RSCVA sees new indoor track as a game-changer for slower winter months

The new indoor track at Reno-Sparks Convention Center could add between 20,000 and 50,000 room nights each year to regional hotel-casino bookings during winter months, a time when operators are often scrambling for revenue.

The portable indoor six-lane track, with bleacher seating for 1,200, is one of just four indoor track facilities in the West, said Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Larragueta (there are also indoor tracks in Albuquerque, Seattle and Spokane, Wash.). The scarcity of indoor facilities — and Reno’s proximity to thousands of track athletes in California — has translated into nearly 20,000 room nights already booked, Larragueta told NNBW.

“What was really attractive about this opportunity was the ability to drive room nights during a time of year when occupancy and visitation generally struggles,” Larragueta said. “In a gaming community, weekends generally take care of themselves from May through October. But when you start getting into those winter months, even the weekends need more people coming to our region.

“The ability to generate 20,000 to 50,000 room nights over a three-month period when we generally are looking for anything we can from a business standpoint is very positive,” he added.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The indoor track — also available for corporate naming rights — is the brainchild of Larragueta, who first stumbled into the world of indoor track during a golf tournament. Larragueta, who was tabbed to lead the region’s convention and visitors organization in May of 2024, was on a mission to identify a special event that would differentiate Reno from other tourism or destination markets — as well as define his tenure at the helm of the RSCVA.

Summer in Reno is packed with hugely popular special events, but Larragueta wanted to create an event that would drive additional room nights and tourism revenue, ideally during a time of year that’s commonly referred to as the “shoulder season.” It’s the sometimes painfully slow time of year when special-events season ends and before the ski season ramps up and drive-up visitors return to the area for a weekend on the slopes.

When there’s no snow, however, the shoulder season can drag throughout the dreary winter months.

“I wanted a game-changer, a difference-maker,” Larragueta said.

The main oval features six lanes and turns banked at 12 degrees.

A playing partner introduced Larragueta to representatives of world-renowned athletics sports track manufacturer Mondo of Italy. Over the next few days, Larragueta said, the germ of an idea took shape. When Larragueta returned to Reno, he told RSCVA Director of Sports Development Shelli Fine to make some calls about indoor track.

“Thank God she did, because that got conversations started with people within the track industry,” Larragueta said. “They really fueled our interest in looking at this opportunity. We learned a lot, and had some conversations locally, and our interest started to grow.”

It piqued even further after a feasibility study by University of Nevada researcher Brian Bonnenfant showed the potential for as many as 50,000 room nights booked by Year 5 of an operational track.

BUILDING A TRACK

The decision to move forward with the $5.2 million investment was approved following a second presentation in front of the RSCVA board in June of 2023, Larragueta said. Here’s how that cost breaks down:

• Mondo-built track: $3.2 million. The track has an average lifespan of about 10 years.

• 1,200-seat portable bleachers: $1.2 million.

• Indoor track equipment: $700,000 to $800,000. Think hurdles, shot puts, starting blocks, pole vault pit padding and the like.

In addition to the 200-meter oval, there’s an eight-lane sprint straight, two high jump areas, two long jump/triple jump and pole vault runways, and a warm-up area. While the entire system is portable, the goal is to try and leave the track in place, Larragueta said.

The indoor track set-up can also accommodate a number of field events.

“We wanted to have the flexibility that if we booked a program that required the whole (convention center), or a program required use of Halls 4 and 5, that we would have the option to disassemble the whole track,” he said. “In a perfect world, we would keep the track up because the labor and time it takes to disassemble and reassemble it is significant.”

For example, there is an event booked for 2029 that requires use of the entire 600,000 square-foot convention center, Larragueta noted.

“We will have to take it down in 2029, but if we can find a way to leave it up (in the interim), we will,” he said.

‘A BIG DEAL’

The six-lane track has alternating blue and gray lanes and is banked at 12 degrees. It’s just the second banked indoor track in the West, Larragueta said.

Having a Mondo-built track at the convention center provides some serious cachet for the region’s track and field credentials. Mondo supplied track and field surfaces for the Olympic Games beginning with Barcelona in 1992 and following with Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo in 2021.

The track will drive additional tourism revenue from a full slate of indoor track meets, Larragueta said. Since it’s World Athletics certified, the facility is eligible to host all levels of competition, including NCAA, USA Track & Field, AAU, high school and middle school meets.

Athlete feedback from the opening Silver State Invitational meet in early December was that the track is exceptionally fast, Larragueta said.

“That’s a big deal,” he said. “It’s a World Athletics-certified track, and that puts us on the map for setting collegiate and world records. Athletes want to run where they have a chance to set their fastest times, and we would love to have the reputation of being the fastest track in North America.

“This track is going to bring people to our region who have never been here before,” he added. “Schools from all over the country will come to Reno and run on this track. That is going to bring athletes, coaches, trainers, scouts, parents, family and visitors to support their athletes who are competing in these meets. That will open their eyes to what Reno-Tahoe is all about, and hopefully they come back on their own for a family vacation or a trip.”

A new indoor track facility in Reno is expected to benefit the Wolf Pack’s track & field program.

A TRACK FOR PACK

The facility also will be used by the University of Nevada track team. Larragueta said the Wolf Pack can host between four to six indoor meets per year, which reduces the number of weekends where the team has to travel. It’s also a huge recruiting tool.

“They get to recruit and practice on a world-class indoor track,” Larragueta said. “If you look at the Mountain West champions over the last five to 10 years, New Mexico is at the top of that list because they have a world-class indoor track. But Nevada now has an asset that puts them at the top of the class in terms of their ability to recruit.”

The indoor track season runs roughly from the middle of November through February. There’s already a slate of eight events booked for this initial season, and the facility could accommodate between 12 and 14 events in total during the indoor season, Larragueta said. Additional bookings are expected as more athletes experience the facility and the experience of competing in Reno’s beautiful mountain scenery.

“The drive-in market is banging the door down to host meets here because there isn’t an indoor track in California,” Larragueta said. “Reno is a very easy and viable option, and we feel this will open the floodgates. This is building a foundation of room nights in our community in a time period when we really need it.”