With Team SA having jetted off to the US for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Oregon starting on Friday, Geraldine Pillay urged the athletes and coaches to adjust to the new track surface at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

With the Hayward Field being the spiritual home of track and field in the US, significant improvements were made to the venue to accommodate the occasion of the World Championships.  

SA is pinning their hopes of getting medals on their sprinting aces and for them to stand a chance of making it, they will have to be in tune with the new, faster surface. 

Pillay has advised athletes and their technical team to take advantage of the training sessions they will have in the days leading up to the championships. 

"What's going to be in their favour is that the track will be open, so people will be able to go and get a feel of the track," said Pillay. 

"When you're running on a track that's new and faster, there are a few adjustments you have to make. I think the organisers will allow athletes and coaches a training session or two before the World Championships start," she said. 

Being familiar with the track will help the athletes and their technical team to make sound decisions on the type of spikes they will use during rounds leading up to the final. The spikes often make the difference between finishing in the podium places and outside of them. 

"The team goes a little bit early so they can put structures in place for athletes in terms of training, acclimatising and making sure you have the right spikes," Pillay said. 

"You can't run with spikes that old or not ready. It plays a role in how your equipment is prepared. Athletes and coaches have to prepare, along with their technical support team," she said.