“Trail running has opened the door to the exploration of the world. All the challenges and good times with which this avenue has given me keeps me in pursuit of my potential. I want to see how far I can go in running, and in life.” —Ali Papillon
Ali Papillon is drawn to trail running in ways few runners his age are. At just twenty-one years old, Papillon has already been racing competitively in some of the toughest trail races in the country for over a decade and achieved numerous podiums, records and impressive performances that have made him one of the top young runners to watch in the sport. His achievements include setting an overall up-and-down FKT (fastest known time) on the Manitou Incline at only eighteen years old (29 minutes and 10 seconds!), placing seventh at the 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K, first at the 2025 Cactus to Cloud 30K Skyrace, and sixth at the 2026 Mount Marathon, to name a few.
Cabin kid
Papillon’s strength in trail running is rooted in his upbringing in a small cabin in Alaska. Although born in New York City, Papillon’s family moved to Alaska when he was three years old. His father, in true Alaskan Last Frontier fashion, built their family a home by hand and axe, clearing the land the old fashioned way. The cabin was situated in the wilderness an hour north of Denali State Park—a trail running paradise. Papillon describes his wild youth in Alaska, “We had no electricity or running water. We would chop wood to keep the cabins warm. We would play by simply running around on the land.”
Papillon’s father was not only a handy-man, but a trail runner. He encouraged Papillon’s older brother, Bodhi Goss (also an elite level trail runner) to compete in local Alaskan trail races with him. Papillon’s mother, uncles and cousins also ran. It was not long before Papillon joined the family trail running tradition. Papillon shares his growth through the Alaskan trail running scene, “I grew up participating in the local races with my family. I ran the classics, such as the junior race at Mount Marathon and Bird Ridge Race. I became obsessed with the sport and watched episodes of Kilian’s Quest and read Trail Runner Magazine. I learned everything about it that I could.”
His parents wrote letters to race directors to allow him to compete with them at some of the toughest trail races in Alaska. At just ten years old, Papillon conquered the Matanuska Peak Challenge, a ten mile out-and-back with over 10,000 feet of vertical gain. “The Alaskan trail running scene was great in that it was so wild and extreme, but also more unregulated. If we could prove to the race director that I had proper experience in the mountains or had done another challenging race, they would let me enter,” he said.
Papillon’s remoteness in Alaska led to a more isolated upbringing than most, but he found his sense of community through trail running, “Alaska can be an isolating place. I grew up homeschooled by my family, so running and racing really was my community. I’d meet people, then see them again at other races. It made me feel alive being a part of this atmosphere of working hard with other people who want to have fun and run in the mountains.”
Trail town tour
Papillon’s shared family passion for trail running continued even after they decided to move down to the Lower 48 in 2023. The family explored several locations, seeking the ideal training environment for running. The Papillons lived in Colorado (Manitou Springs and Boulder), then made the switch to Lake Tahoe in 2026.
Papillon describes what each of these trail towns taught him about his training, “Each place we moved to was a very different training ground. Alaska was wild and you could run on soft snow in the winter and in the summer have twenty-four hours of daylight to explore the biggest, toughest mountains. Boulder was a great professional community, stacked with elite athletes that I never would have met training in Alaska. Manitou was home to Pikes Peak, one of the most famous mountains in Colorado and it had a great community. Now, after recently moving to the Tahoe area, I’m enjoying the beautiful nature, lush terrain, water, and small but surprisingly strong trail community. Our family has been living without a car since leaving Alaska, so having trails right in our backyard is very important to us.”
Family—friends and foes
Papillon’s family is supportive of each other’s running careers, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t competitiveness amongst family members. Both Goss and Paillon have achieved podiums and elite level results, which has created a heated, but supportive rivalry amongst brothers. Papillon describes his relationship with his brother, “We’re both competitive with each other, but in a way that pushes each other.”
After setting the FKT for the Manitou Incline (a notoriously difficult 2,000 foot stair climb in less than one mile), Papillon’s record was beaten by four seconds by none other than his older brother Goss. In return, Papillon has similarly stolen his brother’s FKTs in the Tahoe area. He describes their rivalry, “He’ll beat me, I’ll beat him. I’ll have an FKT, he’ll take it, then I’ll take it back, and so on. We make each other faster all the time by how each of us raises our level again and again to beat the other.”
Between professional and amateur
Papillon has reflected on the complicated situation of his running career, feeling stuck between professional and amateur running. A previous ambassador for Salomon Running from 2022 to 2023 and ambassador for NNormal since 2024, Papillon has established connections with reputable brands in trail running, but not yet landed a professional contract that has allowed him to live solely off of his running career. “I work at the local Whole Foods making pizza. That’s how I’m funding my racing season this year,” said Papillon.
He describes the challenge of not being a professional runner yet not identifying as an amateur either, “I’m not a professional runner, but I feel like I’m bridging over from amateur more to that side. I’m currently between these two zones, which can make it hard sometimes. Races might have spots saved for elite racers, but not for someone like me. Pro runners might have spots to stay at races, but I kind of have to figure things out on my own. It’s hard when you want to compete like a pro, but don’t always have the support to do so.”
Seward soul
Papillon and Alaska’s most famous trail race, the Mount Marathon, have a storied history. Papillon has competed in the race six times as a junior, and five times as a senior. In the junior race, he’s been both champion and runner-up, and ran the third fastest time in junior history in 2022. He was only just over a minute behind the record held by Bill Spencer, which has stood since 1973. Papillon describes his excitement around the race as a junior that led to his continued love for the event, “I always wanted to get Bill Spencer‘s record, so I was chasing that every year I competed as a junior. I was always amazed by the idea of going all the way up the mountain and coming back down as they do in the senior race. I knew that this is what I wanted to do when I got older.”
Even though Papillon no longer lives in Alaska, the place and its trail running community have a special spot in his heart, “I always look forward to going back to Alaska. It’s about reconnecting with friends, family and the amazing trails there.”
Broken Arrow breakthrough
Aside from the recognition he’s received from his trail running achievements in Alaska, Papillon is best known for his performances at the Broken Arrow Skyrace. He has competed in the event five times, racing both the prestigious 23K and Ascent distances.
At seventeen years old, Papillon ran his first Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K, where he placed eighteenth in a field lined with professional runners. Papillon describes his first race experience at the Broken Arrow and what kept drawing him back to this competition, “This was the first big, mega trail race that I competed in. It was amazing to see how much of a competition it was. I had heard about it but to actually be there was a different experience. It’s a whole weekend of racing and I haven’t seen anything like it in the US. The whole place feels like nothing but a ‘runner’s world’ for the entirety of the event.”
Rapid Fire Questions
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What’s your favorite aid station food/beverage items?
[ALI PAPILLON] At an aid station I usually just go for some water. I use coconut water, blueberry juice, and dragon fruit for my race nutrition.
[TAYTE] What’s your current training shoe?
[ALI] I’ve been training in the Nnormal Kjerag 1
[TAYTE] What’s your favorite racing shoe?
[ALI] I’ve been racing in the Brooks Catamount Agil
[TAYTE] What’s your favorite type of trail to run?
[ALI] My favorite trail is a good hard dirt trail that ascends into alpine terrain
[TAYTE] Who is your biggest trail running inspiration and why?
[ALI] My biggest inspiration when I was younger was Kilian Jornet. Now I draw a lot of inspiration from the older generations of running. Pablo Vigil, Ricardo Mejia, and Abebe Bikila. Abebe particularly because he won the 1960 Olympics barefoot. Pablo and Ricardo because of what they were able to achieve without all the support and science we have in the sport today. Their devotion and involvement in the sport to this day is highly motivating. Two runners of this generation that inspire me are Philemon Kiriago and Yomif Kejelcha. Philemon because of his epic battles in the sport and his ability to be one of the best in the world at such a young age. Kejelcha because of his incredible range of speed and his debut performance in the Marathon.
Curious to learn more about Papillon and his running career? Follow his Instagram here.
Stay tuned for his next race, Switzerland’s Sierre-Zinal, which will be held August 8, 2026. Read a pre-race article about this year’s race here.
