Louisville to host 5 USATF national championships in coming years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville is putting its best foot forward to welcome some of the best runners in the country.

USA Track and Field (USATF) selected Louisville to host five national championships from 2023 and 2024. More than 14,000 athletes will attend the events that are expected to generate an estimated $10.4 million in economic impact, according to a news release.

Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in the Russell neighborhood will host three track and field events, while E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park will hold two cross country championships.

"For us at the sports commission and I would suggest for us as a community, there is no higher honor, no more prestige than to be awarded national championships by a national governing body of sports," Karl Schmitt, President and CEO of Louisville Sports Commission, said.

The track and field facility in west Louisville will host the USATF National Masters Indoor Championship March 10-12, 2023. A week later, the USATF National Youth Indoor Championship will be held from March 17-19. The youth indoor competition will return a year later, from March 8-10, 2024.

Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center is one of nine banked indoor track and field facilities in the country. It's hosted athletes from more than 40 states and over 20 countries, boosting the local economy.

"In many cases, they're getting hotel rooms, they're eating at our restaurants, they're stopping at our gas stations, they're running to some corner store to grab something they've forgotten," Sadiqa Reynolds, Louisville Urban League President, said. "So in many ways we've had a very positive impact on economic development, the idea that they're coming west of 9th Street is a huge deal to me."

Reynolds said a hotel would have been built before the track opened, but that development was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said it's eventually coming, along with restaurants and other shops to follow.

E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park will host the USATF National Junior Olympics Cross-Country Championship on Dec. 9, 2023. The competition returns the following year, on Dec. 14, 2024.

"We’re excited to provide more competitive opportunities for our Youth and Masters athletes to shine and what we’re sure will be incredible performances that inspire more people to get involved in track and field," Max Siegel, USATF CEO said in a news release.