Director of Athletics John P. Reardon '60 adds "People talk to me all the time about running on it, simply because it's so innovative."
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 they will make the final decision in the spring, a spokesman said.
The indoor track, also designed by Oommen, was built in 1977 with the same concept in mind. It is regarded as one of the world's fastest indoor tracks and already about a dozen other universities have used the same design. It is regarded as one of the world's fastest indoor tracks and already about a dozen other universities have used the same design.
Sebastain Coe, one of the world's premier milers, once fell while running a race on the indoor track and still was able to get up and win the race.
According to Oommen, Coe credited the track not only with allowing him to win, but with preventing an injury as well.
"When we decided to build the track," Oommen says, "we decided that it was going to be the best track in the world."