Four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson had often wondered what it would take for track and field to break out of its four-year, Olympics-centric cycle.
His answer? A new, all-star racing league featuring 48 permanent racers and 48 other rotating challengers in a four-part series that cuts the field portion of the sport in its entirety.
And to offer $3.15 million in prizes — one the highest ever awarded in the sport.
The competition, called Grand Slam Track, is now arriving in South Florida. At the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Broward, Olympians and world record holders will hit the track for the second leg of the new racing league this weekend.
With Grand Slam Track, Johnson is attempting to create a centralized structure to the sport that drives up engagement in track.
“It's something that athletes have kind of been asking for for a really long time, but there's never really been the organization and money behind a movement to actually make something happen,” two-time Olympic bronze medalist and world record holder Grant Fisher told WLRN.
Turning the sport on its head
Unlike other sports leagues, there is no established schedule for track athletes, which makes it hard for fans to follow.
To remedy this, Johnson is turning the sport on its head, introducing a new format that starts by recruiting an all-star cast of 48 racers locked in to run at each of the four competitions. They are chosen based on their results of last year, and receive a base compensation.
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These “racers” are then challenged by a new set of 48 competitors at each meet.
Director of Athletes and Racing Kyle Merber is one of the lead figures in choosing these racers, often based on who has been running fast in just the past month. “The guiding factor in who is a racer, or even more specifically, of who's a challenger, is: What do fans want to see? And that's our North Star,” Merber said.
The repeat structure allows for rivalries to form, and then be thrown off course by a new face.
“You get different skill sets each race. So the skill set that I was racing against in the first one is very different than the skill set I'm racing against in this Miami one,” Fisher said.
Racers are also required to compete in two races at different distances. Pairings range from short sprints, the 100-meter-dash and the 200-meter dash, to long distance, the 3,000 meter and 5,000 meter races.
This has pushed many one-race specialists out of their comfort zone. Alexis Holmes is one of these athletes, who has taken on the 200-meter dash in addition to her speciality, the 400, which won her a gold medal in the the 2024 Paris Olympics as the anchor-leg of team USA’s 400-meter relay.
“When I first heard about the double events, I was like, 'Oh my god, they're about to expose all my weaknesses,' because I'm definitely known more as a strength runner,” Holmes said.
She now looks at the 200 as an opportunity to improve her speed for the 400.
Excitement for fans
Merber explains allowing fans a chance to watch their favorite athletes twice and in unexpected matchups, makes it more exciting to tune in year-round.
“It's like playing fantasy track,” he said. “How would this 800-meter runner fare in a 1,500? And now we have those opportunities to see it.”
Throughout each of the races, the racers accumulate points on their quest to be crowned the male or female racer of the year. The real prize, however, is the money.
“Having big prize money allows people to stay in the sport longer, focus on the sport longer and produce better top end talent. So I think it pushes the whole sport forward.”Grant Fisher.
Grand Slam offers an unprecedented prize pool, totaling $12.6 million across its four legs. In each race, athletes are competing for a $100,000 first place prize, double what first place would win them at the Olympics. Even a last place finish guarantees a $10,000 take home, in addition to a base salary for all 48 contracted runners.
“The prize money is unlike anything track has ever had, and it's a great incentive,” Fisher said. “Having big prize money allows people to stay in the sport longer, focus on the sport longer and produce better top end talent. So I think it pushes the whole sport forward.”
Many track and field stars have relied on contracts from shoe companies to pay the bills and while most competitions offer prize money, having a base pay for all athletes is pretty novel.
“For a lot of us who don't have maybe the biggest contract, or some people who don't have a contract at all, it's a great opportunity to make some really good money and life changing money,” Holmes said.
Grand Slam’s cash pool is expected to push other leagues to up their prize money, if they haven’t already.
“There's money in the sport. There always has been. It hasn't always trickled down to the athletes, but now it is, which is really nice,” Fisher said.
Meets in Jamaica and the U.S.
Grand Slam Track kicked off in Kingston, Jamaica and will now run its course through the U.S, with meets in Miami, Dallas, and L.A., giving American athletes the chance to show off on their own turf.
“It's definitely hard to compete internationally. It kind of takes a toll on your body with all the travel and stuff. And so it's definitely nice to have some great races in the U.S.,” Holmes said.
Although the competition is broadcast in 189 countries, Merber says the experience simply can’t compare to watching in person.
“I think when you watch on TV, they're really fast and that's amazing, but when you see it in person, it's a completely different experience and a whole new appreciation. But more so, it's the little interactions. It's the autograph signings we're having with fans. It's stopping to take a selfie after, you know, an athlete wins a race,” he said.
In Miramar, young athletes will also have the opportunity to race on the track before the competition starts on Sunday.
The competition will take place from May 2 to May 4.
