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:
Accident Insurance
The American Trail Running Association has partnered with Adventure Advocates to provide low cost accident medical insurance for trail runners:
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.
Diversity & Inclusion Links
- OUTrun
- 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)
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!
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
