Help Save the Music City Track Carnival

I have hosted the Music City Track Carnival (formerly the Music City Distance Carnival) for more than 2 decades. Over the last 22 years, this meet has grown from a small all-comers event to one of the highest profile Track and Field meets in North America.

MCTC now needs your help.

Since its inception, MCTC has hosted hundreds of athletes in their pursuit to qualify for the U.S Championships/Olympic Trials, the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and myriad other international competitions. Through this meet, countless high school and middle school athletes have achieved personal bests and New Balance or Nike Outdoor Nationals qualifiers. For others, whether young or old, it served as an introduction to or reconnection with the sport.

My aim for this meet was always to provide a race for anyone, no matter their ability, age, or background. While I know MCTC can be even bigger, better, and more inclusive, I am deeply proud of what it has accomplished despite often functioning on a meager budget.

The reality is that MCTC is often not a personally profitable venture for me. This year, factors beyond my control led to the loss of our venue at the eleventh hour. As a result, my title sponsor pulled out, leaving MCTC in a state of financial precarity. While it was tempting to cancel, I knew that many athletes were relying on this opportunity to get to Eugene for the Olympic Trials, or Paris for the Olympic Games.

This year I personally lost approximately $35,000 on MCTC. Despite scaling the meet down considerably, it still cost over $100,000 to put on this event. Inclusion in the World Athletics Continental Tour necessitated a $27,000 total prize purse. Additional large line items included: a professional livestream, timing company, USATF officials, hotels, and facility rental fees, plus dozens of smaller costs.

I have outstanding balances with event partners from this year that must be squared away before I can devote my full attention and energy to organizing MCTC 2025. While the circumstances that led to the meet's challenges this year were beyond the organizing committee's control, we learned valuable lessons about how to better safeguard this event, and ensure its future success.

But for this to happen, I need our community's support.

So I am appealing to you, my track and field friends, to help this meet continue and be the best it can be. I have launched this campaign to help cover the outstanding operating costs from MCTC 2024, and allow the event to start with a clean slate heading into 2025. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, and to express my gratitude I am offering the following give-backs:

MCTC is more than a track meet; it is a vehicle for personal and community development. MCTC and I have overcome countless obstacles. At 22 years, this meet has one of the longest uninterrupted track records (pardon the pun) in the USA, even persevering through COVID-19 in safe and creative ways when few other competitive opportunities existed in the world.

The transformative experiences this meet provides are why I am steadfastly determined to see it continue for years to come.

You can find more information about MCTC at this link:

https://nashvilletrackclub.org/mctc/

If you are a business owner and are interested in being an official meet sponsor for 2025, please message me via this platform, or find my email on the MCTC website (hyperlinked above).

Thank you for being a track and field fan! If you are not currently in a position to donate, please consider sharing this campaign widely.

Yours in sport,

Dave