Tracksmith expands 2023 Amateur Support Program: here’s what you need to know
Running brand Tracksmith demonstrates they are about much more than apparel as they also launch a film devoted to long-run Sundays
Photo by:
Courtesy of Tracksmith
Independent running brand Tracksmith has opened applications for its annual Amateur Support Program (ASP), and following a record-breaking 2022 (which included a world championship held on U.S. soil) the 2023 version of their program is bigger and more inclusive than ever.
The amateur support program aids high-performing athletes on their journey to the 2024 Olympic Trials, helping them pursue their track and field and marathon dreams. Tracksmith has announced that they’ll be able to support more athletes in 2023 and has invited runners from the U.K. to apply.
High-achieving amateur athletes who are training for the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships or the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials are invited to apply for the program. U.K. athletes who have hit the qualifying marks for the U.K. Athletics Championships will be considered for the ASP, along with marathoners who have run under 1:13/2:37 (women) and 1:04/2:18 (men).
The program prioritizes athletes who have already achieved trial qualifying standards and is designed to help fill the gaps in the post-collegiate track and field and road racing world. It is meant to serve as a bridge to the professional ranks.
Athletes who become members of the ASP will join a community with opportunities to connect virtually and in person at major races. They will also receive four quarterly gear stipends of $250/£250 along with a racing kit, warmups, and the Tracksmith Eliot Runner.
Athletes interested in applying for the ASP can do so here. For more information, head here.
Tracksmith launches first full-length film: Church of the Long Run
In keeping with their unique approach to marketing, Tracksmith has released their first full-length film, Church of the Long Run. The brand calls it “83 minutes of meditation in movement and nature.”
Church of the Long Run follows Colorado-based nurse practitioner and runner Sam Roecker in real time on her Sunday long run. The film is touted as “a celebration and an acknowledgment of the importance of dedicating oneself to the process.”
Viewers are along for the ride (run) as the film portrays a moment in time–that special place runners find when they head out on their long runs. “A testament to dedication and consistency, it is about going through the experience and taking what you can from it,” shares Tracksmith.
“Sunday mornings are a time for reflection. The Sunday long run becomes a weekly ritual where we allow for the time it takes. Whether in a group or in solitude, we carve out the space necessary to participate in physical communion,” Tracksmith explains. “Done correctly, it’s a truly hypnotic, meditative experience built at the altar of another week’s worth of showing up. For the runner, this is deliverance. This is church.”
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
