On September 18, Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit founder and the master brain behind bringing Athlos NYC to life, posted an update on X. The update displayed him standing in Times Square, pointing his fingers toward the billboard behind him. He said, “There it is.” Meanwhile, under the sky of New York, the billboard showed the tagline, “She runs NYC,” with the faces of Lieke Klaver and others. Ultimately, the ambitious track project has arrived in style! Since the announcement of it in the presence of Gabby Thomas and Ohanian, the women-only track contest has given birth to a lot of excitement. 

Now, it’s just a week away, and the governing body is already working to ensure everything goes smoothly. The first part of this effort involves ticketing and broadcasting. Surprisingly, Alexis Ohanian has decided to implement some groundbreaking changes in these areas. Here are a few details on those initiatives.

Key sponsors and media partners of Athlos NYC 2024

The Athlos NYC 2024 has a ripe chance—to utilize the field set up by the Paris Olympics. As per the data available, around 30.6 million viewers followed the Games in the French capital—almost 82% from the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, following the Paris Olympics, the viewership trend has carried over to the Diamond League, and now the responsibility falls on Athlos NYC to capitalize on this surge in interest. As a motivated entrepreneur, Alexis Ohanian seized the opportunity without hesitation. He quickly secured tickets for the contest at Icahn Stadium and established broadcast partnerships with ESPN+, DAZN, YouTube, and X. This means that the first-ever women-only track event can be viewed on X for free. While this approach may impact Athlos NYC’s revenue model, Ohanian and his team had a different strategy in mind.

As per the announcement, each competing athlete will receive 10% of the event’s revenue, away from the prize money. Moreover, the governing body has promised each athlete to give them suitable media exposure. That could be a lot to ask from a contest that was in the bud situation. However, Oiselle came forward with the solution. The women’s running brand has found itself fortunate to engage in the first-ever track meet for the women. Additionally, this nature of the event has matched Oiselle, a brand with “a mission to grow the attention on women’s running.”

On the other hand, Tiffany & Co. is set to sponsor the debut chapter of the Athlos. As part of their sponsorship, the brand will provide ‘custom crowns’ to the fast women in each race—talk about making it grand! Ohanian confessed, “This is just the start,” as Athlos’ first brand partnership with a fine jewelry brand sets a lofty benchmark. That’s not all. Some of the other sponsors include Strava (an American internet service for keeping track of outdoor physical exercises), Therabody (a wellness technology brand), and Bandit (a lifestyle banner).

Additionally, Alexis Ohanian announced that Athlos NYC will be kicking off its success in fervor thanks to one of their partners, Champagne Telmont. Founded in 1912, Damery is a family-run champagne house known as some of the best winemakers in the market for over four generations now. Next up, the first of its kind track circuit has also announced their partnership with NYRR (New York Road Runners). An NYC-based non-profit, they strive to harbor the transformational power of running to achieve a healthier life and a fitter community. Moreover, Kayla Green, the CMO of Athlos NYC, has tried to utilize such invaluable collaborations to hype the story of each competing athlete. This is not the end of surprises. 

Megan Thee Stallion’s special performance and how to watch the event live

On July 27, Alexis Ohanian-led Seven Seven Six venture capital firm announced Megan Thee Stallion’s name as the performer in the inaugural music performance of Athlos NYC. While announcing her name, Ohanian posted, “The fastest women in the world deserve nothing less than the best.” Notably, her album Megan has come to be the biggest rap album debut of any woman music artist in 2024. That achievement matches the tone Athlos NYC is trying to set—the first in the field. Apart from the Grammy winner, DJ D-Nice will also enter the show with his performance.

Did you think that’d be the end of the star-studded list? Well, per an announcement that just dropped, Angela Manuel-Davis, a former Team USA track and field member, will also grace the event. Currently, a fitness coach and co-founder of the fitness brand AARMY, she announced that she’ll be headed to New York to attend Athlos NYC on September 26. She remarks that she’d be doing the in-house announcing, ensuring that everybody stays hyped and keeps having a good time. Thus, she urged people to come attend the event, as “it’s for the culture, it’s women, it’s sport, it’s future-facing, it is us, it is so fresh, it is so fly!” However, to see it live in Icahn Stadium on September 26, one will have to buy a ticket. Meanwhile, portals like AXS and Vivid Seats have come forward to take responsibility for selling the tickets.

While in Vivid Seats, the ticket price has started at $190; AXS has gone a little low, starting at $62.25. It ranges from $498 though. But on Vivid Seats, the average price has touched the ceiling of $629. This price can bring in a few droplets of sweat as it stands on par with the prices of the Paris Olympics tickets. But as per the announcement, 10% of the ticket sales have been promised to enter the athletes’ purses directly. Nonetheless, Alexis Ohanian has already hinted at the event being high. “Obviously it’s about the athletes on the track—but set expectations too high. I would rather under-promise and over-deliver,” he mentioned. So are you excited now regarding this revolutionary contest? Let us know.