We all come into track & field a little bit differently. Some of us can look back on elementary school track & field days, while others were first introduced at home, watching the Olympics on TV. Now, Tracksmith wants to boost the entire sport at both youth and adult levels. Meet the brand-new Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated solely to increasing participation at all age levels.
It might seem easier to jump into track & field as a kid, but there are no age requirements (Masters category, anyone?). After all, a typical track meet has somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 events — more than enough for everyone to find their lane. We’re partial to the running events, but the Tracksmith Foundation hopes to give jumping and throwing events a boost, too.
The foundation will be led by Executive Director Russell Dinkins, who has experience fighting for the future of collegiate track & field programs across the country. The hope is to use the Tracksmith Foundation to inspire athletes of all ages, create opportunities across the board, and eliminate the barriers to access along the way.
Whether you’re itching to lace up your spikes again, or you want to see what track & field is all about, the Tracksmith Foundation is hitting the ground running. Its very first fundraiser will take place on New Year’s Eve at The Armory in New York City. Think equal parts track meet and gala. It’s called the Midnight Mile, and it culminates in Nick Willis attempting to break the 4:00 mile for the 20th year in a row as the clock strikes midnight.
You can read Tracksmith founder Matt Taylor’s announcement letter here and register for the Midnight Mile here.
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