Top 5 Track and Field Online Stores

Here are five online retailers that offer a wide range of track and field equipment: M-F Athletic (Everything Track & Field) has the most comprehensive catalog, VS Athletics combines apparel and hard equipment for team and school orders, First to the Finish has meet-day equipment like hurdles and timing systems, Running Warehouse has track spikes and footwear, and UCS Spirit has facility-grade equipment like pole vault poles and landing mats. The retailers cover most of the needs of coaches, parents, and athletes when shopping for track and field equipment online.

Coaches, athletic directors, club administrators, parents, and athletes looking to outfit their teams or facilities, as well as themselves, will find useful information in this book. You will find an in-depth analysis of each store's strengths and weaknesses, a method for finding the right store for your needs, and a rundown of the most common blunders that lead to a program's equipment budget going down the drain.

Key Takeaways

• When it comes to coverage, no one store can compare. Depending on their needs, the best-equipped programs in track and field often shop at more than one supplier. The sport encompasses sprinting, distance running, jumping, and throwing.
  
  
• With a history dating back to 1960 and the launch of its "Everything Track & Field" catalog in 1968, M-F Athletic (now known as Everything Track & Field) has one of the most extensive general inventories in the sport.
  
  
• Venue Sports and Spingco Athletics were originally two independent businesses; in 2003, they united to form VS Athletics, a one-stop shop for all things athletic, including shoes, gear, and apparel.
  
  
• Meet and facility equipment, such as starting blocks, hurdles, timing systems, and throwing implements, is the main focus of First to the Finish. A number of these items are shipped the very same day.
  
  
• If you are in the market for landing mats or pole vault poles, UCS Spirit is the go-to expert. The business started off making canvas and slings in the '60s, but in 1987 it shifted its focus to making track equipment.
  
  
• Because spike choice is so event dependent, a shoe specialty store like Running Warehouse sorts spikes according to the type of event the athlete is competing in (sprint, distance, jump, throw).

Quick Comparison: 5 Track and Field Online Stores

Now let's look at each store in more detail, including what makes it a strong fit and where it isn't the right choice.

M-F Athletic (Everything Track & Field): Best for a Broad General Selection

For a one-stop shop that has a little bit of everything, head on over to M-F Athletic, also known as Everything Track & Field. Bill Falk founded M-F Athletic in 1960. In 1968, he launched a Track & Field catalog. Over the next decades, the company expanded into what it currently claims to be the industry's largest assortment of equipment and services.

The attractiveness lies in its scope. You can almost always find what you're looking for at M-F Athletic, whether it's gear, shoes, or meet supplies. They have a wide selection of products from all the main brands, and they offer same-day shipping on in-stock items. One drawback is that broad catalog stores don't always have the most extensive selection in specific specialty categories. Fiberglass vaulting poles and other specialized facility equipment may be better understood by a store with more in-depth product knowledge.

Ideal for: teams and coaches who want to work with a single, large supplier for the majority of their needs. Customers requiring in-depth knowledge of a specific niche, such as those purchasing timing systems or pole vault poles, may find this less than desirable.

VS Athletics: Best for Team and School Orders

As advertised, VS Athletics is a one-stop shop for all things track and field. This is useful for coaches who need to buy uniforms, spikes, and training gear all at once because it consolidates footwear, apparel, and equipment into one place. In 2003, the apparel and footwear division of Venue Sports and the equipment division of Spingco Athletics merged to become what is now known as VS Athletics. The company's roots may be traced back to 1992.

The difference between VS Athletics and a company that specializes in equipment alone is that they also sell apparel. This is the perfect place for a high school program to place their yearly team order, which includes uniforms, training gear, and meet gear. Based in Torrance, California, the firm has extensive experience working with educational institutions and extracurricular organizations in that capacity.

Ideal for: groups of schools or clubs that want to buy season-long uniforms and other gear together. Customers that have very specific needs and aren't interested in the clothing section of the catalog will find it less than perfect.

First to the Finish: Best for Meet-Day and Facility Equipment

The focus of First to the Finish is on the gear that a program requires to organize training and hold competitions, rather than on casual clothing. Hoop sets, starting blocks, timing devices, throwing implements, throwing cages, and field paint are just some of the items that a meet director or facility manager could find in this catalog. If a program has to get equipment ready for a meet or season opener, they can take advantage of the fact that some categories, including track hurdles, are marked as shipping as fast as same day.

The main idea is this level of expertise. Unlike a generic catalog store, a meet operations retailer will typically organize their products according to the needs of each event or position, such as a field painter purchasing paint for the field or a coach replacing a broken hurdle in preparation for the next home meet.

Hoop, timing, starting block, and throwing implement purchases made by athletic directors, facility managers, and meet directors are a good fit. Not a good fit for customers whose main demand is shoes or clothing instead of durable machinery.

Running Warehouse: Best for Track Spikes and Footwear

If spikes are your primary necessity, it's usually best to shop from a store that specializes in footwear rather than perusing a general equipment catalog. Athletes' needs vary greatly on the track and field, so Running Warehouse categorizes their track and field shoes according to the events they compete in. This includes distance spikes, sprint and hurdle spikes, multi-purpose spikes, jump spikes, and throw shoes.

For people making their first purchase, that event-based organization provides a practical solution. Short, explosive races are best handled by sprint and hurdle spikes, which are often made for good rubber or all-weather tracks. On the other hand, multi-purpose spikes, which are more affordable, can manage a wider range of surfaces, including dirt. A general equipment catalog might not always make the difference between a multi-purpose spike and a highly specialized sprint spike apparent at the point of purchase, but a footwear-focused retailer usually does. This is especially helpful for first-year athletes who compete in both running and jumping events.

Apt for: first-time customers who aren't sure which spike category is right for them, athletes and parents looking for spikes for a particular event, and so on. Teams that require hurdles, timing equipment, or facility-grade gear simultaneously may find this less than ideal.

UCS Spirit: Best for Facility-Grade Specialty Equipment

If your program is in need of landing mats, pole vault poles, or any other jumping and throwing equipment for your facility, UCS Spirit is the name to know. This is an area where the company has been around for quite some time. The company's founders' sons recognized a market need for pole vault and high jump landing pits in the late 1960s, when the company was still known as Universal Canvas and Sling. At that time, they were producing canvas goods such as boat covers and awnings. Today, the company's fiberglass pole vaulting poles are its most recognizable product, but it began making and selling track equipment in 1987.

Equipment with crucial technical parameters and safety margins requires that level of commitment. There are weight and flex ratings for pole vault poles, and landing mats must be up to snuff when it comes to safety for both practice and competition. Rather than relying on a generic catalog listing for this type of equipment, it is usually safer to consult an expert with decades of experience in this specific category.

Programs that are in the market for new or replacement pole vault poles, landing mats, or any other items used in jump and throw facilities might benefit from this. Because this is primarily a site selling specialized equipment, it is not the best choice for customers looking for regular meet-day essentials, such as clothing or shoes.

How Do You Choose the Right Store for Your Situation?

There's no single "best" store for every track and field purchase, but there is a reliable way to narrow the decision. Work through these questions before ordering:

1. What category are you actually buying? Apparel and uniforms, footwear, meet-day equipment, and facility-grade specialty gear are different shopping problems, and the retailers on this list specialize differently across them.
   
   
2. Are you buying for one athlete or a whole team? A single parent buying spikes for one athlete has different needs than a coach placing a combined uniform-and-equipment order for 40 athletes.
   
   
3. Does the equipment have safety or competition specifications? Pole vault poles, landing mats, and certain throwing implements have specific technical requirements. Buying from a specialist with deep experience in that category reduces the risk of getting it wrong.
   
   
4. How soon do you need it? If you're replacing damaged hurdles or timing equipment right before a meet, check same-day shipping availability rather than assuming standard delivery windows will work.
   
   
5. Do you need a mixed order? If your season purchase covers uniforms, spikes, and general equipment together, a combined apparel-and-equipment retailer may simplify the process more than ordering from three separate specialists.
   
   
6. What's your event mix? A program with sprinters, distance runners, jumpers, and throwers may need to shop more than one footwear category, since spike construction varies significantly by event.

Common Mistakes Teams and Coaches Make When Buying Track and Field Equipment

• Buying generic spikes for every athlete. Sprint spikes, distance spikes, and jump spikes are built differently, and using the wrong category can affect both performance and injury risk.
  
  
• Waiting until race week to replace facility equipment. Hurdles, timing systems, and throwing implements sometimes need replacement parts or full units, and rush orders limit your options.
  
  
• Treating every purchase as a bulk order. Combined team orders make sense for uniforms and general gear, but specialty items like pole vault poles often benefit from more individualized fitting and specification.
  
  
• Not checking technical specifications on safety equipment. Landing mats and vaulting poles have real safety and competition standards behind them. A lower price isn't worth it if the equipment doesn't meet the required specification for your level of competition.
  
  
• Assuming one retailer covers everything equally well. Programs that rely on a single general catalog for every purchase sometimes miss better options in specialized categories like footwear or facility equipment.

How This Connects to Running a Track and Field Program

For a track and field program to be successful, it is necessary to invest in high-quality equipment. Managing facility time for shared tracks and throwing areas, communicating with parents about season costs and gear, and coordinating practice times across several event groups are unique operational difficulties that most equipment manuals don't focus on.

Track and field programs and clubs can rely on SportsPlus's built-in shop function to sell products like team apparel directly to members, as well as services that help with team scheduling, facility booking, registration, and payments. Such scheduling and communication support complements, rather than replaces, the equipment considerations discussed in this book for a club that is responsible for coordinating the training of sprinters, distance runners, and participants in field events all within the same facility.

Final Takeaway

The key point to remember is that each of the five stores we evaluated here addresses a unique issue. As a general supplier, M-F Athletic does a good job. VS Athletics fulfills requests for teams that include both clothes and equipment. Equipment for the day of the meet and the facilities, such as timing systems and hurdles, is First to the Finish's forte. With regard to spikes and shoes, Running Warehouse is the superior option. When it comes to pole vaults and other high-quality jump and throw apparatus, no one does it better than UCS Spirit.

Avoid buying anything from the same store and make sure to read the technical specs of any safety-related equipment thoroughly before placing your order. Clubs and teams can benefit from a platform like SportsPlus to manage the operational side of running a track and field program once the equipment side is taken care of. The next hurdle for most programs is arranging practice time, facility access, and communication throughout the season.