Our Story

No one has done a better job illuminating the challenges facing the sport today and building resiliency than Russell Dinkins, the Tracksmith Foundation’s Executive Director.

Since 2021, Tracksmith has been supporting Dinkins’ work to save college track and field programs. He continues this work as the leader of the Foundation, creating opportunities for athletes and inspiring broader participation through advocacy and assistance. As the Foundation grows, so too will its reach and ambition.

The Need

Track and field is the most accessible, most diverse, and the most egalitarian sport in the world.

In the US, track is the biggest high school sport. Within the collegiate ranks it is the most diverse non-revenue sport and is a significant provider of academic opportunities for Black student-athletes. It is the least expensive and most meritocratic sport, helping thousands of athletes of all backgrounds find a path to college and careers.  

However, the sport still faces a number of barriers to growth. At the youth level, track and field does not enjoy robust feeder ecosystems, making the sport's future growth comparatively vulnerable. Youth coaches lack resources, training and funding. At the collegiate level, programs across the United States have been threatened with elimination, cutting off pathways not only to further participation in the sport but also eliminating access to higher education.

We believe track and field is a powerful provider of opportunity and a driver of social good. Our mission is to protect and bolster the sport so that it can be used as a vehicle to provide as many athletic and educational pathways to young people as possible.

2023

The Foundation Report

In 2022, the Tracksmith Foundation set about polling coaches, parents, volunteers and administrators across the US on the state of youth track and field. We wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing the sport at the grassroots so that we can better direct the Foundation’s support. 

The main takeaway from our research is that quality coaching is the biggest area of need for youth track and field, and skill-dominant field events are most in need of support. The Tracksmith Foundation Report is available now to download.

Coach Support

The Coach Support Program is a collaborative initiative between the Tracksmith Foundation and Tracksmith’s elite athlete program, the Amateur Support Program, that connects youth coaches with the brand’s ASP athletes for event-specific mentorship pairings and learning opportunities.

Shoe Donation

The shoe donation program is an initiative where the Tracksmith Foundation sources unused shoes and spikes from colleges looking to offload their inventories and provides them to high school students and school districts.