It’s one of the oldest sports in the world and it’s still popular today; in fact, outdoor track & field consistently ranks among the most popular high school sports. For girls, it’s No. 1; for boys it’s No. 2. And sports tourism officials around the country have taken note.
“As a former track & field athlete myself, it is arguably one of the most accessible sports in terms of both cost and training requirements,” says Jazmin Zavala, sports sales manager for Indiana’s Visit Fort Wayne.
Additionally, she notes, “It does not require a gym or a specialized playing field but instead just open space and a place to run. It is also one of the most widely practiced sports in everyday life, as many people run recreationally for health and wellness, participate in local races or train for marathons.”
Track & field has remained popular for generations because it is one of the most inclusive sports,” adds Dani Timm, director of sports tourism for Visit Virginia Beach. “Schools across the country can support track programs, and the sport offers opportunities for athletes with a wide range of abilities and specialties, from sprinting and distance running to jumping and throwing events.”
She further notes, “In recent years, there has also been significant investment in track & field facilities and events, which has helped elevate the sport’s visibility and level of competition.”
Indeed, the following eight destinations across North America have put themselves on the fast track to success in a sport that will only generate more buzz in the run-up to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
This south-central North Carolina county is home to several high school track & field venues. Most notable is the Jay M. Robinson MONDO Track & Field Facility in Concord. Affiliated with the high school of the same name, the track opened in 2023.
The following year, a new LED video display debuted and in 2025, the facility hosted the USA South Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The facility features an eight-lane, 400-meter track with a MONDO Super X 720 surface (recommended by World Athletics and the Paralympics), two chutes for straightaway sprints in both directions, pole vault runways and a pit, a pair of long jump and triple jump runways and separate zones for throwing events, as well as a steeplechase course with water jump.
The Jay M. Robinson MONDO Track & Field Facility hosted the USA South Conference again this year and also will welcome the North Carolina Middle School State Track & Field Championship, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Regional Championship Track & Field Meet and other major meets.
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As one of the few venues with a MONDO track in the state, the facility has significantly elevated Cabarrus County as a top destination for track & field events in North Carolina,” says John Poole, senior vice president of sales and service at Explore Cabarrus County. “The venue continues to generate economic impact as [the county] plays host to track & field events annually.”
College Station, Texas
Two track & field facilities — one outdoor and one indoor — have opened in this east-central Texas city within the past seven years, both on the campus of Texas A&M University.
The $39.8 million E.B Cushing Stadium debuted in 2019 with a seating capacity of 2,200 (which is expandable for large meets or championships). In addition to the nine-lane oval, there is a nine-lane sprint and hurdle runway inside the oval, as well as areas for high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump and shot put.
Then, in 2024, the R.A. “Murray” Fasken ’38 Indoor Track & Field facility opened just yards away from E.B. Cushing Stadium.
That 130,000-square-foot facility offers elevated seating for up to 4,000 spectators and features an eight-lane MONDO Super X 720 surface that is permanently banked at 12 degrees, plus a pole vault runway and two triple-jump runways with sand pits. It was named the 2024 Indoor Track Facility of the Year by the American Sports Builders Association.
Between both facilities, College Station welcomed the 2024 USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships (E.B. Cushing), the 2025 NCAA West First Round Outdoor Track & Field Championships (E.B. Cushing) and the 2025 and 2026 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships (Fasken Indoor). E.B Cushing also will host the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in June — one of two gold-level meets on the inaugural USATF Tour.
“Track & field plays a significant role in College Station’s sports tourism strategy, particularly in driving large-scale, multi-day events that generate consistent hotel occupancy and visitor spending,” says Alexander Aguero, sports sales manager for the tourism arm of the City of College Station.
“With world-class venues like E.B. Cushing Stadium and Fasken Indoor Track & Field Facility, paired with the national prominence of the Texas A&M Track & Field program,” he continues, “College Station is uniquely positioned to host premier collegiate, national and elite-level competitions.”
Eugene, Oregon
The fact that middle school track & field is thriving in Eugene should not be a surprise. Track & field events bring tens of millions of dollars in economic impact to that destination each year, and the city officially known as TrackTown USA has hosted the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials more than any other locale in the country.
That spectacle, along with the Oregon School Activity Association’s State High School Championships and the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, consistently take place at the reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Now more than 100 years old, the venue underwent a $270 million renovation in 2020 that resulted in unobstructed views and front-row seats at track level, plus a new nine-lane, 400-meter track and new seating for 12,650, which can be expanded to 25,000.
The facility also hosts the annual Prefontaine Classic (the only U.S. meet on the World Athletics’ Diamond League professional circuit), and it has welcomed 14 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships (and will do so again in 2027), as well as the 2022 World Athletics Championships (for the first time ever in the United States). In August, Eugene will host the World Athletics U20 Championships.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
This northeastern Indiana city is a hotbed for track & field, as evidenced by multiple college facilities and a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site.
The Indiana Institute of Technology is home to an indoor six-lane oval track with a turf infield and an outdoor track with multiple space for throwing events.
Meanwhile, Purdue University Fort Wayne’s 65,000-square-foot Lutheran Health Fieldhouse includes an indoor six-lane, 200-meter track with MONDO Super X Surface and a hard-court infield.
Additionally, the Turnstone Center is one of three dedicated Paralympic Training Sites and includes the Plassman Athletic Center’s 230-meter indoor track.
“With USA Track & Field headquartered in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne home to powerhouse NAIA and NCAA programs, these have opened the door to future opportunities in the sport,” Jazmin Zavala says. “We typically look at amateur, collegiate and adaptive track event opportunities.”
Houston, Texas
Another destination with an abundance of collegiate track & field facilities is Houston, the most populous city in Texas.
Rice University has the Wendel D. Ley Track & Holloway Field, the University of Houston has the Carl Lewis International Complex and the Yeoman Fieldhouse and Texas Southern University has Alexander Durley Stadium.
Three high schools also have large outdoor track & field facilities, two of which — Bulldog Stadium at La Porte High and Humble ISD’s Turner Stadium — have undergone major renovations (or will soon).
The region has demonstrated its ability to host large-scale events, most notably the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2025, as well as in 2027 and 2031. That event consistently brings more than 60,000 athletes, coaches and spectators to the Houston area and generates an estimated $90 million in economic impact.
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Track & field plays a significant role in the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority’s sports tourism strategy,” says Blake Maniscalco, director of event operations. “Track & field is especially valuable within our portfolio because of its scalability — from local meets to national championships — and its ability to attract high participant volumes.”
Surrey, British Columbia
North of the U.S border, in this western Canada city, Bear Creek Stadium is Surrey’s premier track & field venue, a $27.5 million facility that opened in 2025. With 2,200 seats in the covered grandstand, the stadium was designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind.
It features extra-wide passageways, accessible public restrooms, an elevator and universal changing rooms with accessible showers. A second venue, South Surrey Athletic Park, boasts eight lanes that were resurfaced in 2022 and is home to a track & field club in the area.
“In recent years, Surrey has steadily built a foundation of track & field events that reflect both strong community participation and growing hosting capacity,” says Nicolas Blaga, community services coordinator for Sport Surrey/City of Surrey. “Track & field plays an important role in Sport Surrey’s sports tourism strategy by offering a scalable, high-participation event model that aligns well with the city’s growing inventory of competition-ready facilities."
Blaga adds that, thanks to upgrades at Bear Creek, Surrey is well positioned to elevate the scale and profile of track & field events the city hosts, with the goal of attracting provincial championships, Western Canadian meets and ultimately national-level events sanctioned by Athletics Canada.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
The Virginia Beach Sports Center — a 117,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility that opened in 2020 with a 200-meter indoor banked track and dual jumping and pole vault pits — stands as one of the premier sports venues in this coastal city, according to Dani Timm, Director of Sports Marketing for Visit Virginia Beach. The track, with spectator seating for 5,000, allows for the hosting of elite professional, collegiate and youth competitions.
Virginia Beach hosted the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2025 and the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships this year.
Other high-profile meets include the massive VA Showcase, Adidas Indoor Track Nationals, the Virginia High School League Indoor Track & Field State Championships and the AAU Indoor National Track & Field Championships.
“By providing athletes with opportunities to compete on elite surfaces and in professionally run competitions, communities can help inspire the next generation of athletes,” Timm says. “That investment has helped fuel the sport’s growth both locally and nationally.”
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 indoor track seasons, the owners of the privately held JDL Fast Track in this northwestern North Carolina city installed a custom banked track at the facility — which includes a 200-meter oval, two pole vault runways, two long/triple jump runways, a high jump area and throwing circles.
“News of the update spread quickly, and JDL scheduled approximately 35 percent more events this year [including the ASCIS Sound Invite in February],” says Bonny Bernat, senior sports development manager at Visit Winston-Salem.
“Colleges and universities showed a strong willingness to travel to high-quality venues,” she continues, “and that’s exactly what happened, bringing increased activity to our facility and generating greater demand for our hotels during the shoulder season.”
Wake Forest University’s Kentner Stadium outdoor track also has helped bolster the city’s track & field reputation, especially after the track was upgraded with Beynon Sports’ BSS 2000 Resurfacing System in anticipation of hosting the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. SDM
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