Records will fall

New surface in the Lied Recreation Center. Photo by Bob Elbert.

The main floor of the Lied Recreation Center reopened this week with a newly installed 14-millimeter synthetic rubber track surface. The track lanes are red and the surrounding floor, including court areas, are gray. (A center turf area also remains.) The former surface, a single-color floor, was 13 years old and had weathered a few floodwater inundations. The $800,000 project was covered by the athletics department; the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined it wouldn't reimburse for these costs. This is the third running surface in the Lied since it opened in 1991; it will help ensure that Iowa State continues to host championship-level indoor track and field events.