Tartan Track is a trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane used for track and field competitions, manufactured by 3M. The original production was in 1967, and the product was later[when?] reformulated to eliminate the use of mercury. Relative to some[weasel words] other surfaces, it lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces.[citation needed] It also provides a more consistent surface for competition even under optimum weather. Similar tracks have become the standard for most elite competitions.
Because the "Tartan" product was widely successful in its time, the name Tartan has been used as a genericized trademark for description of an all-weather running track.[1][2][original research?]
Athletic Polymer Systems, a subsidiary of MCP Industries, Inc., manages the installation of Tartan-branded running track.
A competing[clarification needed] product is AstroTurf, originally made by Monsanto in 1965 and originally called ChemGrass.[3] Like the Tartan product, the "AstroTurf" brand name has become genericized. The Tartan branded product has also had various other competitors.
- ^ "Shercock AC Sign Contracts For New Tartan Track". Athletics Ireland. 2009-03-25. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ^ "example 2 of generic use of term". Coloribus.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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