the way.
For more information and details: https://mailchi.mp/361fa92a6ef5/important-nirca-spring-nationals-update
Stephanie Bartley, NIRCA