Athletics' new trend

Athletics: Street race

As Usain Bolt arrived in the centre of Manchester on Sunday afternoon he sheltered from the rain under his hood as frantic efforts were made to sweep away the gathering puddles from the carefully constructed 150-metre track. A watershed moment in its own way, but not as significant for athletics as the extravaganza that the world's fastest man and a shopping thoroughfare were able to produce.

If the surroundings were somewhat surreal it did nothing to detract from the stunning ferocity and velocity of performance that Bolt unleashed on his rain–sodden competitors.
The only thing that had any chance of catching him was his reflection in a shop window. Spectators who had braved the elements were probably blown dry as he swept past on his way to the fastest 150M recorded. Admittedly it's a rarely run distance and never in such an environment but this could be the first of many similar events which will attempt to get athletics in front of an entirely new audience.

As Bolt continues to rewrite the record books, events such as this are hoping to keep pace with the interest that his exploits are creating. It's not going to replace stadium athletics – nor should it – but as a high-profile showcase for the sport's superstars, Sunday's event whet the appetite.

There were some intriguing scenes even away from the elevated four-lane highway. The sponsors and VIPs were housed in a shimmering new retail and office building which overlooked the finish line. Yet to be fitted out, its empty spaces also provided a welcome refuge for the athletes trying to escape the incessant downpours.

The sight of some of the world's best athletes striding past the prawn sandwiches and profiteroles as they tried to warm up was another first on the day.

Bolt watched the qualifying heats from this vantage point and happily signed autographs for any of the privileged guests and their children. Phil Neville, who had run the 10km earlier in the day, must have marvelled at the somewhat unusual pre-race preparations for the star of the day.

Even if there had been cucumber sandwiches on offer they could never match Bolt for coolness.

Perhaps therein lies the critical factor in the success of such events. I would venture that most of those present came purely to get a close-up view of the man himself as much as to watch street athletics.

Many were certainly drawn from a different section of the community from those that are normally happy to turn up to a three-hour track meet which must be a good thing for the sport.

Undoubtedly Bolt would draw a crowd if all he had done was pop to the shops along Deansgate and while he cannot be present at every event, hopefully the spectacle created can in itself help to popularise lesser-known athletes.

There have in the past been popular and well-staged arena events that concentrated on one or two disciplines such as the pole vault or high jump and allowed the likes of Yelena Isinbeyeva and Blanca Vlasic to take centre stage.

Exciting product

If, like Bolt, they can match performance with theatre then athletics may just have a new and exciting product. There are plans to host similar events in the UK and elsewhere in Europe so it will be interesting to gauge their popularity when the likes of Bolt are not present.

The purists and traditionalists may find much of it difficult to warm to but unlike Twenty20 cricket I don't think it offers any threat to the longer term viability of the sport as we know it.

Track and field meetings need a stadium but the athletes can perform their own event as a one off practically anywhere, and the visual impact of a man completing 100M in 8.72 seconds against the backdrop of city buildings is difficult to ignore.