Last month, Outdoor Alliance and Runners for Public Lands were at TrailCon, which is North America’s premier trail running festival at Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, CA. The event was bookended by the Broken Arrow Skyrace and the iconic 100 mile Western States Endurance Run . The two-day event welcomed thousands of individuals from around the world, including elite athletes, trail running industry leaders, brands, and fans.

According to the 2023 Outdoor Industry Association Participation Trends Report, nearly 60 million people in the United States identify as runners, making this sport the second-largest outdoor recreation group in the country. Trail running, specifically, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sports with a 6% annual growth rate, and recent data shows that runners recreate more frequently than any other sport – averaging 9x the number of outings compared to hikers who are the next most active recreation group in the U.S.

Over the last several years Outdoor Alliance and Runners for Public Lands have been working in together to mobilize the trail running community, race directors, and grassroots groups to work directly with lawmakers and land managers to advocate for legislation, adequate funding for natural resources, land manager staffing, and advancing conservation policy to ensure that our public lands and waters are safe, healthy, and welcoming for all to enjoy.

Over the two-day event our organizations were able to be part of several activation events including an early morning shakeout run with the Kilian Jornet Foundation, where we able to share more about our collective efforts on advocating for public lands, advancing conservation, climate resiliency, and how the trail running community can become more involved in grassroots advocacy efforts.

During the conference, we organized a panel discussion with leaders from the trail community including Tim Tollefson, Race Director of mammoth Trailfest and Board of Directors, Runners for Public Lands, Craig Thornley, Race Director, Western States 100 and Waldo 100k, and Lauren Shoemaker, State Park Superintendent, Auburn State Recreation Area, California State Parks. The group had a robust discussion on the challenges related to protecting access to public lands for trail running races, the need for cross-jurisdiction collaboration with the public and private sectors, and how the trail running community has an outsized impact in helping to shape and influence policy during this critical time.

TrailCon shined a light on how eager the running community is to join other recreation groups in the protection of public lands and outdoor recreation advocacy. Led by a dozen Runners for Public Land Ambassadors, Board members, and brand coalition reps, the run community crafted and sent nearly 250 messages to lawmakers across 23 states advocating for public lands and waters.

“The running community, and specifically running event organizers and race directors, are tenacious and powerful public lands advocates. I’m proud to be part of the RPL team bringing runners together to fight for policies that protect public lands, expand access to nature for all, and support the critical work of state and federal land managers. Together with the broader coalition of outdoor recreation groups and the Outdoor Alliance, I am confident that the tenacity and perseverance embodied by runners will continue to be an additive force to our collective efforts during this time of continuous and repetitive threats. ”

— Runners for Public Lands

The stakes are high for access to public lands and waters across the country. Over the years, collaboration and partnership have been critical for the success of trail running races and community events. Outdoor Alliance and Runners for Public Lands are committed to working with partners across the country and beyond to support the outdoor recreation and trail community in advancing thoughtful recreation and conservation policies that ensure that public lands are safe and welcoming for future generations.

A special thank you to the TrailCon organizers Brendan Madigan and Dylan Bowman, for inviting us to the conference. We are incredibly grateful to work with this team and their leadership for providing a welcoming space for the trail running community to come together to have these important conversations.

P.S If you want to keep in touch and learn more on how you can join us to help protect important places, please sign up here: https://www.outdooralliance.org/sign-up

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Trip Report: TrailCon with Runners for Public Lands