Grand Slam Track (GST), the running-focused athletics tour that debuted earlier this year, has now succumbed to the inevitable and filed for bankruptcy.
The series, founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, held its first event in April and had scheduled three further meets across May and June (to comprise its inaugural 2025 season), but only ran two of those events before ending the campaign early – before the season-finale – citing the need to prepare for the 2026 edition (which will now almost certainly not happen).
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The filing, for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, states that GST holds up to $50,000 in assets, but could have liabilities of up to $50 million, and also that the property has been 200 and 999 creditors.
It was filed earlier this week, and has been signed by Johnson, chief operating officer Steve Gera, and attorney J. Rudy Freeman.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy essentially allows an organization to file in order to restructure its debts and, therefore, potentially stay in business.
The series' organizers have said, in a statement: "GST intends to utilise the Chapter 11 [bankruptcy] process to stabilise its finances, implement a more efficient cost and operating model, and position GST for long-term success."
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By GlobalDataJohnson, meanwhile, has commented: "Grand Slam Track was founded to create a professional platform that reflects the talent and dedication of this sport's athletes.
"While GST has faced significant challenges that have caused frustrations for many – myself included – I refuse to give up on the mission of Grand Slam Track and the future we are building together."
This confirmation of bankruptcy comes a few weeks after GST reportedly told vendors that they would need to sacrifice substantial amounts of fees owed – or else bankruptcy would follow.
At that time, The Athletic publication reported that GST had accrued debts of well over $10 million in total.
In July, meanwhile, it was reported that Grand Slam Track owed as much as $13 million to athletes relating to both prize money (the series’ total prize pot stood at $12.6 million) and appearance fees, while the following month, the 2026 season was postponed indefinitely.
The series had featured a number of well-known track stars, and had been offering significant financial remuneration, both in terms of prize money and salaries for contracted athletes.
