Tracksmith has announced a new women’s marathon development program led by veteran distance runner Stephanie Bruce. Called Project Stamata, the initiative is focused on supporting U.S.-based women aiming to qualify for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
The team will provide access to training camps, coaching, travel support, gear, and resources across nutrition, sports science, and sports psychology.
Applications are open now, and accepted athletes will target shared qualifying attempts at select races, with the California International Marathon (CIM) serving as the team’s first goal race this fall. CIM takes place on Dec. 7, starting nearly Folsom, and finishing in Sacramento, the state capital.
To be eligible, women must have run under 1:17 in the half marathon or 2:42 in the full. Tracksmith says it will also consider applications from athletes just outside those benchmarks if they bring a compelling case.
The program is named after Stamata Revithi, a Greek woman who ran the marathon course alone in 1896 after being denied entry to the Olympic event. Her unofficial run, completed in five and a half hours, is regarded as the first known instance of a woman completing the marathon distance.
Bruce, a longtime presence in U.S. distance running, has competed in multiple Olympic Trials and helped shape teams like HOKA NAZ Elite. She gave birth to her third child in late 2023 and returned to the marathon just four months later, running 2:47 at the 2024 Trials.
Now, she’s turning her focus to coaching and mentorship. The goal of Project Stamata, according to Bruce and Tracksmith, is to create a structured environment for women in that middle space between post-collegiate competition and elite sponsorship, a group that often lacks formal support.
In recent years, Tracksmith has gradually expanded beyond its apparel roots, offering initiatives like its Amateur Support Program and OTQ kit for unsponsored runners. Project Stamata is the brand’s first team-based training initiative built specifically around Olympic Trials qualification.
Applications are currently open on Tracksmith’s website. The first group of athletes will begin training together later this year.
