Photo via BBC Sport

The 'F1 of athletics'? Athlos set for London debut

Athlos, the women-only running series established by Reddit co-creator Alexis Ohanian, is heading to London on Friday, 18 September, with races staged at Barnet's StoneX Stadium. After staging its initial two gatherings in New York across 2024 and 2025, plans for a two-day expansion there on 2 October were scrapped following competitor feedback regarding late-season fatigue, with the circuit aiming to harmonize with worldwide track scheduling starting in 2027.

Competitors will vie for $65,000 top payouts per discipline, Tiffany & Co-crafted crowns, and ownership stakes in the organization itself, coming immediately after the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

A star-studded lineup is confirmed for the meet, including British runners Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell, American sprint icons Gabby Thomas and Sha'Carri Richardson, and the Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino. Ohanian, who previously consulted Olympic 200m gold medalist Thomas before launching the concept, envisions transforming the venture into a traveling international spectacle akin to Formula 1.

Thomas noted that securing equity allows the racers to serve as true business partners while elevating financial opportunities and respect for future generations of female athletes.