Olympian Colleen Quigley has launched Meridia, a new professional women’s track club based in Boulder, Colorado. The team, which includes six middle-distance runners, is structured as an athlete-owned collective with a brand-agnostic sponsorship model and a revenue-sharing framework.
Quigley, 32, competed in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2016 Olympics. After spending several years with the Nike Bowerman Track Club and recovering from multiple injuries, she returns this year to middle-distance competition on the track and roads.
Meridia’s founding members include:
- Annie Rodenfels, 2023 USATF 5K road champion
- Katie Camarena, who ran 15:10 for 5,000m and 31:45 for 10,000m this spring
- Madie Boreman, 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase finalist
- Skylyn Webb, who ran 2:01.47 for 800m in April
- Molly Sughroue, with personal bests of 2:02.54 (800m) and 4:30.89 (mile)
- Colleen Quigley, who ran 4:33.19 at the Drake Relays and 4:41.10 at the USATF 1-Mile Road Championships this spring
Juli Benson, a 1996 Olympian in the 1500 meters and longtime coach, will advise the team and coach several athletes. The group will train primarily in Boulder but allow for flexible living arrangements, with periodic training camps.
Unlike traditional pro track teams, Meridia does not require affiliation with a single apparel sponsor. Athletes maintain their individual sponsorships—Quigley with Lululemon, Rodenfels with Salomon, Camarena and Webb with Saucony, and Boreman with Bandit. The team plans to generate income through team sponsorships, branded merchandise, and events, with revenue shared among members.
Meridia will host a virtual community race, the Meridia Mile, on Aug. 7. An in-person edition will be held in Boulder. Team-branded competition kits are in development; athletes currently compete in their sponsor kits featuring a Meridia logo.
The launch comes amid rising interest in women’s sports.
According to EDO, advertising spending on women’s sports reached $244 million in 2024, a 139% increase from the year before. However, only about 10% of global sports sponsorship funding currently goes to women’s sports.
Quigley has stated that Meridia was created in response to structural gaps in the sport, particularly the limited financial and career support available to many women runners outside the top tier. The team is currently in discussions with potential sponsors, including non-endemic brands.
Meridia is one of several athlete-driven initiatives announced in recent years. The Athlos NYC meet, launched in 2023 as an all-women’s competition, announced last week that it will expand into a team-based track league in 2026.
