Competitor - June 2017

STARTING LINES 11

BUZZ

PHOTO: TRACKTOWN USA

American track and fi eld is aiming to become a big sport

more than once every Olympic year. But to be a big sport,

fi rst it needs a big league. TrackTownUSA is building just

that; the second year of its TrackTown Summer Series

starts in June.

The fi rst meet will be held on June 29 in San Francisco, the

second July 2 in Portland, Oregon, and the championship

July 6 in New York City, which will be televised by ESPN.

What’s unique about the Summer Series, though, is

the team format: Just like in other team sports, teams

representing four U.S. cities will compete against each

other (the three host cities mentioned above, plus

Philadelphia).

According to founder and current USA Track and Field

President Vin Lananna, four well-known athletes serve as

general managers and select their teams of 36 athletes

in a pro-style draft. (The GMs are Allyson Felix for New

York City, Bernard Lagat for Portland, Sanya Richards-Ross

for Philadelphia and Nick Symmonds for San Francisco.)

Athletes receive contracts based on the round in which they

are drafted, and can earn bonuses for winning or placing

in each event, with a large bonus for the winning team.

Last year, the title was still up for grabs going into the

fi nal event—a co-ed 4x400m relay—which produced a

dramatic fi nale, with fans and the other athletes on the

infi eld cheering on their teammates. “Think of having a

big party and plopping a track meet in the center of it,”

Lananna says.

The co-ed relay isn’t the only alteration from a traditional

track schedule. The list of events has been trimmed to

keep the evening quick, with no races longer than the

3,000m steeplechase on the track. A 5K road race will

precede the championship meet in New York City, and will

also be open to the public. Amateur participants will get

randomly assigned team jerseys to wear while cheering

in the stands.

That arbitrary affi liation highlights the lack of any

tradition or connection between the teams and their

cities or the fans—as if the crowd at a Red Sox-Yankees

game were randomly assigned a side to cheer for. The

series has a long way to go to feel like a major-league

sport, but you have to start somewhere. This is a chance

to watch top athletes on the track in the United States,

not the other side of the world. Team loyalty, rivalries and

hometown pride will eventually come.

For more, including streaming info for the

fi rst two meets or 5K road race entry, visit

Gotracktownusa.com.

READY FOR THE BIG LEAGUES

The TrackTown Summer Series aims to make track a major-league sport.

BY JONATHAN BEVERLY

Legacy runners

have run all 19

marathons

$180 MILLION

Raised by Team In Training

since 1998

28,

Bananas on race morning

22,

Cartons of chocolate milk at

the fi nish line

Countries

represented

55,

Road closure brochures

Music stages

along the

course

6:15 AM

Start time

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Marathon

Series events

in 2017

ROCK ’N’ ROLL SAN DIEGO

BY THE NUMBERS

84

35

24

30

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