Will NYC Become "Track City USA"?

This is Jeff Benjamin’s piece on the upcoming USATF championships coming to Randall’s Island, New York in July 2026.

Will NYC Become “Track City USA”? By Jeff Benjamin – 3/24

All of us Track & Field geeks out there are very well aware that Eugene, Oregon – whose Hayward Field has hosted numerous Championships – has earned the moniker “Track Town USA”!

Patti Sue Plumer, 1991 USATF Outdoor Championships, photo by Jeff Benjamin

Now, this upcoming summer, the Big Apple is looking at being labeled “Track City USA”!

For the first time ever, the USATF Outdoor & Paralympic National Championships will be hosted by Randall’s Island’s Icahn Stadium here in NYC.

Dave Johnson, Dan O’Brien, Scott Huffman, 1991 USATF Outdoor Champs, photo by Jeff Benjamin

“We are excited for the opportunity to hold our marquee meet in New York City, where the United States’ top runners, jumpers, and throwers will get to showcase their talents in front of new and longtime fans,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel, also noting that longtime sponsor Toyota is with the meet once again.

Joe Falcon, 1991 USATF Outdoor Championships, photo by Joe Falcon

Yet, the Championships, which will be taking place from July 23rd to the 26th, DOES have a rich history on the fabled Island going back over nine decades, albeit in different forms.

Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, 1936 Olympic Trials, photo from Wikipedia

The legendary Jesse Owens competed there at the 1936 Olympic Trials, setting a world record in the 100 meters before the NYC crowd.l in what was known on Randall’s Island as Downing Stadium.

Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympic Trials, photo by Wikipedia.com

National Champions were crowned at the NYC editions during World War II (1942-1945) and in 1961. In 1966, legendary Decathlete Bill Toomey set a World Record there, as did Leroy Burrell in the 100 meters at the 1991 edition.

Jeff Benjamin and Pat Porter, 8 time US XC, one time 10,000m title (1989), photo from 1991 USATF Outdoor, photo by Jeff Benjamin

With a solid team of the New York Road Runners, Central Park Track Club, Randall’s Island Park Alliance & USATF contributing, fans can look out for new breakthrough performances this summer!!

Ceci Hopp-St. Geme, 1991 USATF Outdoor Champs, photo by Jeff Benjamin

Bell Lap – From The USATF site –

“Qualifying standards for the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships will be announced in the coming weeks. The event will be broadcast live on NBC on Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26. It will be streamed on USATF.TV July 23-24. Tickets will be available in the spring.”

Steve Scott, USATF Outdoor, 1991, photo by Jeff Benjamin

Author

Jeff Benjamin

Senior Writer Jeff Benjamin has written for almost 40 years for RunBlogRun! The Former President of the Staten Island AC & was the 5th man scorer for his 1982 Susan Wagner High School NYC XC City Championship team. Also a member of the College of Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame for XC, Jeff is also a retired NYC DOE history teacher. Some of Jeff's subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Eamonn Coghlan, Matt Centrowitz, Billy Mills, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Bill Rodgers, Abel Kiviat, Frank Shorter, Rod Dixon and Carl Lewis as well as Book Reviews and articles covering track meets and races primarily in the Northeast U.S. and beyond.

Jeff has also covered Track & Field events at the 1996, 2016 & 2024 Olympic Games as well as the 2022 World T&F Championships in Eugene, Oregon. A noted T&F historian and chronicler of the athletic achievements of Jim Thorpe, Jeff helped with the restoration of Thorpe to the official IOC 1912 Record Books.

In 2023 Jeff was honored with the awarded the prestigious James Dunaway memorial award for excellence in Track and Field journalism by the Track and Field Writers Association.

View all posts Contributor