Ayrshire Athletics Arena

A running track and sports training facility located on Queens Drive in Kilmarnock (East Ayrshire), the Ayrshire Athletics Arena lies a mile (1.6 km) southeast of the town centre. Built at a cost of £7 million and designed by Wylie Shanks Architects, it comprises a range of indoor and outdoor athletics and training facilities. Developed on the flood plain of the River Irvine the site required flood protection measures to be constructed. The local swimmer Alan Jardine officially opened the Arena on 8th June 2012 by running the first-ever lap of the newly-completed track carrying the Olympic Torch which was proceeding around Britain via a relay of runners on route to the summer games in London. The main facilities are an eight-lane flood-lit outdoor athletics track with synthetic rubberised surface and a six-lane 63-m indoor sprinting straight, with strength and conditioning areas. Also outdoors are areas for javelin and shot put, and a cage for hammer and discus, while there are both indoor and outdoor facilities for pole vault, long and triple jump. The Arena also caters for cricket, martial arts, training sessions for football and rugby and cycling, with indoor cricket and throwing nets, allowing all-weather training.

The facility has been designed to meet the training and competition needs for a wide range of individual athletes, sports clubs, schools and community groups, as well as attracting regional and national athletics events. The track is UK Athletics Class A rated indicating suitability for the highest standard of athletics competition.

The Arena is owned by East Ayrshire Council and is operated on their behalf by East Ayrshire Leisure. Kilmarnock Academy's recreation ground lies adjacent, with football and rugby pitches, the latter also used by Kilmarnock Rugby Club. Kilmarnock Cricket Club has its ground in the opposite bank of the River Irvine.


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