Athlos Track League Expands to London with $2.1 Million Prize Pool and Athlete Equity

The stakes for the late-season track calendar just got significantly higher. On September 18, 2026, the Athlos track league makes its international debut under the lights at London's StoneX Stadium. Founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the women-only professional series is expanding beyond its New York roots, bringing a massive $2.1 million total prize purse and a radically different economic model to the sport.

The London meet serves as the opening leg of a two-city championship sprint that concludes at New York's Icahn Stadium on October 2. The expansion marks a major step toward Ohanian's stated ambition of creating a "Formula 1 for track and field," where the fastest women in the world tour global cities in a high-visibility, festival-style format.[2]

The financial incentives dwarf traditional circuit payouts. Athletes will compete across seven disciplines—the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, 100m hurdles, and long jump. First-place finishers in each event will earn $65,000, with an additional $25,000 championship bonus and a custom Tiffany & Co. crown awarded to the overall points leader across both cities. An athlete sweeping their discipline in London and New York could walk away with $155,000.[2]

But the most disruptive element of the 2026 season is the ownership structure. In a first for professional athletics, eligible competitors will receive equity in the Athlos league itself. "This equity is a way for us to have a real partnership," Ohanian said. "These are the athletes who are the first movers, the ones who are taking a leap and helping us get this started."

The field for London is stacked with Olympic medalists and world champions. British 800m Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson and fellow Team GB star Georgia Bell will headline in front of a home crowd at the 10,500-capacity StoneX Stadium, which is typically home to the Saracens rugby club.[5]

They will be joined by a formidable American contingent, including 200m Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, 100m world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, 100m hurdles gold medalist Masai Russell, and long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall. Dominican 400m star Marileidy Paulino is also confirmed for the seven-event showdown.[5]

Broadcast visibility is scaling up to match the roster. The BBC has secured the rights to stream the London meet domestically, while W-Sport—a network dedicated exclusively to women's sports—will broadcast the event live across 120 countries and territories in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.[1][3]

"Putting ATHLOS on television in 120 countries gives millions of fans a front-row seat to history," said Kayla Green, Acting President at Athlos. The league's presentation emphasizes entertainment and athlete storytelling, blending elite competition with broadcast-scale production to attract a modern fanbase.[1][4]

The timing of the London meet, coming just five days after the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, sets up a dramatic late-season peak. As the athletes line up at StoneX Stadium, they are not just racing for the largest payouts in women's track history—they are running to prove that an athlete-owned, women-led league can permanently alter the economics of the sport.[2]