ATRA includes partner in Event Standards Program

Written by Nancy Hobbs, Executive Director, American Trail Running Association

Colorado Springs, CO —– The American Trail Running Association (ATRA) which formed a partnership with Boulder, Colorado-based Adventure Projects in April, has furthered that relationship by including Trail Run Project in their Event Standards Program.

“One of our goals at ATRA is to educate runners as well as race directors through the event standards program,” said Nancy Hobbs, ATRA Executive Director. “Working with Trail Run Project is just one step in furthering the scope of the standards.”

Launched in April 2015, Trail Run Project is a website and free mobile app that provides the best interactive trail maps and guides on the market, including a rapidly growing Race Directory. For these reasons, TRP is the perfect fit as a partner for ATRA’s Event Standards Program related to the second criteria in the program – the course.

According to the standards, the course should be accurately measured. TRP provides race directors with free, high quality mapping resources that assist runners in selecting races and preparing accordingly.

TRP features include maps, elevation profiles, geo-tagged photos, the ability to take a Virtual Run, and a widget that allows race directors to embed TRP course maps on their website. Example: Gore-Tex Grand Traverse.

“Our community building content and mapping technology improves the trail running experience, and we are pleased to partner with ATRA,” says Jason Smith, Partnerships Manager for Adventure Projects. “TRP and ATRA share the same goals to get more people on the trail- whether competing or just for fun.”

ATRA’s Online Marketing Director Richard Bolt has worked closely with Adventure Projects to integrate the Trail Run Project brand on ATRA’s website and various social media channels. Bolt says, “Since the launch of our new website in January, we’ve been adding even more tools and resources for trail runners. Building on our 6000-plus event trail race calendar, trail news and trail shoe finder; the addition of a trail finder powered by Trail Run Project gives our users a full suite of tools to get started trail running. Furthermore, our members and fans can give back to the trail running community by submitting their own trails to Trail Run Project.”

Of the relationship with the Event Standards Program, Bolt adds, “Including Trail Run Project into our Event Standards Program is just another way to enhance the platform and further assist race directors in providing their course details to runners who seek out quality races with courses that match their interests & abilities. It’s a great fit.”

ATRA is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation based in Colorado. Founded in 1996, ATRA’s mission is to represent and promote trail and mountain running. It is a membership-driven association with annual memberships available at several different levels. Corporations, events, and clubs are invited to join ATRA as sponsors, partners, or members.

ATRA’s many programs include a comprehensive online calendar of trail and mountain running events, a quarterly newsletter – Trail Times, and monthly e-blasts with current information about the sport.

ATRA will again partner with Active at Altitude for the third annual Estes Trail Ascent Trail Running Conference slated to be held October 7-10, 2015, in Estes Park, CO. Additionally, ATRA is the fund raising arm for the U.S. Mountain Running Team.

ATRA is a member of USA Track & Field, Road Runners Club of America, International Skyrunning Federation, International Mountain Bicycling Association, and a founding member of Running USA.

To learn more about ATRA and the event standards program, visit www.trailrunner.com. To learn more about Trail Run Project, visit www.trailrunproject.com. The site and app is part of Adventure Projects’ suite of free resources for the outdoor community. Other platforms by the Boulder-based company include Mountain Project, MTB Project, Powder Project and Hiking Project.

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Trail Run Project is an ATRA partner and powers our Trail Finder tool.