How to Get Started
Trail running is a great way to enjoy nature, get exercise and explore beyond the roads. While there is an abundance of specialized trail running gear & footwear, you can use standard running equipment to get started. Click the button below to read our "8 Trail Running Tips: How to get started" article!
Coaches & Camps
Take your trail running to the next level by hiring a coach or attending a camp. Choose from our list of over 50 coaches & over 120 trail running camps by clicking the button below:
Trail Maintenance
Learn how to preserve and care for the trails you enjoy. Find a trail work group near you in our national directory of over 120 organizations:
Clubs
Joining a club is a great way to meet other trail runners. We've compiled a list of over 120 mountain, ultra and trail running clubs located around the United States.
Accident Insurance
The American Trail Running Association has partnered with Adventure Advocates to provide low cost accident medical insurance for trail runners:
Diversity & Inclusion Links
- OUTrun
- Black Trail Runners (UK)
- Diversity Outdoors
- Greening Youth Foundation
- Outdoor Afro
- Lost N Portland
- Black Girls Run
- OUT There Adventures
- Latino Outdoors
- Natives Outdoors
Running Organizations
- Runners for Public Lands – Advocating for runner interests and mobilizing running communities to both protect and restore local lands and rivers, the places we love to run.
- Trail Sisters – A community of women inspiring others to lead healthy lifestyles while adventuring outdoors and protecting Earth’s playgrounds.
- Trail Running Association (United Kingdom) – The Trail Running Association (TRA) is an associate member of UK Athletics (UKA) and arranges the UK Trail Running Championships.
- World Mountain Running Association – Recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the WMRA is the official international governing body of mountain running.
- Collegiate Running Association – Mountain & Trail Championship's for college students
- International Trail Running Association – Founded in July 2013, ITRA evaluates & certifies trail races, ranks international elite trail runners and promotes trail running worldwide.
- Road Runners Club of America – Dedicated to the promotion and grass roots support of long distance running
- Skyrunning.com (International Skyrunning Federation)
- American Ultrarunning Association – US ultrarunning stats and records
- Fifty States HALF Marathon Club – A National running club catered toward half marathon runners, also known for their 50 States Challenge and 100 Half Anywhere Challenge
- Half2Run – Run a Half Marathon in half the states
USA Track & Field's Mountain, Ultra & Trail Links
- USATF MUT Council (The Mountain, Ultra and Trail (MUT) Sport Council's main charge is to give the runners it represents a voice within USATF, our sport's national governing body.)
- US Mountain Running Team (Competing each September at the WMRA World Mountain Running Championships)
- USA Ultrarunning (Website for US teams competing in the IAU 100k & 24 Hour World Championships)
- USA 24 Hour Running Team (Facebook Page)
- USATF New England MUT (Home of the New England Mountain Running Circuit)
- USATF-Pacific Ultra Running (Ultra Running Grand Prix Series in Northern California & Northern Nevada)
- USATF Southern California (Home of the So Cal Ultra Runners Grand Prix Series)
- USATF Pacific Northwest (MUT programs in Washington State)
- USATF Niagara (Ultra trail series in Upstate New York)
- USATF Minnesota (Association trail & ultra championship races)
- USATF Long Island (Home of the USA 50K Championships)
Trail Running Podcasts
To help you stay connected with the latest news, personalities and trends in our sport, we’ve created the following directory of 42 trail running podcasts.
Take Climate Action
Race directors are in a unique position to educate and influence the trail running community. To help them mobilize our community around the climate crisis, Protect Our Winters' (POW) Race Director Toolkit is a great resource.
Show Me the Race Director Toolkit!
Trail Clean-up & Plogging
Join other runners and keep our trails clean. What would happen if everyone picked up at least one piece of litter?
Sustainability Guidelines for Races
Race directors can greatly reduce the impact of their trail races on the environment by instituting a few simple measures. Check out our sustainability guidelines for trail running races.
Book Links
More great titles
- NEW: Where the Road Ends - A Guide to Trail Running
- Trailhead by Lisa Jhung
- Run or Die: Kilian Jornet
- Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
- Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons
- Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning
- Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself
- Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
- The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultrarunning Greatness
Magazine links
Ultrarunning
- iRunFar.com (Mud, mountains, miles & more)
- Ultra-Trail World Tour
- Ultra Runner Podcast (Ultramarathon News, Interviews & Reviews)
- Ultra168.com (The ultra & trail running community)
- Talk Ultra (Hosted by Ian Corless)
- Journey Film (YouTube)
- Trail & Ultra Running (Gear reviews, race reports & more)
- Trail Running Review (Gear reviews from Spain)
- Ultramarathonrunning.com (Ultramarathon running races, training & information for ultra running enthusiasts!)
- Australian Ultra Runners Association
- Trail Runner Nation
- Skyrunner.com – (Matt Carpenter's blog)
- New York Ultra Running
- Multidays.com (News & events from the world of ultra running)
Running Camps & Guides
Trail Running Blogs
- Adventures in Thumbholes
- Appalachian Mountain Club
- Joe Gray (Hoka One One)
- Alex Varner (Nike Trail Elite)
- Scott Dunlap (Inov-8)
- Jennilyn Eaton (La Sportiva)
- Central Mass Striders
- DES BOSSES ET DES BULLES (French)
- Dax Ross - Dirty Running
- Dave Dunham (Mountain Running Legend)
- Jim Johnson (Double J Running)
- Trail Running in the French Alps
- Justin Houck
- Ellie Greenwood (Salomon)
- Ultra Cassie
- Jim Pawlicki (Good Clean Run)
- Jill Homer (Jill Outside)
- Ian Torrence
- Michael Owen (Owen Running)
- Maria Dalzot (La Sportiva)
- Mario Mendoza (Sketchers)
- Patrick Rich
- Alicia Eno
- Run Norman
- John Burton
- Sage Canaday (Hoka One One)
- Scott Jurek (Eat & Run)
- Ian Sharman (Sharman Ultra)
- Sam Robinson (The Gaunt Life)
- Pam Smith (The Turtle Path)
- Buzz Burrell (Ultimate Direction)
- Trail Porn
- Ultra Pedestrian Ras
- Ultra Runner Girl
- Where East Turns West
- Candice Burt
- Kevin Tilton
- David Roche (Hoka One One)
- Boulder Running Company (Adidas)
- Craig Thornley (Conduct The Juices)
- Paul Stofko (Crazy Legs Adventures)
- Devon Yanko (Fast Foodie)
- Michele Yates (Rugged Running)
- Everywhere Without Delay (England)
- Josh Arthur (Altra / VFuel)
- Josh Spector
- Larisa Dannis (Hoka One One)
- Jason Bryant (La Sportiva)
- Eric MacKnight (Mac The Knight)
- Dominic Grossman (New Balance)
- Scott Jaime (Team Fast Eddy)
- Tim Olson (adidas Terrex)
- New England Mountain Running Circuit
