The Tracksmith Fellowship
Running and creativity go hand in hand. The hours we spend on our feet have a way of unlocking ideas that would otherwise be out of reach. As a result, our sport is rich with stories waiting to be told—stories that have the power to both inspire the next generation and grow the sport. And yet, despite this wealth of stories and ideas, it’s hard for new voices and new creators to break out. Our goal is to provide a platform for emerging creatives in running, offering both the funds and support needed to pursue a project that will elevate the sport, drive conversation and empower new perspectives.
Each year, a cohort of fellows is awarded grants to support a project of their ideation. Fellows are judged on their project's creativity, scope and potential impact.
We are not currently accepting Fellowship applications at this time.
Creativity in Sport
The Tracksmith Fellowship is designed to support runners with creative ambitions. Since the Fellowship’s inaugural year in 2021, we funded projects ranging from podcasts to sculpture, film, photography, music, memoir, podcasts and urban design.
2023 Fellows
This year, we are proud to support our newest cohort of Fellows and their projects, including a film documenting the resurgence of the Boston Public Schools cross country program and a workshop dedicated to provide access, opportunity, and exposure to the creative side of the sports world to a high school students. Read on below to find out more about the 2023 Fellows.
Katherine
Burgess
In 2007 Katherine was issued her first track uniform. It had faded maroon shorts with a cigarette hole on the right leg. Her mom taught her how to mend the hole. And while there was slight embarrassment over the sloppy work, it was overshadowed by the desire to improve and become a better craftsman.
Taking advice from her dad, who was a skilled welder, she needed to watch and learn from the best. But that type of education wasn’t always easy and accessible to find. Mrs. Rebecca Gartley, her K-12 grade art teacher, was her main mentor in her early years, and the reason why a young girl from the outskirts of the Appalachian Mountains now works in the sports creative industry.
So wanting to pay it forward to her hometown of Uniontown, ‘Mending the Gap' is a fellowship focused on teaching high school track athletes the tools of the trade in a workshop designed to provide access, opportunity, and exposure to the creative side of the sports world.
Alongside the workshop, Katherine will be sewing and reworking Tracksmith textile scraps into pieces for a capsule collection, where the profits will go back to the high school’s art program to help close the gap for the next generation in their creative goals.
Coach Hatim Jean-Louis
& Joel Wolpert
Coach Hatim Jean-Louis aims to instill the message of “dreams are tangible goals” in a documentary film about the resurgence of the Boston Public School Cross Country Program.
Coach H began his coaching career nine years ago with the Boston Public Schools Citywide XC Program, a program that was dormant for years prior. Coach H’s tutelage has led to accolades ranging from 23 City League Individual Titles to the inaugural All-State Meet of Champions XC qualification of a boys team from the Boston Public Schools League.
The film itself was captured by Joel Wolpert. Joel began making films under the moniker Wolpertinger in 2009. A self-taught sensory ethnographer, he records images & sounds, produces, directs, and edits films that focus on the rhythms and flow of life. He brings a wide-ranging set of 3D problem solving and ideation/creation skills to motion pictures from his education in Industrial Design, Carnegie Mellon (BFA 2002).
Together, Coach Hatim and Joel capture the spirit, suspense, triumph and tribulation of the Citywide XC program.
Past Fellows
Paige Bethmann
REMAINING NATIVE
This feature-length documentary will tell the story of teenager Kutoven “Ku” Stevens, an extraordinary young runner, who organizes a two-day journey to travel the 50-mile escape route of his great-grandfather, Frank Quinn, who fled from the Stewart Indian School when he was eight years old. Ku’s run, an act of remembrance, reconciliation, and reclamation comes in the wake of the first federal investigation into the Indian boarding school era.
Charles Moore
BLACK PEOPLE DON'T RUN MARATHONS
In 2016, as Charles Moore approached the New York City Marathon starting point on the Verrazano Bridge, he looked around at all the excited—soon to be accomplished—faces. There were very few Black ones. That day, Moore finished the marathon and went on to complete 18 more over the next three years. Along the way, he encouraged and inspired six friends, all African Americans, to complete their first marathon. Moore’s memoir will chronicle his experiences embracing distance running at age forty and all that he’s learned about himself and running culture.
Mylo Choy-Sutton
GRAPHIC MEMOIR
A graphic memoir exploring the role of running as a teacher, illustrated through humorous, reflective anecdotes. At a time when the dominant narratives of transgender experiences focus on pain, Choy-Sutton’s memoir will explore the joy and wisdom that can be found in the intimate relationship between a person and their body through running.
Starting Line 1928
A WOMEN'S RUNNING ORAL HISTORY PODCAST
Starting Line 1928 is an oral history project documenting the lived experiences of female distance running pioneers. A team of historians from around the country will record podcast interviews with the trailblazers of women’s running, preserving their legacies and untold stories, and producing complementary blog and social media content to generate interest and awareness.
Yu Wu
THE CITY RUNNER
A love letter to modern cities, The City Runner project documents Yu Wu's journey of exploring different U.S. cities through running, offering an intimate look at these cities in photos, words, and detailed route maps. Yu Wu is sharing his photographic running log and maps on his Instagram @yutherunner and his city guides at thecityrunner.com.
Dinée Dorame
GROUNDED PODCAST
“Throughout my life, I have fostered a deep connection to the land through movement, carrying on the tradition of my ancestors who were distance runners, culture bearers, connectors and storytellers. Grounded Podcast explores the unique relationship between the runner and the land, diving into long-form conversations around community, culture, and the often-untold histories and narratives behind the places we all run daily. The podcast aims to uplift Indigenous runners, while also providing a space for us all to learn about the intersection of land, community, movement, and wellness. I want to know– what grounds you?”
SISU
THE PILGRIMAGE PROJECT
“Inspired by ancient wayside trail markers used to guide pilgrims on their spiritual journey, a series of sculptural markers will be temporarily installed at various unobtrusive locations along the Boston Marathon course. But, instead of serving any geographic purpose, these markers are meant to inspire the runners with a joyous visual surprise.”
Circa '95
HIP-HOP TRACKS
“We have created a Hip-Hop music project born at the intersection of arts, athletics, and social justice. Crafting multi-sensory experiences that reflect our urban aesthetics and passion for running. Through the elevation of these narratives, we aim to inspire, cultivate and motivate communities throughout the world to activate their lives.”
Adrijan Assoufi
DOCUMENTARY
“The short documentary is an exploration and portrait of present day Iraq shared through the lens of the local running community and running culture in the region. The film culminates in the Erbil Marathon, an international sport event seeking to promote love, peace and non-violence in Iraq. As a filmmaker and avid admirer of social cinema, my work continuously explores the energy and beauty of humanity; finding the light, healing and themes of transformation. With this project, we are hoping to share a different enlightening angle of the place and people than what has been presented to us for decades.”
Shawn Pridgen
PHOTO ESSAY
“My project is a photo essay on Black track and field athletes who run for Ivy League universities and HBCUs. We don’t often hear the stories or perspectives of Black athletes at the collegiate level. We don’t always know or understand the sacrifice or commitment that a Black athlete has made in order to run for these prestigious universities. This project explores the experiences of Black men and women athletes as it refers to their Blackness. With this photo essay, it is my goal to celebrate, promote, and empower people of color and highlight each person’s success.”
Andrea Masterson
URBAN DESIGN
“Using a combination of visual media and writing, my project combines the urgent need for equity and representation in the sport with the language of urban design. It asks the question of how a city designed with the needs of runners in mind could better serve the needs of all people, and how it would change the way we move through the built and natural environment. Through this project, I imagine how the built and natural landscapes that form the infrastructure of the sport--the track, towpath, sidewalk, and stadium to name a few--could better serve and represent the diverse group of runners who occupy and move through them.”
