Look out trail running world, six incredible young up-and-coming athletes have been selected for The Trail Team, and they are ready to compete with the best in the world. The Trail Team, a mentorship program for the rising talent in trail running, was founded in 2023 by Andy Wacker, four-time trail national champion and two-time cross county All-American for the University of Colorado. The mission: to independently support and develop rising athletes into the best professional trail runners in the world through mentorship, skill development, and media exposure. Read more about the application process and the inspiration behind this project in my previous article The Trail Team Mentorship For Trail Runners Pursuing Professional Careers.
Between January and February 6, 2023, applications for the inaugural Trail Team were accepted. The 2023 selected athletes are: Lauren Gregory, Christian Allen, Anna Gibson, Sam Hendry, Alex Lawson, and Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau. These athletes come from different backgrounds including nordic skiing and NCAA Track/Cross Country, but they all are similarly new to trail running competitively and have found instant success. Learn more about these athletes’ accomplishments, what it means to them to be selected for this team, and their trail running goals below.
Lauren Gregory. Photo credit: Joe Viger
Lauren Gregory, 23, Fayetteville, AR
Gregory is an accomplished athlete on the track and trails. She is a seven-time NCAA Division 1 All-American for the University of Arkansas and placed eleventh at the 2022 US National Championships in the 1,500M. On trails, she found early success at the U20 World Mountain Running Championships where she placed third. She has since represented Team USA in trail and mountain running at the 2022 Challenge Stellina and 2022 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships where she placed eighth and twelfth respectively in the mountain events.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- Golden Trail Series races: Sierre-Zinal, Pikes Peak Ascent, and Mammoth Trail Fest
- Broken Arrow 26K and VK
- FKT – Buffalo River Trail
“What a great opportunity to learn from such awesome and inspiring people in the sport!” – Gregory
Additional articles featuring Lauren Gregory can be found here.
Christian Allen. Photo credit: Cirque Series
Christian Allen, 25, Provo, UT
Allen is a former Weber State and current Brigham Young University (BYU) track and cross country athlete. He has placed in the top twenty at the Division I NCAA Cross Country nationals twice in 2019 and 2021. He also ran under 28:30 minutes for the 10K for the first time in 2022. In the trail running world, he earned his first victory at the 2022 Cirque Series Snowbird race, where he narrowly missed the course record set the previous year by his new teammate, Sam Hendry.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- Win the Speedgoat 50K
- Win the Moab Trail Marathon
- Place top 10 at Pike Peak Ascent
Additional articles featuring Christian Allen can be found here.
Anna Gibson
Anna Gibson, 23, Jackson, WY
Gibson currently runs for the University of Washington where she anchored her Distance Medley Relay team to an NCAA record. On the track, she specializes in the 800 and 1,500 meters. In 2021, she placed fifth at the USATF Mountain Running Championships, and in 2022 she placed fourth at a World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup race in Saint-Gervais, France.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- “Among the Golden Trail events, I am amped about Pikes Peak Ascent! This sounds like my jam.”
- World Cup at Sierre Zinal
- The Rut 28K. “I loved the 11k and the VK last year but I plan to step up to the most competitive distance in 2023.”
- “Bonus goal: I want to take back the Women’s Unsupported FKT on the Teton Crest Trail. My friend and I set a new record in 2020 (I was brutally unprepared for the distance). It has since been broken twice. Breaking the record again is a big goal I have for the coming year.”
Additional articles featuring Anna Gibson can be found here.
Sam Hendry. Photo Credit: Cirque Series
Sam Hendry, 23, Salt Lake City, UT
Hendry is the 2019 Canadian 50K Classic Ski Champion and five-time All-American for the University of Utah Nordic ski team. In 2022, Hendry made a leap into the competitive trail running scene where he finished twelfth in the Golden Trail Series World final rankings. He placed third at the Flagstaff Skypeaks race, tenth at Stranda Fjord, and seventh at Mount Marathon.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- World Mountain & Trail Running Championships for Vertical Mountain and Classic Mountain events (Canada)
- Golden Trail Series
Additional articles featuring Sam Hendry can be found here.
Alex Lawson. Photo Credit: Joe Viger
Alex Lawson, 24, Craftsbury, VT
Similar to Hendry, Lawson is also an accomplished nordic skier who became interested in running trails last year. She was an All-American for Middlebury College and is now a professional skier who has competed at two U23 World Championships and several World Cup races. In trail running, she placed third at the 2022 USATF Vertical Mountain Running Championships.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- Sunapee Scramble, to qualify for World Mountain & Trail Running Championships vertical mountain race
- World Mountain & Trail Running Championships classic mountain race
- Golden Trail Series
“I’ve always loved trail running, but in the past running served only as a way to train for skiing. I am beyond stoked to join with the Trail Team and trail community to begin to pursue competitive trail running more seriously alongside skiing because I think you really can do both!” – Lawson
Additional articles featuring Alex Lawson can be found here.
Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau
Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau, 22, Sunnyvale, CA
Beaudoin-Rousseau runs Cross Country for the University of Stanford, which he has represented four times at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships. He has also raced internationally for Team USA at the 2019 U20 World Championships. In 2021, he ran his first trail race, The USATF Mountain Running Championships, where he placed seventh. Although he is still new to running trails, he has an extensive mountaineering and climbing background and has set several Fastest Known Times (FKTs) in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
2023 Goals and Competitions
- Mammoth Trail Fest 26k
- Broken Arrow 23k
- “I’m also looking at competing in some Cirque Series races.”
Additional articles featuring Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau can be found here.
Stay tuned for more youth-related running content in line with ATRA’s 2023 theme, “Celebrate Youth on The Trails,” including updates from The Trail Team. Find resources, such as sample youth racing schedules, coaching, nutrition, strength training, and podcast recommendations on The Trail Community page here.
