Okay, so there’s only been one Grand Slam Track meet so far, but founder Michael Johnson is already asking, “what can we do better?”

One potential option for an exciting twist later on in the season is right in front of our noses. With theoretical short-sprinter Gabby Thomas opting for the long sprints for the Kingston Slam and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hinting that she may hop, skip, and jump between groups, the precedent has been set that Racers looking for variety in their schedule can always shift over to a different set of events.

But Thomas and McLaughlin-Levrone aren’t the only ones who’ve demonstrated the range and versatility to flit between categories, and we’d love to see a few other fun changes in Slams to come. Whether it’s to hone new talents, add some variety to their race schedule, or mentally shake off a tough performance, there are plenty of reasons why a Racer may want to mix things up for a subsequent Slam. And while the addition of high-profile Challengers is one easy way to keep things in the GST-sphere from getting stale, another fun way to spice up the recipe would be to allow—nay, encourage!—established Racers to experiment with a new Slam category. Here’s a few intriguing possibilities:

Masai Russell to long hurdles. Those with short memories may not recall that Masai Russell’s biggest claim to fame before her Olympic gold was her pattern of audacious NCAA doubles at the University of Kentucky, where she finished second in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles at NCAAs in 2023 and third and fourth, respectively, in 2022. Her last open 400m was a whopping six years ago, but Russell’s run plenty of 4x400m legs over the years and should navigate a flat 400m just fine.

Caleb Dean to short hurdles. Dean, like Russell, raced a wider range of events than most in college, and he’s less than a year removed from an impressive double-NCAA-title over 60m hurdles indoors and 400m hurdles outdoors. He’s run 13.47 over 110H and 10.33 over 100 meters, but perhaps most intriguingly, he has a 6.52 personal best over 60 meters. He’d be lethal competition even constrained to just the straightaway.

Fred Kerley to long sprints. Fred’s transition to the 100 meters has been so successful that it’s easy to forget that his NCAA title and first three global medals came via the 400m. It’s been over two years since Kerley’s last 400m, a 44.65 season opener in Australia in 2023, but he nevertheless possesses a 43.64 PB and would virtually be guaranteed a victory in the 200-meter half of the long sprints category. It very well might be his easier path toward $100K.

Elise Cranny to short distance. Despite being the U.S. 10,000m champ, Cranny has long shown a fondness for the middle distances, and after what’s likely a disappointing showing in the long distance events in Kingston, the temptation to splash around in the shallow end may arise. With a 2:00.25 800m PB and coming off an indoor mile PB of 4:20.83 a few short months ago, she would certainly be able to mix it up with the middle-distance specialists. Similarly, if the men are going to keep running tactical 800ms, Grant Fisher may be enticed into similar experimentation as well.