How to become a trail running fan (2023)

Go patriots! Off to the 49s! Go Buccaneers! Go Broncos (yes, the Broncos could use all the help they can get)! Did you catch yourself cheering silently with me? Or against me? Have you donned your NFL jersey of choice to show where your allegiance lies? Or just put on that jersey your family gave you for Christmas that they want you to wear more confidently than your own last name. Without your team colors, you can't get caught by your family on game day. Especially not from grandma.

This is American football pales in comparison to the zeal of European "soccer". Your identity, the characters you look to for inspiration, the stars who know how to navigate the field and get away with the game-changing game exist within your team. Or at least you hope they do.

Maybe you're not a football fan (American or European). My guess is that there is still one athlete character whose story you know or admire. From humble beginnings in Compton, California, the Williams sisters have risen to stardom in the glamorous sport of tennis. Sir Lewis Hamilton overcoming the pressure to fit into the traditions and style of Formula 1 to find an authentic version of himself and become arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, or Michael Oher's rough upbringing with an abandoned father and an addicted pro NFL player mother (check out his story in The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock). Hopefully they are NOT referring to Tiger Wood's transition from a tiger to a "cheetah" (if you get what I mean), but maybe that's an example of how sports gossip can be entertaining, and for some, it's worth watching sports watch tabloid drama.

Simple and adventurous to take to heart

Trail running fans? Yes, there is such a thing and has been for well over 100 years. Trail running's fan base is a small group, but it's global and the people involved in the sport are a passionate bunch who typically enjoy post-race beers and aren't afraid to get dirty in the mud. World Athletics estimatesThere are over 20 million trail runners worldwide. Compared to the fan base and billions of dollars worth of media deals in football, basketball, tennis or other major sports, trail running fans might go unnoticed, but that doesn't mean this community doesn't show their passion for the sport at the same level as everyone great sports.

There is a core group of trail running enthusiasts who wear perforated racing singlets to honor the iconJim Walmsley Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run-Look, or those who created an Instagram meme page YaBoy Scott Jurek to poke fun at the sport on behalf of one of its greatest legends,Scott Jurekor a lesser known but closer to my home in south-central Colorado, 7,000 Feet Running Companyhumorous spoof site, Dollar Store Anton, where store owner Andrew Walker impersonates ultra-running legend Anton Krupicka to provide some laughs and excitementlokale Trailrunning-Communityin Salida, Colorado.

Additionally, more trail running stars than ever are gaining mainstream media attention, like Courtney Dauwalter, who found herself chatting about overcoming personal demons and entering the "cave of pain" on the world's most-streamed podcast.The Joe Rogan Experience. Dauwalter's presence on this podcast demonstrated that the achievements of trail runners are not only appreciated by those who run (or by those who know enough about the sport's characters to create entertaining Instagram memes), but that such incredible feats as Dauwalter's 240 mile run through the desert and mountains of Moab, UT to beat all the men and women at the event by over eight hours can inspire everyone. Not to mention Dauwalter's bubbly personality which makes her a great ambassador for our sport.

Many elite trail runners I've met follow a simple "foam, rinse and repeat" with their way of carrying themselves - they do crazy things, talk about it humbly and dream up new crazy adventures while sipping a few beers drink with friends. This is the life of many of America's best trail runners. Who wouldn't admire their simple, adventurous, and fun spirits? There may not be that many people who know the sport or it's about the same amount of money, but those who know trail running know why it's cool.

Because of its nature as a participatory sport, trail running attracts fans in a different way than most other sports. Participatory sports, as the name suggests, are those in which the majority of fans participate in the sport rather than just watching it. Even on the biggest stages in trail running, suchWestern States 100 Mile Endurance Run,UTMB(arguably trail running's "Super Bowl"), competitors share the same starting line. Although elite runners are often at the forefront, all runners share the same stage and compete against each other.

This is unlike the NFL Super Bowl or NBA Finals, where only a select handful of athletes have the opportunity to compete. Trail runners have the opportunity to race their heroes like Kilian Jornet or Sally McRae on the sport's biggest and most storied stages - although perhaps Kilian and Sally are far enough ahead that they could stop for lunch at a restaurant and play pool , pull a few tabs, play a few rounds at the gym and still have time to finish before you.

It is also unique in that many of the most important trail running competitions in our sport have become respected competitions due to their rich and unique grassroots history. Fans want to be part of or participate in the history of their favorite races to ensure those races are passed on to the next generation. In the United States, many of the most historic races actually started out as dumb challenges or cash bets. Colorado'sKendall Mountain Runwas inspired by a 1908 Barbet to see if it was possible to reach Kendall Mountain Summit (13,066 ft) from the base town of Silverton (9,318 ft). California'sDiveThe race began in 1905 with a contest among members of the San Francisco Olympic Club. The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was originally a 100 mile horse race until Gordy Ainsleigh appeared at the starting line without a horse and ran 100 miles on foot, inspiring others to do the same and leading to the first official Western States 100- Foot races in 1977.Mount Marathon, which has been held annually in Seward, AK for the past 94 years, began with a bet between two "sourdoughs" to see if it would be possible for anyone to climb the 3,022-foot Mount Marathon in under an hour. The loser of the bet would provide the crowd with drinks.

At their heart, many of these grassroots trail races have garnered fans drawn primarily from their local communities, with a handful gaining mainstream exposure. Fans appreciate the rich history of these events and the life they bring to their communities. There is no such thing as fair weatherhard rock 100Fan. These fans are die hard and will endure to compete and watch in any weather, from sunshine and heat to snow and hailstorms, knowing they are part of the tradition that keeps this historic race and our sport alive receives. Most of these races also offer little prize-money incentive for elite athletes and forgo big corporate contracts that change the low-key feel of the event. These races endure unnecessarily large SWAG bags or absurd amounts of course markings, inflated arches and fences demonstrating the mentality: branding, branding and more branding. If you've ever competed in a Spartan Race you know what I mean. Races like the Mount Marathon don't offer prize money to race winners, but time and time again the event attracts exceptional athletes who head to Alaska to return home with the bragging right to conquer the world's toughest 5K.as well as some bloody knees.

The future of trail running fandom

The reserved mass sport character of the sport is changing. For better or for worse, more money and corporate involvement brings new types of athletes and fan engagement. Organizations like Ironman have acquired UTMB (Did you see the extensive “light show” and 100 miles branding Hoka One One and Ironman added to the event this year?). The Salomon Golden Trail Series has also dramatically increased prize money and paid for elite athletes' travel and accommodation to its events to create marketable world and national series events for top trail runners to compete around the world.

Mount Marathon Race Director Matias Saari talks about balancing the momentum of staying true to grassroots history while moving forward.“Our breed is now 94 years old and tradition is very important. It's a small town and the people of Seward and all of Alaska are very proud of this race. We are old school and we will stay old school. Despite this, the race is enjoying growing popularity in the USA and internationally. Big names in our sport including Kilian Jornet and Ricky Gates played a huge part in bringing this race international exposure and publicizing the race in 2015 when they came here to race. We recognize that there is growing interest in the race internationally, but we also want to balance this with tradition.”

Business machines are fully geared towards marketing trail running as a "big thing". Elite athletes strolling around downtown Chamonix for a croissant, saucisson or du bon vin during UTMB weekend must wear dark sunglasses and large hoodies for fear of being recognized and overwhelmed by media attention and autograph sessions . This is already happening to a handful of athletes like Jim Walmsely or Zach Miller at high profile events. I can say from experience that walking 100 yards from point A to point B at a trail race expo with Miller is slower than stop-and-go rush hour traffic in Los Angeles. Once Miller's fans have found him, it will be a long journey to get anywhere, perhaps longer than the race.

More money in trail running has allowed better media coverage and more spectators among racers. Just as fans watch ESPN for sports news, trail runners are looking for ways to catch up on the action of major trail running events. Much of this is still done by word of mouth, e.g. B. by talking to your trail running enthusiasts or friends or by visiting your local running shop. Runners also find out about news in online publications such asiRunFar,Trail Runner Magazine,Magazine ultra run, popular YouTube channels such asThe Ginger Runner, Seth DemoorsDaily running vlogsorVO2max productions, and your humbleATRA Trail Newsfeed. Freetrail is also another online platform that encourages fan participationFreetrail-Fantasie(comparable to any other form of fantasy sports games) and fan voting for the best trail runners of the year.

Podcasts are another great way to keep up with the latest news, training tips, and race stories from top athletes. Check out oursDirectory of trail running podcasts.

But of all the ways trail running fans are getting involved with the sport, for the past two years, live stream technology has been all the hype, creating interaction between fans from around the world like never before. live streams ofEquivalent to 250, received tens of thousands of views during its 122-hour live stream. I can speak from experience as I was at the event (Read my post-race summary here) that viewers were tuned in for 24 hours each day up to the 122-hour limit.

Meanwhile, viewers engaged in live chat commenting on the superpowers of race winner Annie Hughes' signature bucket hat, and the consensus was that she wore it better than Jim Walsmley at the Western States 100. Hughes, your fans held on to the hat for the rest of your running career. The newer 2023100K FlagThe live stream drew similar viewership and hundreds of comments, leading to entertaining discussions among fans, including:

• "Is Santa Hat Kid back?"
• "Canyon Woodward looks kinda like Scott Jurek after a month on Survivor"
• "I prefer nicknames to real names. Easy Dog, Stringbean, etc."

People engage in a fun way with live streams that add color to events both on-site and from wherever fans tune in from around the world.

Supermen and men conquer mountains

Michael Jordan. Lindsey Vonn. Mia Hamm. Every sport has its super athletes, and that's one of the reasons fans tune in to watch sports. Ask yourself, is there a sport that you care about because you see a certain superstar? For me it's tennis because I see Roger Federer. His graceful footwork patterns position his body through dance-like movements in a powerful, athletic "ready position" charged with potential kinetic energy. As the ball gets closer, he unfurls his body, unleashing that stored energy through his body and transferring it into his fully extended racquet to hit the ball in front of him. He swings his racquet through the ball and finishes the shot with the racquet behind his back. It's an art of timing, precision, and graceful yet deadly power.

Trail running super athletes inspire awe by testing human limits outdoors in a way few humans have ever done. The human fascination for the challenges of the "mountains" gives trail running athletes strength. Even those who don't understand trail running understand the difficulties of scaling mountains - let alone dancing effortlessly over shaky ridges, as in videos with Kilian Jornet (WARNING:These videos can create a queasy feelingfor fear of heights or a dangerous "I want that too" attitude for adrenaline junkies).

I envision the "super athlete trail runner pose." The arms stretch towards the sky and balance the body. Both feet in the air, just above a wickedly jagged boulder of granite jutting out of the ground. The extended front foot lowers to the ground, perfectly finding that one patch of solid ground that doesn't look like shards of broken glass or lopsided, bumpy rocks and roots twisting ankle. The pose is heroic. Anyone who hikes, runs, and dances so effortlessly among the beautiful but menacing mountain and wild landscapes is some sort of super athlete worthy of respect. Even if you don't know anything about basketball, watch Michael Jordan throw a ball and you just know. Legend. Watch Jornet dance on ridge lines. Legend.

Trail running has been around long enough to rank mythical legends, individuals who took the sport to new heights and created stories for fans to tell and retell. Matt Carpenter, Ann Trason, Anton Krupicka, Timothy Olsen, Anita Ortiz and Ellie Greenwood are some of the many American trail running legends who have forever made a name for themselves in the sport and helped define and transform their respective generations in the sport . For some, their names are engraved in the history of specific races, such as B. Carpenter at "America's Mountain" Pikes Peak for his eighteen combined victories in the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent races (twelve marathon and six ascent victories). In the trail running world, I don't think it's a stretch to say that it's actually "Carpenter's Mountain" and not "America's Mountain".

Fans, especially young fans, need trail running lore and characters to look up to to inspire the next generation of trail runners. 17-year-old trail running phenom Sebastian Salsbury, who won the 2022Nine Trails 35 Mile Runcredits his early involvement in trail running with his role models in the sport, such as 2011 World Mountain Running Champion Max King, and his access to trail running videos that inspire him to one day run the Western States 100 and compete at the highest level participate in the sport. Two-time world mountain running champion Joseph Gray has also taken to social media to speak openly about the importance of showing up as a black athlete in a white-dominated sport, and giving hope to other young black athletes to find their place in trail running.

In addition to inspiring super athletes, trail runners also become fans of the sport because of their humanity. Trail running is an inherently "raw" sport. Dirt. sweat. Smelly shoes. Friends and family who accompany their runners may see them at their lowest lows and highest highs. They'll take on tasks like grooming exposed skin by scrubbing or blistering, scooping hot ramen into their mouths, and hoping they can mostly make it rather than messing up their whole face (although a little bit of food on their face is inevitable). trail running, especially for those with beards) and maybe even help them put Squirrel's Nut Butter in dark crevices that nobody expects to touch in public.

But it also helps these athletes through their lows to reach great heights, which is what makes this sport so wonderful. Race director Craig Thornley has said if more people were spending time on itThe golden hour, the final hour before the 30-hour cutoff time at the Western States 100, the world would be a better place. I urge him to explain more and he replies:"You see humanity. These are people with jobs, families and not necessarily athletic, but I love watching this fight in the last hour. It's this juxtaposition of human exhaustion and human achievement. If you don't cry during the golden hour, something is wrong with you. It is wonderful."

Trail running at its best is more than a win-or-lose sport. It's about struggle and perseverance on a basic human level that we can all understand.

What stories would YOU like to hear?

Storytelling has the power to transform sport. We as fans have the power to define our sport's media and the stories they tell, which in turn defines the nature of the sport of trail running. Look out for the most influential trail running media like Salomon Golden Trail Series and UTMB. The names "Maude", "Kilian", "Nienke", "Remi" or "Courtney" are mentioned umpteen times in each of their video scripts and there is no question that their story revolves around marketable race winners. While it's common for sports media to focus on winners, let's not forget that trail running has the potential to tell so many other interesting stories. Here are a few that come to mind:

• Mira Rai,Nepalese child soldier turned professional runnerinspiring women in Nepal to break out of traditional gender roles and become trail runners.
• Zach Friedley, professional adaptive athlete who inspiredthe Born to Adapt movementand is also a main character in Born To Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide
• Lucy Barthalomäusand their commitment to physical and mental health and a better world through sustainable nutrition –Check out her cookbook.
• Ricky Gates, professional runner less interested in racing and more interested in creative running projects that use his poetic insights to help us better understand our country and cultures around the world – check out hisProjects every single streetandTransamerica.
• Stevie Kremer, professional runner who has been at the forefront of the sport for many years and found the balance between herselfelementary school teacher career and ongoing lifein the quaint mountain town of Crested Butte, CO.
• Dakota Jonesand his focus on sustainability and inspiring environmental leaders in the trail running community - check out my interview with Dakota about his Footprints Running Camp projectuses the trail running community to take climate action.

I don't want to throw the Golden Trail Series or UTMB under the bus, so to speak, but as our sport grows, mainstream trail running media is expected to tell more traditional "winner's perspectives" because that's what's most consistently shown to draw viewers. But you as a fan can always demand more from your media. Look for the most inspirational stories, whether they're front or back. Encourage our media to describe trail running for the adventurous, resilient, and humane sport that it is and not just tell another “win/lose” sports story. Stories like Mira Rai or Ricky Gates are the ones that have “legs” that you can listen to, read, or watch over and over again for inspiration as to why you run trails.

Aside from being an outside fan, the absolute best way to instantly become a fan of the sport is to attend a trail running race in person. Consider volunteering at an aid stationa local trail race. The trail running community is special. You'll experience the weirdness, devotion, humor and raw sense of human endurance from the top to the back of the pack. There's no turning back once you become a trail running fan. You'll be dancing on ridgelines, running 100 miles, and following trail running meme sites before you know it.

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