On Thursday, September 26, a track meet unlike any other took place at Icahn Stadium in New York City. The first ever Athlos NYC hosted exciting races, big prize money, Megan Thee Stallion, and Tiffany crowns instead of medals.
A number of big names took centerstage with Olympic gold medalists Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (1500 meters) and Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic (400 meters) earning wins. American Brittany Brown was perhaps the biggest winner of the night, claiming second in the 100 meters and upsetting Gabby Thomas to win the 200 meters. In total, Brown collected $85,000 in winnings on the nightc.
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The meet was announced in the spring when Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and husband to Serena Williams, shared his venture capital firm Seven Seven Six invested in women’s track with the 776 Invitational. At the time, he told ESPN he started following professional track and field last year. After having conversations with athletes and experts in the community—including the 200-meter Olympic champion Thomas, who eventually became a partner—Ohanian decided he wanted to address the lack of media coverage and broadcast opportunities outside of the Olympic cycle.
“Every four years, during the Olympics, this is a really popular sport, and then all the coverage and everything seems to go away,” Ohanian told ESPN while also expressing the need to increase prize money for elites.
“Most important is this had to be the largest purse in the history of women’s track and field,” Ohanian said. “Why? Because one, I was shocked when I found out what the current highest one was [$30,000 for a final event in the Diamond League]. And two, there is a healthy tension that exists, which is the prize money should be directly correlated or related to the sort of scale and scope of the event itself.
“I'm very happy to be the one who steps up and says, ‘Here’s the money.’ Look, this matters. This is an amazing set of humans who you’re going to be captivated by during the Olympics, and you’re going to see in a whole other way at the 776 Invitational.”
The meet was later renamed Athlos—the Greek word, which means “contest or trial” in relation to athletic feats. It awarded the largest purse ever for a women’s track event with the first six finishers of each race earning prize money.
The winner took home $60,000, second place claimed $25,000, and third place snagged $10,000, with $8,000 for fourth, $5,000 for fifth, and $2,500 for sixth place. The athletes participating also earned more through the meet’s unique giveback program in which 10 percent of all revenue from ticketing, commercial sponsorship, and broadcast was redistributed to all competitors. Ohanian also rewarded those who earned Olympic gold medals in Paris with an additional $60,000.
In addition to the historic prize structure, Ohanian elevated the meet experience with a concert from three-time Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion. And each athlete was introduced with their own walk-out song played by DJ Derrick “D’Nice” Jones.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
