Grand Slam Track cuts its Philadelphia event schedule to two days
After running three-day events at the circuit's first three stops, the event here will be just two days. Fans and athletes had complained that the races were too spread out.
Grand Slam Track, the professional circuit that will come to Franklin Field at the end of the month, announced Thursday that it has cut its Philadelphia event from three days to two.
Organizers realized over the course of the first two showcases — in Kingston, Jamaica, and Miami — that there was too much time between races each day. Fans in attendance complained, and just as important, the athletes competing did, too.
So now the races will be on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, with May 30 chopped off.
The move might prompt questions about ticket sales, and organizers haven’t said much about that yet. But they are issuing full refunds for anyone who bought May 30 tickets, and partial refunds for anyone who bought multi-day packages.
“We’ve said all along we want to listen to our fans, athletes, and coaches, and having heard feedback from various key stakeholders, we’ve made the decision to condense our schedule in Philadelphia,” Grand Slam Track founder and sprinting legend Michael Johnson said in a statement. “We believe making these changes will improve the Grand Slam Track experience for all.”
Tickets are available at grandslamtrack.com, with prices starting at $28.75 for general-admission seats on each day. Two-day packages start at $40.
Organizers have also announced some of the so-called “challengers” who will fill out the race fields, alongside stars such as Olympic champions Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, and Cole Hocker.
The Philadelphia challengers will include two former Penn athletes, Nia Akins in the 800 meters and Isabella Whittaker in the 400 and 200 meters. Whittaker also ran in the Miami slam at the start of this month.
McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time Olympic champion in the 400 hurdles and 4x400 sprint relay, has swept the 400 sprint and hurdles titles at both Grand Slam events so far. In Philadelphia, she will run the 100-meter hurdles for the first time in her professional career.
Former Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen is also part of the core group, but has been dealing with an injury. He has said he hopes to be back in time for the event here.
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