The invention relates generally to a covering system for athletic courses. A movable framework straddles the athletic course and serves as a support for a cover. Inside, lighting and climate may be controlled. Also, possibly as a training aid or to facilitate competitive events, a timing system and/or PA system may be incorporated. Among the possible athletic courses suitable for covering are running courses, in-line skating courses, cycling courses, etc. The invention also includes a method of operating an outdoor exercise course.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to a system for covering an athletic course, such as a running course, an in-line skating course, a horse back riding course, or a cycling course. 
         [0003]    2. Related Art 
         [0004]    Athletically performing outdoors, whether for training or in competition, has several drawbacks. The weather makes outdoor athletic performance difficult. Precipitation, humidity, temperature, and wind all affect the athlete's performance, as well as, the surface on which the athlete is performing. Another shortcoming of the weather is its unpredictability. Thus, the vagaries and uncontrollability of the weather add an unknown variable to the mix, making it difficult both for the athlete to effectively train and to monitor an athlete's program. Whether it is running, cycling, or in-line skating, outdoor athletics on roadways also has the drawback of the danger of vehicular traffic as well as the poor quality of the roadway surface (i.e., potholes, cracks, debris, etc.). Similarly, while indoor courses for these various athletic endeavors overcome many of the aforementioned shortcomings, there are other deficiencies associated with indoor athletic courses. A chief deficiency of indoor athletic courses (e.g., indoor running ovals, velodromes, etc.) is that they are short and highly repetitive and, thus, boring to train and perform upon. A need exists for improvements in athletic courses, and to overcome various deficiencies, including those mentioned above. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In a first general aspect, the present invention provides a movable covering for athletic courses. This covering isolates and protects the athletic course from outside environmental conditions. A second general aspect is a customizable environmental system. With the athletic course isolated from the outside environment by a covering, climate control systems may provide an environment inside of the athletes' choosing. 
         [0006]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The features of the present invention will best be understood from a detailed description of the invention and an embodiment thereof selected for the purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, partially cutaway, illustrating a portion of an embodiment of a cross-country running course covering system, in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. 
         [0011]    As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0012]    The present invention is a system for athletic courses, denoted by a  10 . The system  10 , herein also termed an athletic course covering system  10  includes several sub-systems or elements. Although in the following disclosure, including the figures, the system  10  is discussed in its use as a system  10  for cross-country type running, it should be apparent to one in the art that the system  10  could also serve a useful purpose for other athletic endeavors. These include in-line skating courses, cycling, and horse-back riding. 
         [0013]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , which is a perspective view of a section of the system  10  with a portion of the system  10  removed for illustrative purposes, the system  10  may include a framing system  20  which spans, in whole or in part, a portion of a ground surface  5 . An athletic course surface  6  may be the portion of the ground surface  5  that the framing system  20  spans. On the framing system  20  may be a cover  11 . 
         [0014]    The framing system  20  and cover  11 , thus, span over the athletic course surface  6 . The athletic course surface  6  may be an improved surface such as asphalt, concrete, synthetic track surface, wood chips, wood, or gravel. Likewise, the athletic course surface  6  can be an unimproved course of any type. The course surface  6  can be a circuitous path that may form a closed loop course. The course surface  6  can also be an open-looped course, or just a section of a running course. Thus, the system  10  has an advantage of providing cover, total or partial, to the athletes while they are performing. The system  10  provides this cover whether the course changes elevation and/or direction. 
         [0015]    The framing system  20  may be attached to the ground surface  5  at various locations. The framing system  20  may be made of metal, composite, wood, plastic, or other suitable materials. The framing system  20  may be a series of frames  21  that are attached to the ground surface  5  at a plurality of foundation attachment points  25  via snaps, clips, or screws. The frames  21  may be hoop-type, polygonal, or any combination thereof. The foundation attachment points  25  may be attached to the ground surface  5  by anchoring which may include “manta ray” plate anchors, “rock anchors” for rock embedment, single and double helix anchors augered into place, and rods or chains anchored into a poured structural fill. The plurality of frames  21  may be attached to each other in order to increase the structural integrity of the system  10 . Furthermore, frames  21  may be movable to various foundation attachment points  25  on the ground surface  5 . This may provide variation in the course. 
         [0016]    Attached to the framing system  20  may be a cover  11 . The cover  11  may be made of suitable weather-resistant material. For example, the cover  11  may be made of canvas, cloth, glass, plastic, Gore-Tex®, or other suitable material that can prevent, or minimize, inclement weather from affecting the athletes  100 . The cover  1   1  may be of a single material, or a combination of materials. For example, portions of the cover  11  could be made out of canvas, while other portions of the cover  11  could be made into windows  12 , or openings, thereby allowing sunlight to reach the athletic surface  6  and athletes  100 , as well as, affording spectators, coaches, and the like to view the athletes  100  from outside the system  10 . 
         [0017]    Similarly, portions of the cover  11  may have a feature which allows for convertibility of the cover  11 . Thus, for example, a portion of the cover  11  may be a rolled-up cover  15 . This feature can be used when, for example, the weather may be temperate and the athletes  100  wish to allow the outside weather to touch the athletes  100 . The rolled-up cover  15  can be held out of the way via a series of latching devices  16  which connect the rolled-up cover  15  to be held to a series of horizontal elements  22  in the framing system  20 . Optionally, rather than a rolled-up cover  15 , rigid panels may be used. The panels may be removably attached (i.e. clip-on), or movable while remaining attached (i.e. folding, sliding, etc.) or a combination thereof. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  depicts a sectional elevation view of a portion of the covering system  10 . A system of cabling  23  may be attached to the horizontal elements  22  of the framing system  20 . The cabling  23 , or cables, may be made of stainless steel cable, or other suitable weather-resistant material. Each frame  21  may have a cabling  23  element attached to it. From the cabling element  23  may be attached a plurality of electro-mechanical systems. 
         [0019]    A first electro-mechanical system that may be attached to the cabling  23  is a heating and/or cooling system. For example, as depicted in the embodiment in  FIG. 2 , a flexible HVAC duct  30  may be suspended via the cabling  23  over the center portion of the athletic surface  6 . The HVAC duct  30  may be made of a suitable material such as flexible plastic ductwork. The HVAC duct  30  may have a plurality of openings  32  from which heating or cooling may be provided, depending on the desired temperature sought by the athletes  100 . The HVAC duct  30  communicates with an appropriate thermostat (not shown) and a heating and/or cooling source(s) (not shown). An athlete  100  may then set the desired temperature for the athletic course  6 . For example, suppose the athlete  100  is using the athletic course  6  and system  100  in January in upstate New York, the athlete  100  may set the thermostat so that heat is provided in the system  10  so that the athletic course  6  is at a temperature of approximately 60° F. This provides the athlete  100  with greater comfort while running on the athletic course  6 . Just as the athlete  100  may adjust the HVAC system to provide greater comfort, likewise the athlete  100  may artificially adjust the HVAC system so that a greater impediment is created than the local weather is provided. So too for example, if the athlete  100  (again in New York) is training in preparation for a road race in Arizona, the athlete  100  may adjust the HVAC system so that the HVAC duct  30  is making the athletic course  6  much hotter than the ambient conditions. Heating may be provided by means not integral to an HVAC system such as electrical resistance, hot water radiator, steam, solar, etc. Likewise, cooling may be provided by means not integral to an HVAC system such as local air conditioning units, evaporative coolers, fans, etc. 
         [0020]    A second electro-mechanical system that may be attached to the cabling  23  is a misting system. The misting system uses at least one misting pipe, or line,  50  in which a plurality of nozzles/openings  52  extend therefrom. The plurality of nozzles/openings  52  sends water mist on the athletes  100 . This helps the athletes  100  stay comfortable while training on the athletic surface  6  by keeping them cooler than were there no misting system. The misting system, depending on its design, could be adjustable so that, instead of emitting a water mist, the droplet size from the nozzles/openings  52  could be enlarged so that, in essence, rain is emitted from the nozzles/openings  52 . Thus, a simulated rain, or rain storm, could be created on the athlete  100 . 
         [0021]    A third electro-mechanical system that may be attached to the cabling  23  is a lighting system. The lighting system includes a plurality of lights  40 . The lights  40  may be attached to various portions of the system  10 , such as the frames  21 , cabling  23 , or horizontal elements  22 . The lights  40  may be suitable weather-resistant lights such as fluorescent, mercury vapor, metal halide, and the like. The lighting system provides additional lighting beyond the ambient background light so that the athlete  100  has improved vision while using the athletic surface  6 . 
         [0022]    Environmental conditions in a given section of an athletic course  6  may differ from those in another section. Section by section control of environmental conditions may be used to provide athletes on the course with different environmental conditions. One, several, or all of the electro-mechanical systems may be operatively attached to a series of motion sensors  35 . The motion sensors  35 , when activated by the exercising athlete  100 , can activate one, or more, of the electro-mechanical systems. In this manner, the lights  40 , for example, can be switched on only while an athlete  100  is at, or near, that portion of the system  100 . Thus, the lights  40  can be turned off in the portion(s) of the athletic surface  6  on which there are no athletes  100 . Similarly, the misting system can be coupled to the motion detectors  35 . The misting, rain, heating, or cooling effect can then be turned on and off via the motion detectors  35  as the athletes  100  near the requisite portion of the athletic surface  6 . For example, one athlete may be running in a mist in low light while another athlete may be running in hot, brightly-lit conditions. Sensors  35  may be used to track an athlete's position along the course. Ahead of the athlete  100 , environmental conditions of the athlete's choosing may be prepared for the approaching athlete.