The Running Event always serves as a sneak peak at products and services, where brands showcase the next year’s new tech or innovation to retailers and journalists who will share it with the masses. 

I happened to run into Colorado Springs-based ultra running coach, Jason Koop, on the show floor and he begged the question: “Is there anything that is uniquely new?” It was a very interesting question and one that made me sure there had to be something “new” amongst the massive 300 exhibitors in attendance. There had to be some type of new wearable tech or new shoe technology. Maybe a supplement or method of fueling. So, I did what any inquiring mind would do and explored the convention floor in order to find out.

The new NNormal at The Running Event

By now you have probably heard of the new shoe brand which made a huge splash in the trail shoe market last year and which no one seems to be able to pronounce because of the double consonant. I always try to stutter a little when I utter it, and now you will, too. You’re welcome! 

The brand is none other than NNormal, the brainchild of ultrarunning legend, Kilian Jornet, created with an emphasis on commitment: to sports, to nature, to social and environmental actions. In a time where shoe brands are creating controversy-stirring single-use shoes (see the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1), NNormal is attempting to do the opposite, by normalizing and minimizing their environmental impact on the running shoe industry. 

One way the company is putting their motives into action is by making their products more durable, more repairable, and recyclable, thus decreasing one’s carbon footprint. They even have a “No Trace Program” which will take back used products, regardless of brand, and repair or recycle said products to give them a second life and prevent landfills of the world from further expansion. NNormal are now adding “more functional” to their motives.

Enter the NNormal Kboix, a modular trail shoe with three distinct interchangeable inserts/midsoles. The first insole is a soft material made of EVA for the comfortable underfoot cush, the second, a more reactive PEBA for races and faster efforts, and finally the TPU material which will be the your everyday training with a nice balance of responsiveness and cushioning. The outsole, with its high sidewalls and Vibram MegaGrip rubber ~4-5 mm lugs, is securely stitched to the upper, a durable, kevlar-looking material. 

The modular shoe has been attempted a few times in the past, most recently by niche brand, Speedland. Will it be the three-shoes-in-one that they intend it to be? Only time–and testing–will tell. But it’s definitely a stride in the right direction for SSustainability.

A nutrition bar with soul

There were numerous nutrition companies present at TRE, but it was one that caught my eye with its playful, Grateful Dead-esque artwork of cartoon characters and musical notes on the packaging. It worked well with the name of the product: JAMBAR.

After sampling JAMBAR, I had a sentimental feeling that I had tried it before. It was a particular taste, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. For some reason it reminded me of the 1990s. In particular, the Malt Nut Melody flavor. After speaking with Adam Smith, an employee of JAMBAR, the pieces of the puzzle quickly started to come together.

The flavor profile finally hit me! I ate my fair share of the original Malt Nut flavored PowerBar Performance bars in the 1990s into the early 2000s, especially since I was a poor graduate student and the cases I received as an ambassador kept me from starving. That malty, malleable rectangle that came in the shiny, foiled wrapper that had to be at an optimal temperature, otherwise it would adhere to the wrapper if too warm, or be a tooth-cracking brick if it were too cold. If you know, you know.

In fact, the founder of JAMBAR is none other than Jennifer Maxwell, the very same Jennifer Maxwell who, in 1985, co-founded perhaps the most influential energy bar company in history, PowerBar, with her late husband, Brian Maxwell. After his sudden passing from a heart attack in 2004, Maxwell took up music in order to get her through the mourning process. She also ventured back into the sports nutrition market with some of the nostalgic flavors of PowerBar (Malt Nut Melody and Chocolate Cha Cha), this time with only the highest quality, organic ingredients.

More impressive than just making high-quality nutrition bars is the impetus behind it. Maxwell believes in promoting a positive outlook through healthy eating, active living, and the healing powers of music. This is exemplified by JAMBAR donating a very generous 50% of all profits to support music, active living, and community connections.

Smith informed me that the current facility in San Rafael, CA, where JAMBARs are produced–in small batches, of course–is a former recording studio of one of the most influential bands of all time, The Grateful Dead. Some of the original murals from that era still exist and add a perfect backdrop to the music-focused company. Perhaps it’s serendipitous, but a recent large order was placed by the perennial musician himself, Willie Nelson. If that is not a karmic appraisal of the brand, I don’t know what is.

Pickleball is everywhere, even at The Running Event

What does pickleball have to do with running? If you answered nothing, I would have tended to agree with you. That is, until the multiple pickleball booths, instructional sessions on a regulations-sized court on the convention floor of the 2023 TRE made me reconsider.

Pickleball vendors were on hand at The Running Event this year.

Pickleball seems to have a cult-like following amongst its participants. Those who play are very enthusiastic about the sport. Perhaps the tagline of the sport is true: “It’s easy to start, but hard to stop.” If you don’t believe me, just ask the Executive Director of ATRA herself, Nancy Hobbs. She has become fully immersed in the sport and raves about the enjoyment it brings her.

A conversation I had with an employee of a large running shoe brand made me understand why running and pickleball are so intertwined. He informed me that with the meteoric growth of the sport in such a short period of time, there has been a lack of locations to get one of the necessary pieces of equipment: shoes. This is where running specialty stores, along with larger big box retailers, have come into play and are now carrying shoes specifically for pickleball.

In conclusion, pickleball does have something to do with running. If you would like more information on the subject, contact Nancy Hobbs.

The killer whale

We all remember the explosion of CBD products in the running market. Everywhere one looked, there were salves, creams, roll-ons, pills, and products infused with the benign cannabinoid. It was difficult to avoid. In fact, in very recent history–the past 5 years–at TRE there were presentations, panel discussions, and experts discussing all-things CBD. Based on the number of CBD-related presence in 2023, it is safe to say that it may have been a fad, as I don’t recall seeing any exhibitors. 

I did happen upon a brand by the name of ORCA by Hometown Hero, which was advertised as a product that is, “microdosed THC and CBD for precise Endocannabinoid system activation without overstimulation.” ORCA offers a line of wellness and performance products targeting runners and those with active lifestyles. The offerings microdosed THC and CBD energy, recovering, and relaxation pills, along with a topical roll-on.

As an Austin-based company, my first question to the co-founder of Hometown Hero, Lukas Gilkey, was, “Is this legal in Texas?” Laws and rules tend to become tightened once the acronym “THC” enters the conversation. He assured me it was, and, in fact, his company has been instrumental in “hemp advocacy,” by lobbying the state of Texas and the federal government.

“We have lobbyists working in multiple state legislatures and Capitol Hill to ensure that the interests of the hemp industry, hemp jobs, and customers are protected and fought for,” according to their website.

As a US Coast Guard Veteran, Gilkey noticed the struggles and challenges that veterans faced after their services. That was the impetus to create his company in the hemp industry. Now with the ORCA line for runners, the specific regimens of Energy (caffeine, B-12, zinc, biotin, thiamin), Recovery (riboflavin, L-Thiamine, manganese, magnesium), and Relaxation (CBN, CBD, lavender oil) are set up to help athletes. Will it make a splash?

FYI: “Hemp and marijuana are the same species—cannabis. Their only difference is a legal distinction. Hemp is cannabis with a 0.3% or lower concentration of Delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. Marijuana is cannabis with any concentration above that.”

Shoes, shoes, shoes at The Running Event

There was an increased presence of shoe companies at TRE. All the usual suspects: Hoka, Nike, Altra, Mizuno, Brooks, The North Face, ASICS, and on, and on. There were also a large number of new shoe companies I’d never heard of, such as Ulysses Running Co., Hettas, and UYM, which – I would venture to guess – is a big step into the already saturated running shoe market. This must be a demand present otherwise the economic principle of supply and demand would cease to be true.

Shoe technologies have been at the forefront of news the past few years, with the continually growing stack height, carbon plates, supercritical foams, and rockered soles that would put Shape-Ups to shame. However, not all companies are following the normal trend. Here are a few I spotted on the showfloor.

Merrell – An industry standard brand that has been around for over four decades in the outdoor space. With the original emphasis on hiking, Merrell has evolved with the Merrell Test Labs (MTL) line of performance trail running shoes, gathering input and feedback from athletes who are putting in the miles out on the trails. The sleek new lines, industry leading Vibram rubber outsole, and performance-based minimalism makes a shoe like the MTL Skyfire 2 very exciting. After all, their tagline is, “Same is Boring.”

NNormal – See “The new NNormal” above.

Inov-8 – The fell running brand from Northern England has gone through a lot of changes since its inception in 2003, most notably its sale in 2015 to the high-end Japanese ski brand, Descente, then the buy-back of the trademark in 2020 by founder Wayne Edy. Inov-8 has enjoyed a cult following from a niche market of functional fitness athletes and trail and mountain runners alike, using the grip, fit and functionality of their specific footwear as the epicenter of their DNA.

In 2024, the brand will be totally revamped: all new branding, no more confusing weight/number system, new model lines, a replacement of the logo from a foot to a bird’s talon, and completely new aesthetics. The name has even been officially changed from Inov-8 to INOV8. Although, you may not recognize the shoes the next time you see them, the grip will remain some of the best in the market.

Vimazi – Vimazi is the brainchild of Scott Tucker, a past Montrail, Pearl Izumi, and SCOTT Sports shoe designer (you all remember that N2 model, right?), and he has created a shoes that has been biomechanically-tuned to control forces from heel strike to toe-off  during a variety of paces. From the most supportive and highest cushioned Z70 to the lightweight and stripped down Z20, there are six models ranging from pace-tuning of 10:00-13:00 min/mile pace down to 4:30-6:00 min/mile.

The density of foam is different within each specific pace range and the magic is their FastPod design, which ensures reduced shock and increased control during push-off. There are also two offroad models (Trail Z2 and Trail Z3), with a performance Trail Z1 coming in the near future. Has the pace-tuned revolution begun?

Mount To Coast – Of all the unheard of brands at TRE, this one stood out because of its simplicity in design…and thought-provoking name. Mount To Coast is a Hong Kong-based shoe brand  slated to launch in April of 2024 with three models: S1, R1, P1. The overwhelmingly white with subtle gray highlights could easily be overlooked, however, once they are slipped on the supercritical Pebax foam impresses the wearer with a soft, plush ride. The target market of these shoes is also a niche market: track and road ultrarunners. Perhaps a better name to attract the market would have been Road To Track.

So, whether or not anything is uniquely new for 2024, Coach Koop will have to decide for himself.

Editor’s Note: Read about some of The Running Event education sessions here.

The post Reflections on The Running Event 2023 appeared first on ATRA.

The theme is meant to support and celebrate inclusivity and diversity and is focused on learning from one another, helping one another, and reaching individual and collective goals.

Each year we use a theme to guide our editorial decisions and initiatives over the next 12 months. By designating a theme we are able to focus our programming and have a targeted inspiration for our Trail News stories and social media content. Our first in a series of “Better Together” articles will be published in early January.

ATRA President Adam Chase in his natural environment.

Comments from ATRA team members

ATRA president Adam Chase said, “2024’s theme of gravitation and coordination is more about our community and the appreciation for nature than it is running in groups. Trail running, a silent sport for many, is often a solo endeavor. But the promotion and celebration of it, now that’s a “the more the merrier” sort of thing we can all support!”

ATRA treasurer Lin Gentling opined, “Even venturing out to experience the trails alone, there is a feeling that you are part of a fraternity. Anyone who trail runs knows the benefits of being outside.”

Board member Corinne Trujillo Shalvoy shared her thoughts, “Better Together is illustrative of the inherent ‘passing down of knowledge’ that the sport of trail running is known for. It speaks to the opportunity we have to grow the sport in a collaborative way, utilizing the stories, lessons and values that everyone in the sport cherishes to better trail running as a whole. While trail running is in many ways an individual sport, it has become what it is today and will become what it is tomorrow by our collective passion.”

Corinne Trujillo Shalvoy on the trails.

“I volunteer as a trail ambassador at a popular local trailhead. Each week a get to witness old friends and new acquaintances meet up to start their run, together. When they return, I see their happy faces as they recount their time spent together and plan for their next adventure. For these folks, together really is better. Personally, I prefer to run solo, but I am never alone.

“Today I was lucky enough to meet a new acquaintance, a long-tailed weasel. Other days are spent with old friends, the grass and trees and possibly the Mule deer. So whether you go solo or with others, trail running truly is better together.”

Board member Ian Torrence remarked, “Trail running can often be construed as a solo sport. Distracted by the beauty around us and the fun we’re having, we might sometimes forget how the trail we’re running on was built, the land conserved for our use, or how the event we’re participating in was pieced together. ATRA’s 2024 theme “Better Together” reminds us that it takes a diverse and collective effort—the friends we run with, those who enjoy other trail sports, legislators, land owners, event organizers, volunteers, neighbors—to protect, foster, and create the trail community we love so much.”

Ian Torrence before a trail run.

ATRA themes through the years

“Better Together,” is our eight annual theme and follows last year’s Celebrate Youth on the Trails, 2022’s Trail Running is for Every Body, 2021’s Resilience, 2020’s Climate Action, 2019’s Trail Running Responsibly, 2018’s Trail Stewardship: Leaving a Lasting Legacy, and our 2017 theme Community: Building Trail Running Connections.

The post Better Together – Our 2024 Theme appeared first on ATRA.

For 2024, the events are organized under the auspices of Federación Mexicana de Asociaciones. The classic mountain running race will be an up/down format event of approximately 10km and the trail running race will be at least 42 km.

Results from all eighteen previous editions of the NACAC Mountain Running Championships can be found on the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) website. The NACAC Mountain Running Championships was not held in 2020, 2021 or 2022.

Venue: Villa del Carbón, Mexico

Website: TBD

Dates: August 3rd and 4th, 2024

Up to four athletes are allowed per team (4 men; 4 women) per nation, and three athletes per team (the top 3 men; top 3 women) score for the team result. There are individual and team awards.

U.S. Team Selection

Mountain Running Team: Top two US men / women at the 2024 USATF Mountain Running Championships / Snowbird, Colorado on July 13. The third and fourth spots will be based on resume submissions to fill the team.

Trail Running Team: Top two US men/ top women at the Broken Arrow Skyrace 46K in Olympic Valley, CA, on June 22. The third and fourth spots based on resume submissions to fill out the team.

Resumes are due July 13. Send running resumes to Jason Bryant (runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com).

The team will be announced by July 15, 2024.

Jason Bryant will be the team staff member for this trip.

Team USA athlete eligibility requirements: Athletes must be a 2024 USA Track & Field (USATF) member and eligible to represent Team USA in international competition.

Funding: This team is unfunded for travel, the LOC provides 4 nights accommodations and meals, transport to and from the host airport. National team uniforms provided by USA Track & Field.

Trip Duration: Team travel from the United States to Mexico for the NACAC Mountain & Trail Running Championships is to arrive Thursday, August 1 with departure on August 5. Course preview will take place on August 2. The races will be on August 3 and 4. Team members are welcome to arrive earlier and stay longer, but will need to provide their own lodging and transportation to and from the venue/airport.

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On the snowy trail up Utah’s 8,299-foot Grandeur Peak last winter, three generations climbed and descended in the name of clean air. Ultrarunner Jared Campbell’s mom, wife, and 8-year-old daughter participated in the Running Up for Air (RUFA) Grandeur event that Campbell started in February of 2012. Joining Campbell’s family in their efforts were 247 other participants, each one having fundraised—and trained—for either six-, 12-, or 24-hours-worth of laps on the 6.4-mile, 3,280 feet up and down the peak in February.

RUFA began as Campbell’s reaction to air pollution in the Salt Lake City area, but it’s snowballed into a worldwide effort to raise both money and awareness about the growing issue of polluted air. This year, Patagonia and RUFA are partnering to launch an event that will allow runners and hikers to participate in a Global RUFA Day in June of 2024.

RUFA 2018, Granduer Peak, Mill Creek Canyon, Wasatch Mountains, UT.

How Running Up For Air started

Campbell spent the winter of 2011-2012 training for the infamous Barkley Marathons that takes place each March, which meant amassing as much vertical as he could in less-than-ideal conditions. He used Grandeur Peak as his training grounds, which provided perspective on a growing problem.

“The reality of our winters is often that we have horrific episodes of bad air quality,” says Campbell, a resident of Salt Lake City. “And most people just kind of hide indoors and sort of ignore it.”

Running outdoors all winter, Campbell couldn’t ignore the polluted air. “You feel it in a way that most people don’t,” he says. “You feel it because you’re pulling that pollution into your body by breathing really hard.”

His runs would start in the “cold pool of polluted air” that had settled down in the valley, and head up and out of it and into the clear. Especially during thermal inversions, he explains, the difference was remarkable. “You certainly see it. You can feel it. You can taste the difference,” he says.

“Because I needed to get so much vertical that winter,” adds Campbell, “I was just up and down and up and down. And every up and down was this cycle of exiting the pollution, recognizing how beautiful it is up above, and then conversely flipping around and coming back down and seeing right with your eyeballs and feeling it in your lungs.”

The disturbing part, he adds, was that he realized what he was diving back into with each descent: “what two-and-a-half million people, including your families, your friends, your loved ones live in and breathe in.”

Building up for Barkley that winter, Campbell was planning a 24-hour day doing laps on the peak, where he’d attempt 10 laps “which hadn’t been done before,” he says.

“I just sort of put it out there, letting people challenge me to maybe pledge to throw in $1 or $2 or $5 for every lap,” says Campbell, who ended up donating $4,000 to Breathe Utah. What’s more, he had roughly a dozen people join him for a lap or two during his effort.

RUFA was born, despite a blizzard that dropped a couple feet of fresh snow on the trail. “It was a beautiful metaphor,” says Campbell. “Our little community had to pull together to create a path.”

RUFA 2017, Grandeur Peak, Wasatch Mountains, UT

How it grew

From that first year through 2015, RUFA grew to include friends and colleagues and anyone who wanted to join in the efforts to both climb Grandeur Peak and raise funds for clean air. RUFA became a permitted, official event in 2016, with online registrations and results. That year, 51 people participated and raised $30,000.

Professional runners and friends of Campbell’s, like Luke Nelson, Joe Grant, and Courtney Dauwalter, joined in the efforts over the years.

Participants traveled from all over Utah and beyond, which was both great and challenging, says Campbell. In 2019, Ogden resident and participant Tara Warren pointed out that she and others were driving an hour both ways—contributing to the air pollution—and offered to start a RUFA event on Ogden’s Mayalns Peak. A few years after that, Colorado-based nonprofit Suffer Better reached out to Campbell and offered to host an event in Staunton State Park.

“That’s how it has grown,” says Campbell, “with people whose hearts are in the same place as mine.”

While RUFA expanded in the States, Campbell’s longtime sponsor, Patagonia, launched a European version in June of 2022. Participants gathered at Patagonia retail stores from Berlin to Verbier, Dublin to Milan. An astounding 126,623 people took part.

How it’s going

In 2024, Utah will host four RUFA events—Salt Lake’s Grandeur Peak (February 2-3), Provo’s Kyhv Peak (February 9-10), Ogden’s Malans Peak (February 23-24), and most likely, an event in Moab.

Running Up For Air, February 2020, Grandeur Peak.

And while each U.S. event has a participation cap of 200 or 250 people due to permitting—and events often sell-out—the first Global Running Up for Air Day backed by title sponsor Patagonia will take place in June of 2024. Participants will be able to choose in-person from a Patagonia store that will act as the base area, the start and finish line, and aid station, or participate virtually.

For the virtual version, participants can select any incline they like and complete as many laps up and down that incline as possible. Patagonia North America, South America, Europe, and Asia will all be hosting events and helping drive the virtual mission.

Non profit status

RUFA is now its own 501(3)(c) but, Leslie Keener, who’s taken on a role with RUFA to help promote growth efforts, “That’s not going to take away the support that we’re giving to the local nonprofits that are working on air quality issues.”

Keener explains that becoming a 501(3)(c) allows participants, via drop-down menu while registering for events, to make their donations to partner nonprofits or directly to RUFA. “If we have a little bit of money to work with,” she says, “we can also decide to fund projects or charities that are local that perhaps aren’t being touched, or we can host ongoing education events or speaker series’ or things like that throughout the year. I think of it as allowing us to get more hyper-local.”

Running Up For Air in Staunton State Park.

Sustainability focus

Also moving forward, Global RUFA Day will be a big focus, as will sustainability within U.S.-based events. “We hope that we can be a resource for other race directors,” says Keener. “We’re trying to see how sustainable we can make a race and then essentially share our resources and our knowledge with other event producers.”

Ultrarunner Roch Horton has long run an aid station on Grandeur Peak, washing and reusing tin cups and plates “almost like he’s on a river trip,” says Keener.

And while RUFA may have started with Campbell, his friends and family, and a seasoned ultrarunner crowd, Keener hopes to continue draw a more varied participant base to enhance the community efforts.

“The competition side will always be there,” adds Keener. “But these amazing runners are now participating alongside a seven-year-old girl, or a grandfather or grandmother, which I think is super cool and fits the message that we all have a role to play in improving air quality in our communities.”

About the author

Freelance writer/editor Lisa Jhung has been covering running for over 20 years, having been an editor at Trail Runner Magazine, a co-founding editor at Adventure Sports Magazine, a contributing editor at Runner’s World, and now a frequent contributor and columnist for Outside. She’s written two books, “Trailhead: The Dirt on All Things Trail Running” (2015) and “Running That Doesn’t Suck: How To Love Running (Even If You Think You Hate It)” (2019).

The post Running Up For Air Expands to Include Global RUFA Day appeared first on ATRA.

Potatoes Not Peanuts

Ashworth Awards has become one of the leading brands in the event awards space because of their commitment to improving the status quo. With their sustainability efforts, they follow the same attitude to push boundaries beyond what is expected. Ashworth Awards Vice President/CMO Kim Ashworth shares a story of her middle school daughter asking why packaging peanuts are a shipping norm when they are wasteful and toxic to the environment. This sparked Ashworth to seek more sustainable ways to ship their products to customers, which led to their current use of potato-based biodegradable packing “peanuts.”

Ashworth Awards is a popular choice for trail race directors nationwide seeking awards for their participants. Photo by: Ashworth Awards

Ashworth shares her mentality behind this decision, “The main takeaway in terms of improving our sustainability as a company has always been to proactively think about what we can still do better. We don’t wait for someone else to do it first or find someone to deal with problems for us. We’ve now committed to no plastic packing or packing tape for any of our products shipped to our customers.” Most awards companies rely on plastic packaging, and some companies think about changing to more sustainable materials, but Ashworth goes the extra mile to actually make the shift and inspire positive environmentally-focused change in the running community.

Shift To Local Sourcing

When calculating the carbon footprint of trail races, the awards and/or merchandise have higher impacts than most realize. The production of award materials, largely made and shipped from overseas, and the disposal of many of these products in landfills negatively contribute to large carbon footprints. According to Kim Ashworth, the best way to improve the sustainability of the awards industry is to source nearly exclusively US-made materials and design products that provide value to race participants—limiting the potential for awards ending up in landfills.

Photo by: Ashworth Awards

Ashworth expands on this thought, “The travel of your materials and shipping is something we calculate at Ashworth Awards. This is by far the single biggest change we need to see in the industry. We’ve committed to US-made steel (mostly from Pennsylvania) which is 100% recyclable. We seek out materials with better recyclability to provide better value to our customers. This shift has reduced our company’s carbon footprint and also benefited us from a financial business point of view. Most companies don’t consider how you can reduce tremendous shipping costs for materials that can be sourced nearby.”

The Trail Community Is Ready For Change

The trail running community has taken action in the past decade towards improving the sustainability of its events and protecting the natural environments in which trail races occur. Organizations and resources such as Runners For Public Lands, Trees Not Tees, Protect Our Winters (POW)Trail Race Director Toolkit, Pro Trail Runners Association Environmental Ethical Boundaries, ATRA’s Trail Running Race Sustainability Guidelines, the 2023 US Trail Running Conference’s focus on “Sustainable Sport”, as well as individual action taken by runners in the trail running community such as Dakota Jones’s Footprints Running Camp that seeks to create environment leaders in the trail running community, are just a few recent examples of a community that is enacting positive change. Kim Ashworth speaks to her experience working with races in the trail running space, “Working with trail races has been wonderful. We’ve found all types of running, but especially trail running, are receptive to our sustainability efforts and go above and beyond to make efforts to preserve the natural environments in which their races take place.”

Photo by: Ashworth Awards

Ashworth shares her thoughts on future sustainability goals for her company, “As a company, we are continuously looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and increase the sustainability of our products and services. We have gone completely recyclable in our shipping and receiving department, have changed all out lighting to be LED lighting in both our facilities to decrease our energy consumption, we have changed our ribbon manufacturing to be as close to 100% recycled materials and are continuously looking for new ways to source recycled materials that are able to be recycled for all our products. We are working arduously to encourage all our customers to purchase our Made in USA products to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Learn more about Ashworth Awards’ sustainability efforts here.

The post Ashworth Awards, A Leader in Sustainable Trail Race Business appeared first on ATRA.

For 2024, the race will host for the third consecutive year, an international competition for athletics federations from countries that fought on the side of the allies in World War II to share history and promote peace. This “International Meeting of Nations” will be sanctioned by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL).

Venue: Susa, Italy
Website: https://www.stellinarace.it/en
Date: Sunday, August 25

Three athletes are allowed per team (3 men; 3 women) per nation, and two athletes per team (the top 2 men; top 2 women) score for the team result. There are individual and team awards.

U.S. Team Selection

Top two men / women at the 2024 USATF Vertical Mountain Running Championships / Loon Mountain Race on July 7, 2024.

The third spot will be filled from resume submissions. Resumes are due July 8. Send resumes to Nancy Hobbs (nanohobbs@gmail.com). Any automatic team spots not accepted by the top two at Loon Mountain will be filled from resume submissions.

The team will be announced by July 16.

Team USA athlete eligibility requirements: Athletes must be a 2024 USA Track & Field (USATF) member and eligible to represent Team USA in international competition.

Funding: This team is partially funded by the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) and the local organizing committee (LOC). National team uniforms will be provided by USA Track & Field.

Trip Duration: Team travel from the United States to Italy will depart Thursday, August 22, and arrive on Friday, August 23. Course preview will take place on August 23 and 24. The race is on August 25. Team departure will be on Monday, August 26, for a total of 3 nights lodging (meals and lodging and transport to/from Turin airport are provided by LOC). Team members are welcome to arrive earlier and stay longer, but will need to provide their own lodging and transportation to and from the venue/airport. Susa is located 66 kilometers from Turin airport and 185 km from Milan-Malpensa (MXP) airport. The airport for arrival TBD either Turin (TRN), or Milan-Malpensa (MXP).

Want to learn more about Challenge Stellina? Read the following articles from years past:

August 2023 – Americans Anna Gibson and Christian Allen Podium at Challenge Stellina
August 2022 – Joseph Gray and Grayson Murphy Win Italy’s Challenge Stellina
August 2022 – Looking Back 30 Years – Dave Dunham’s Challenge Stellina
July 2022 – America’s Best Mountain Runners Return to Challenge Stellina
August 2018 – Norway’s Bugge and Ireland’s McCormack win the 2018 Memorial Partigiani Stellina
August 2018 – Stellina 2018 – Italian Mountain Running Classic Celebrates 30 years

The post 2024 Challenge Stellina International Meeting of Nations – US Team Selection appeared first on ATRA.

Demographics

Age breakdown:
54% ages 40-59
21% ages 20-29

Top 5 states:
Colorado—23%
Arizona—11%
California—9%
Texas—6%
Utah—5%

Ethnicity:
89% white

Gender:
58% men
41% women
1% non binary, other, or self describe

Number of years running trails:
59% more than 10 years
39% 10 years or less

Favorite race distance:
52.5% – beyond 26.2 miles (ultras)

Number of races planned for 2024:
77% will run between 2-10 races

Race directing:
26% have directed a trail race

Andy Jones Wilkins and Corinne Shalvoy on the Hardrock 100 livestream.

Livestream data

*Watched a livestream on the day of an event:
30%—Trail race or mountain race—short distance
60%—Trail race or mountain race—beyond the marathon
41%—Road race—any distance
24%—No/Never

Watched a livestream after the event (ie: recorded, not live):
60% responded yes

*What respondents look for in a livestream: (top 5)
68% — live coverage from start to finish
67% — knowledgeable commentators
55% — drone footage
53% — human interest stories about participants
46% — data related to how the athletes are performing

Maggie Guterl livestreaming instead of running the Hardrock 100.
Photo: Peter Maksimow

Favorite platform to watch a livestream:
67%—YouTube

*Why do you watch a livestream? (top 6)
75% — I’m just a fan of the sport
45% — to see a friend(s) running
39% — to feel a part of the event even if I cannot personally participate due to injury or circumstance
39% — to see if it is a race I would want to run in the future
38% — to learn more about the race course
36% — to help build or connect with the running community

*Could check all responses that apply.

Editor’s Note: See an overview of ATRA’s 2023 spring survey here.

The post Trail Runner’s Survey: Livestreaming appeared first on ATRA.

As an athlete, coach, and business leader I have learned a few things — usually the hard way— in the last twenty-five years. Humaning is HARD, right? My personal journey into our beloved outdoor adventure and endurance-filled lifestyle began at age 30.

The back story

A few years prior I began a deep spiral downward in both my mental and physical health. Before getting sick, I carried a lifetime accumulation of poor habits and negative choices trapped in my body and mind. As battle fatigue set in on my 50-pound-overweight-couch potato-body and depressed anxiety-riddled mind, I began to surrender the war for my life.

Without any physical health or the mental-emotional health to navigate out of my life’s toxic trap, I simply crumbled onto the bathroom floor one morning. In total desperation I cried, I clawed then crawled my way out of the house onto my sunshine hope-filled patio. That day I choose to begin actually living and began immediately smashing then sweeping away all the broken pieces of my life in order to rebuild from the ground up.

I had no map or mentor but still I rose up to take back my brain, my body and my life the only way I could possibly grasp… one thought, one action, one day at a time. Here is the simplified version of the re-programming method I used to reinvent my entire body and mind. An everyday human strategy that to this day, allows me and hundreds of others to keep on building this awesome life.

Emotional fitness

What is Emotional fitness? It is the integration and development of your complete emotional and physical self. A way to train your body and your mind daily in order to achieve your dreams. Being emotionally fit allows you to use your body, brain, and soul together to joyfully explore your full potential, then positively empower all the other lives that you touch.

In this three-part series I will impart all three foundational elements for you to explore and develop in your own life. Strength, flexibility, and endurance of the body AND of the mind truly are required by all humans, to not only reach their full potential in sport but additionally to contribute and lead their family, community and business to success.

Physical modalities

Okay, so you probably all know these three physical training modalities and hopefully have developed all three at some point while working towards reaching your athletic goals. Then surely when you have ignored one of these training buckets, you paid a price by falling short of your goals, getting injured or simply not contributing to your team’s victory. The same holds true for developing those same attributes of your mind and emotions. When we are weak in strength, non-compassionate, or lacking resiliency of the mindset we are emotionally vulnerable as well.

The world relates STRENGTH building to gym life, where we use our muscles to lift heavy weights. FLEXIBILITY is viewed as a product of regular stretching, yoga practice or mobility sessions. ENDURANCE (our favorite jam) generates results like increased VO2max and variable cardiovascular fitness through a variety of progressive running workouts, geared towards our key races. At thirty I finally started to learn about all of this myself, before I lost 50 pounds and became a personal trainer, coach, and then race director. I was shocked to understand how nutrition, sleep and stress were contributing to my body and brain break down. But freedom from suffering often requires radical change.

Over the next two years I sweated through the painstaking process of working out, eating differently, rebooting my sleep routine and most challenging of all…walking away from the toxic work and relationship stress I was buried alive under. All of these Herculean tasks felt monumental in size and weight. I could barely carry myself around each day, so every new thought, choice and action took an enormous amount of emotional determination. I was not only building STRENGTH in my body each day, but I was in fact building up power and strength in my mind.

Emotional muscles

I quickly realized that to build your best life you will need muscles! Not to look good in a swimsuit or on Instagram, but strong mental emotional muscles for doing the work. By going to the gym and challenging my body I gained muscle, lost fat and became a more physically fit person. By going to the gym and challenging my thoughts and emotions I became a more emotionally fit person. I developed strength in all areas of my life and in fact I value even more the MENTAL STRENGTH I have built from these last twenty-five years of pushing, lifting, pulling, carrying and challenging myself.

I became very aware that my interlinked weaknesses of body, mind and of character were showing up in the world and holding me back from my dreams. Negative self-talk, judgement of how my body looked instead of felt, and years of placing my personal value outside of me into others’ hands were weak mindset muscles. In order for any of us to build the lives that we want, while withstanding the challenges from living, we have to each get strong in our minds. Strong minds change and inspire our thoughts that then power the positive actions from our bodies.

I lived with negative disempowering thoughts the first thirty years of my life and that created the actions that produced physical illness and mental suffering. The lack of strength in my emotional body drove me to unhealthy relationships, unfulfilling jobs, cycles of self-abuse and a feeling of unworthiness. It was pure magic once I understood that by exercising my physical body, I was changing my brain structure and body chemistry as well. Linking how I felt in my body to how I was thinking and feeling inside my brain was a game changer. The more strength and power I built each day at the gym, the more self-empowerment muscles and inner confidence I developed to navigate the world.

Strong mind

STRENGTH is one of the three foundational life pillars of Emotional Fitness. Strength in your emotional mind flexes self-love, tenacity, empowerment, inner wisdom and intrinsic motivation. Now that is sexy! While building a strong body has obvious benefits that I do not need to sell all of you on;) building a strong mind is critical in order to live an awesome life. Training the two together will unlock your potential and bring you not only better performance in life, but a deeper love of self and higher joy for living. I support you in exploring this aspect of your own Emotional Fitness and look forward to continuing this personal growth conversation.

Please circle back to hear more about Emotional Fitness in parts 2 and 3 of the series. Meanwhile contact me to share your own story and come join our Everyday Awesome Project movement.

Remember my beautiful humans, how your life FEELS is more important than how your life LOOKS.

About Samantha

Coach Sam just launched a new podcast and transformational program for communities, teams and organizations full of beautiful humans who are ready to build healthier brains and bodies! Learning from her own ex-couch potato to Ironwoman then Ultra Woman transformation, Sam deeply believes each person has massive untapped potential and that by training their mindset and physical health simultaneously, they will build not only an awesome life, but go on to create empowered communities and thriving companies. Learn more here.

Editor’s Note: You can read some more articles about Pruitt and her past events here.