The Winter That Was
Away from the track and road, the only major of the year — the world cross country championships in Tallahassee — officially kicked off a year of racing. (Photographs by Donald Reynolds)

The Winter That Was: Chronology

Track and Field
April 30, 2026
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By
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With bags packed and an expanded roster of goodbyes checked off the list, what comes next?

Since 2021, the routine of gathering my belongings and taking the drive to Skagway, Alaska from Atlanta has been a journey of discovery, navigating thousands of miles of road — and photography. Skagway is a small town at the northern terminus of the Lynn Canal, one of the deepest fjords in the world. Heading there is for more than just work. In stops to link with friends along the way and seeing this country's terrain, the miles driven proved priceless.

Before this year's trek in early April, I thought about what came before. I thought about this past January to be exact.

Now I think about what came before.

And in January, strapped with an array of camera equipment, the urge to dive into pro running photography brought me to Tallahassee for the World Cross Country Championships. The chase on the course mirrored my chase for more opportunities.

The images were vivid and showed the pure grit that set this side of the sport apart from the track and roads. But indoor season called and weeks later at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, talk of a looming snowstorm calmed in time for me to capture a world record, new world leads and absorb the roar of the crowd inside of the facility.

And that experience would be amplified days after at The Armory in New York at the Millrose Games, even after heavy snow weighed on the city. The hype inside of the building made shooting images into its own sport. I was set on positioning the lens with precision.

By February, I entered the Sound Invite in Winston-Salem, North Carolina energized and found my spots along the track, grabbing the moments that echoed emotion and everything beyond the finish line. That momentum carried me back to New York for the USATF Indoor Championships to witness established stars and new talents campaign for spots on the national team.

With the calendar marked and showing that spring was near, the contrast away for me from the track is glaring.

But it's also a time to use this space show the roads on the way to the northernmost points of this country, the places the sport simply doesn't see and why I'm committed to getting back to documenting the fastest meets in the world.

Now, it's a chronology.

January – New Balance Grand Prix

The Winter That Was
A snowstorm would blanket the New England states and east coast hours later but at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, a quick scan of the loaded line up and races was prior and — for the moment — weatherproof.
The Winter That Was
In a taste of pro competition at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston in January, Villanova’s Marco Langon’s deep gaze at the scoreboard after the men’s 3,000m was a sign that he was ready to purse the next level.
The Winter That Was
Nicole Yeargin celebrated with coach Joe Lee after winning the women’s 400m in 52.63 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.
The Winter That Was
With the clock ticking on the remainder of his time in high school, teen phenom Quincy Wilson New Balance Grand Prix in Boston.
The Winter That Was
Josh Hoey soaked up the energy of introductions of the men’s indoor 800m at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston. Hoey would break the 28-year-old world record in the event in 1:42.50.

 

February – 118th Millrose Games

The Winter That Was
A quiet hush was the soundtrack during the final preparations of February’s Millrose Games at The Armory in New York where an expectation of pandemonium and shattered records were included in the price of admission.
The Winter That Was
Nikki Hiltz crushed the Wanamaker Mile with a world-leading and personal best of 4:19.64 at The Armory and hauled the silver trophy in celebration on their victory lap.
The Winter That Was
In an eruption of cheers in The Armory after the men’s 2-mile race at the Millrose Games, Cole Hocker was energized after clocking a 8:07.31 for the win.
The Winter That Was
The frost of winter was forced to take a momentary pause to make way for a slate of dynamic performances inside of The Armory as the indoor circuit served as a proving ground for early season fitness.

 

February – Sound Invite

The Winter That Was
At the Sound Invite in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the newly-renovated JDL Fast Track drew big names to a facility that demanded speed on a banked surface that has made the meet an early calendar destination.
The Winter That Was
The event culminated with a men’s mile that drew the crowd to its feet from the start with the first trip around the track feeling like the bell lap, while Cole Hocker stormed to the win.

 

March – USATF Indoor Championships

The Winter That Was
Jordan Anthony’s rising profile got a boost at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, NY during the USATF Indoor Championships as he soared through qualifying in the men’s indoor 60m and eventually won the national title over Trayvon Bromell and Noah Lyles.
The Winter That Was
Cooper Lutkenhaus became one of the youngest men ever to win a national title, at just 17, as he soared to a 1:46.68 win in the men’s indoor 800m at the USATF Indoor Championships.
The Winter That Was
Addison Wiley clocked a 1:59.43 personal best in the women’s indoor 800m at the USATF Indoor Championships for her first national title and a place on Team USA for the World Championships, where she won bronze in the event in Toruń, Poland.
The Winter That Was
Drama at the finish line also meant a chance for newer faces to grab a shot at the gold in the men’s 1,500m as Nathan Green barreled through the line in 3:37.65 for the national championship.
The Winter That Was
But far from some of the fastest tracks in the sport, all roads led Reynolds — and his lens — to Skagway, Alaska for work away from running on the eve of the outdoor season.

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