Mt. San Antonio College Gives Historic Track Stadium a Major Makeover with Beynon

For decades, Mt. San Antonio College’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif., has been a track and field mecca. In 1960, the U.S. Olympic Team used the facility as a training site and set six world records in one day at the venue. The stadium also is the longtime home of the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, as well as the public community college’s perennially successful men’s and women’s track and field teams.

A full-scale renovation of the facility was completed in February 2020 to usher in a new era of track and field excellence at Mt SAC. Anchored by Beynon’s nine-lane, 400-meter BSS 2000 full-pour track with a 13mm thickness and encapsulated texture, the rebuilt stadium also features a natural grass infield that doubles as a football field, a new press box, a massive 85-by-37-foot LED videoboard, and seating for 11,500 spectators that can be expanded to 20,000 for larger events. Officials are thrilled with the work Beynon has completed.

"As nice as any facility needs to look, it doesn’t mean much if you’re not left with a quality, competitive surface. Our track has been completed and it certainly passed everyone’s ‘look test’. Most exciting however is that it also passes the performance test. We were fortunate enough to be involved with the Inspiration Games this last July. That was to be our first competition in the new facility and we were able to host a number of elite, world class athletes. The athletes ran well, they ran fast and the reviews, especially about the surface performance aspects, were all, overwhelmingly positive. We have a fast, attractive and durable surface and we couldn’t be happier" Doug Todd - Director of Athletic Special Events, Mt. San Antonio College

The “new” Hilmer Lodge Stadium — under construction for four years and among the largest recent track renovation projects in the United States — was scheduled to make its public debut in April 2020 with the Mt. SAC Relays. That event, expected to attract hundreds of elite athletes from around the world, was canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nevertheless, college officials remain optimistic for the future. Health and safety guidelines permitting, Mt. SAC will host the 2020-21 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships next year, and they have their sights on the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section’s Track and Field Championships, the Big West Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Beynon surfaces are in place at some of North America’s most highly regarded track and field venues, as well as at college campuses, high schools, and city parks where safety, speed, competition, and daily training take high priority. BSS 2000 surfaces are installed at several NCAA Division I universities, including the University of Alabama, University of Arizona and University of Washington. All told, Beynon boasts more than 2,500 installations on the continent over the past 10 years.

The Beynon team includes world-famous track coaches and leading polyurethane research chemists working together with experienced installation professionals to create the ultimate running surface — many of which last for more than 20 years.

Contact your area’s Beynon representative to find out how you can transform your track and field facility. Beynon also manufactures surfaces for fieldhouses and tennis courts.