In an era of state-of-the-art athletics facilities, the University of Wisconsin’s track and field team is taking more of a back-to-basics approach to their training space. The former indoor home of UW track and field, The Shell, was demolished in the fall of 2024, with no new facility on campus available until 2026. Now, the team is leaving the county and traveling 30 minutes each way to use a warehouse for practice.
In an era of state-of-the-art athletics facilities, the University of Wisconsin’s track and field team is taking more of a back-to-basics approach to their training space. The former indoor home of UW track and field, The Shell, was demolished in the fall of 2024, with no new facility on campus available until 2026. Now, the team is leaving the county and traveling 30 minutes each way to use a warehouse for practice.
“We're very proud about the warehouse as a short-term solution, but I'm also very passionate about the long term. The long-term goal is really what's at stake here. So while I think this is amazing and we're proud of our family, we're proud of the coaching staff that we were able to provide a temporary home in Lodi ... the goal is a new (track) facility being built. Our hope is that the athletic department will consider other design plans and truly accommodate the track and field team in the future,” said Tara Clack Bell, UW alum and former Big Ten outdoor pole vault title winner, whose family owns the warehouse.
The warehouse, which sits just off the interstate north of Madison, Wi., is owned by The Clack Corp. It was formerly a production facility, but it had been under-utilized in the past year, leading to Cack Bell’s offer to Badger track and field.
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Now, the 77,000-square-foot warehouse has a 200-meter track, 91-meter straightaway, pole vault runway and jumps equipment. According to Badger Extra, “Putting the track and equipment in the temporary facility cost $400,000.”
The Badgers plan to pay $25,000 per month to rent the warehouse from The Clack Corp., but Clack Bell said, “proceeds from Wisconsin's lease payments are going to be donated back to the track program.”
Despite the lengthy commute from the UW campus, current student-athletes told Badger Extra, “It's amazing. It's honestly in some ways better than the Shell. The runway is amazing. It's good for our body; it's not like the Shell where it was almost like running on concrete."
While the track and field team does have access to the on-campus McClain Center, that facility does not have a running track.
Unfortunately, the team can’t fully utilize the warehouse yet as they await temporary use permits from Columbia County. The Badgers also cannot host indoor meets at the warehouse, so the team will continue to use a facility in Chicago to host ‘home’ indoor meets. Even after the new $285 million facility opens next to Camp Randall Stadium, the team will still need third-party facilities to host meets.
According to Badger Extra, designs for the new facility only include, “a three-lane running track on a mezzanine level, elevated around the perimeter of the football field. A five-lane sprinting straightaway is on one side.” Put simply, it is not a competition venue.
The Badgers plan to practice at the warehouse facility for this indoor track season, as well as the 2025-2026 indoor season, before gaining access to the new facility.
