USA Track & Field (USATF) has been facing significant challenges that have raised concerns about its stability and future. The organization is responsible for overseeing track and field, but it seems financial losses and staff departures are raising concerns. The loss scenario is increasing every year, majorly starting in 2021. Being a nonprofit organization, USATF needs better strategies to make things work. But instead, USATF is letting go of high-ranking staff.

Compounding these financial woes, USATF has experienced the departure of five high-ranking staff members within the past year. According to the “Letsrun” sources, on January 31, USATF made this decision as part of an organizational restructure. Many big authorities are on the list, including Chief Communications Officer Aarti Parekh. Though there is no information on her future endeavors, Parekh joined USATF in 2023 and has diverse work experience in sports. The list only starts here.

Other high-ranking authorities are Chief of Athlete Services and International Teams, Aretha Thurmond, and Director of Outreach & Grassroots Programs, Robin Beamon. Thurmond has been working with USATF for more than 23 years. She joined USATF in 2013 and worked as the managing director of the International and Championship Team before he was promoted to the chief position.

Additionally, in early 2024, Norm Wain, who was General Counsel and Chief of Business & Legal Affairs in USATF, and in December 2024, voluntarily Chief Content Officer Adam Schmenk left the organization. This list of departures doesn’t end here. Last summer, Zack Raubuck, the Director of Events, and Ryan Cash, the Associate Director of Events, also resigned of their own volition.

Notably, Wain had been with USATF since 2010; Schmenk, hired in 1999, was the organization’s longest-serving employee at the time of his departure. The reasons behind these exits appar multifaceted. Sources suggest that the recent layoffs were part of a cost-saving measure amid the organization’s financial struggles. Among the nine highest-paid personnel at USATF were Wain, Schmenk, Thurmond, and Parekh. In 2023, they each made between $177,000 and $270,000, yet their aggregate pay was still far less than USATF CEO Max Siegel’s $1.17 million. ‘LetsRun’ tried to contact all of them but couldn’t get any response.

Schmenk and Parekh refused to comment, while Wain and Beamon didn’t even respond when reached out. While the team couldn’t reach Thurmond. This lack of transparency leaves many questions—the stability of staff and athletes, and the trajectory of USATF itself. The question also arises about how this revenue loss started.

USATF has been in financial loss for a long time

Financial records reveal that USATF reported a $5.6 million loss in 2023, with revenues declining to $35.01 million from $37.94 million the previous year. This downturn has resulted in net assets plunging to negative $4.49 million by the end of 2023. Despite longstanding sponsorships, such as Nike’s partnership since 1991, the organization’s financial health remains precarious.

USATF’s financial challenges are further highlighted by the broader context of the sport’s economics. In 2025, over $22 million in prize money was allocated for track and field athletes through international events like the Diamond League, Athlos, and the Grand Slam Track (GST). Despite this influx of funds into the sport, USATF’s inability to capitalize on these opportunities has hindered its efforts to retain top talent and stabilize its finances.

The organization’s financial instability has been a persistent issue. The 2023 tax return not only reported a $5.6 million loss but, also revealed that USATF’s reserves had dwindled from $597,933 in 2022 to a deficit of $4.491 million in 2023. This decline underscores the urgency for effective financial management and strategic planning to navigate the challenges ahead.

The situation is worse when inflation is factored in. Since one dollar was worth roughly $1.33 in 2014, the $35.05 million in income from that year translates to $46.61 million in 2024. However, USATF revenue has only increased by 4.7%. Despite this, the federation survived 2024. At the end of 2023, it had $11.89 million in cash and investments, and $3.1 million was left on a line of credit of $8.0 million. But these numbers don’t exist anywhere with such a high loss. However, championships are scheduled for the coming days, but only time will tell how USATF will recover from the loss.

The 2025 USATF Masters Indoor Championship presented by Prevagen is scheduled to be held from February 20 to 23, 2025, in Gainesville, FL, US, and the 2025 USATF Indoor Championships presented by Prevagen will be held in Staten Island, NY, from February 22 to 23, 2025. Apart from them, a list of other events is scheduled for March. USATF’s internal financial mismanagement and the departure of key personnel have impeded its ability to leverage these opportunities. USATF is going through a tough time and needs high-value strategies to cope with the losses.