Road to TrackTown

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Debuting in 2023, "Road to TrackTown" is a weekly, digital-first docuseries that follows the journey of track and field’s best athletes towards top-level competitions at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.  

For the 2025 season, the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field served as the qualifying event for American athletes to make Team USA for the World Championships in Tokyo. 

The 2025 season of "Road to TrackTown" followed Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell, double Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore, Olympian Heather MacLean, and World Champion Laulauga Tausaga as they competed to represent their country at the World Championships. 

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

Continuing to showcase the need and demand for this style of exclusive and personality-based serialized content in track & field, the blueprint from “Road to TrackTown” continues to be adopted by other organizations within the sport. We have consulted with other organizations looking to achieve results on similar projects, and regularly field requests from fans and athletes alike for more content of this style. With this season’s successful distribution partnership with TOGETHXR, TrackTown USA hopes that the next step of identifying avenues for distribution that gets track & field content in front of a larger audience is taken by the industry. 

Objective

When “Road to TrackTown” began in 2023, there was a significant gap in storytelling in the sport of track & field. While one of the most participated youth sports in the United States, it is still remarkably underfunded and considered “niche” in terms of fandom. The sport lacked investment in marketing and storytelling, leaving athletes’ stories untold.  

“Road to TrackTown” sought -- and did -- change that. The success of its first two seasons proved the interest in athlete stories, and value in investing in telling them. Always looking to grow and evolve, the third season of “Road to TrackTown” reached a larger audience beyond the sport of track & field. Season 3 of “Road to TrackTown” featured an all-women cast for the first time ever, intentional for the media partnership with TOGETHXR that TrackTown USA implemented for its distribution.

Strategy & Execution

As a digital-first series, “Road to TrackTown” met the modern sports fan where they’re at: social media. We intentionally did not release the series behind a paywall or in partnership with a linear network so we could create the lowest barrier to entry for a sports fan to connect with the series cast. We also partnered with TOGETHXR on distribution to connect with even more fans of women’s sports than ever before. Additionally, we made both full edits and video clips available for the athletes to publish directly to their channels, leveraging their existing audiences. 

In a results-driven and content-saturated landscape, modern sports fans seek exclusive content and stories that provide an authentic, inside look to their favorite athletes. By fostering a connection with these four athletes for months, we were able to achieve both of those desires and develop a personal connection between athletes and fans. 

Organizations

• TrackTown USA (owner)

  TOGETHXR (digital distribution partner)

  USA Track & Field (media rights + access)

  World Athletics (media rights + access)

  SEC (media rights + access)

  University of Florida (facility access + filming permissions)

  University of Kentucky (facility access + filming permissions)

  Cuyamaca College (facility access + filming permissions)

  New Balance (facility access + filming permissions)

Links

•   Website

Featured

• 1. Masai Russell ('24 Olympic gold medalist
  2. American record-holder in the 100m Hurdles)
  3. Jasmine Moore ('24 Olympic bronze medalist in the long and triple jump)
  4. Heather MacLean ('20 Olympian in the 1500m)
  5. Laulauga Tausaga-Collins ('23 World Champion in the discus throw)

Credits

Annie Boos
Director, Video Production
TrackTown USA

Tyler DeWaard
Creative Producer / Editor
TrackTown USA

Alex Andrei
Freelance Videographer
Freelance

Luis Gomez
Freelance Videographer
Freelance

Zach Brangers
Freelance Videographer
Freelance

Michael Soriano
Freelance Videographer
Freelance

Justin McIntyre
Art Director
TrackTown USA

Paul Swangard
Announcer / Voiceover
TrackTown USA

Karen Ramming
Chief Marketing Officer
TrackTown USA