Grand Slam Track will not hold its final event in Los Angeles in late June, according to numerous published reports on Thursday that indicate the abrupt end to the season is due to financial concerns.
The meet, which was scheduled for June 28 and 29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, would have served as the fourth event in the league’s inaugural campaign along with being a showcase to crown a pair of overall season champions.
Sources close to Grand Slam Track have revealed to A Mile. A Minute. on Thursday, under a condition of anonymity, that the league’s finances were a factor in addition to questions over the venue for the Los Angeles meet.
As the Los Angeles meet approached, none of the first set of 48 Challengers — non contracted competitors — were announced through the league’s press officials despite media credential requests being accepted and processed.
Meanwhile, a meeting with athletes and agents for contracted Racers, who agreed to appear at all scheduled meets and likely forego early season Diamond League events, was called by league commissioner on Thursday.
The meeting would presumably address the next steps for the league even as officials have indicated that the showcase will return in 2026. Still, The Times indicated on Thursday that the cancelation of the final meet will save organizers around $3 million in guaranteed prize money, appearance fees and a wide range of fixed costs.
Still, the move to end the season two weeks before the finale comes in the wake of a what could be seen as a successful display during the Philadelphia meet in late May.
A sizable crowd filled the stands at Franklin Field on May 31 and June 1, even as a questions around the league swirled when organizers announced that the three day format from the Miami and Kingston events would be trimmed to just two days.
At the time, Johnson said that league officials were listening to fan critiques and knew the league had flexibility to make alterations based on what was in the interest of quality competition.
“We’ve made the decision to condense our schedule in Philadelphia into two, high-octane, and intense days of combat racing,” Johnson said just weeks before the Philadelphia schedule was altered. “We want to be the most flexible, adaptive and fan-first league in sports, and we believe making these changes will improve the Grand Slam Track experience for all.”
The adjustment also meant that the long distance groups would only run the 3,000m — but only be eligible for a $50,000 top prize instead of the $100,000 from previous events.
The first meet in Kingston in April drew criticism after small crowds at Kingston’s 35,000-seat National Stadium were noticeable during the television and streaming broadcasts.
But the league rebounded as the competition shifted to Miramar’s Ansin Sports Complex for its Miami-area event and fielded sold out stands in a significantly smaller venue at over 5,000 seats.
What comes next is somewhat unclear even as a push for a 2026 season might still be in Grand Slam Track’s future.
The league shifted the attention of the running landscape last June by announcing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as its first and arguably most high-profile signing. Her star power and pre-Paris Olympics luster could have been seen as boost for Grand Slam Track to reel in other top talents.
After a pair of gold medals in Paris, many of McLaughlin-Levrone’s peers followed suit to sign with the league and were likely lured by $100,000 payouts for event winners — the highest in the sport by a wide margin.
Johnson, with $30 million in backing from Winners Alliance, guaranteed $12.6 million in prize money to match a polished product with flashy marketing assets and a presentation that looked premium. But top tier partners in the sport, like major shoe brands, did not sign deals with the league and broadcast details were not unveiled until weeks before the Kingston meet.
By Thursday afternoon, the league’s website still listed the Los Angeles meet as an upcoming event and a link to UCLA’s ticketing vendor for Drake Stadium was active and accepting orders.
