Golden Trail Series Announces Changes to Championship Qualification

Announcement from long-time American Trail Running Association (ATRA) member Salomon Running. Photos courtesy of the Golden Trail Series.

As the current worldwide health situation continues to evolve in response to the coronavirus pandemic, trail running races are slowly re-starting in many countries. This gives the Golden Trail Series (GTS) a glimmer of hope that the 2020 trail running season will end better than it began, and they hope runners from around the world will be part of it.

The Golden Trail Championship will take place in Portugal’s Azores islands from the October 29th, 2020 through November 1st, 2020. As previously announced, this will be a four-day stage race event where the 2020 Golden Trail Champion will be the male and female runner with the lowest cumulated time of all the stages. There will also be awards for the best downhill runners, uphill runners and sprinters. All the details can be found here.

All runners are eligible to participate in the Golden Trail Championship as soon as they have entered into the lottery draw and as long as they assume all the costs related to it. Register here.

Golden Trail Series

NEW! The Golden Trail Series have made 76 GOLDEN TICKETS ** available to win in more than 20 countries. A GTS golden ticket earns athletes support for flights (to a maximum amount defined on the website), accommodation and meals for a maximum of eight days in the Azores Faial Garden resort, as well as a free race entry.

These golden tickets can be won at a “golden race”, on specifically designed 20 km to 42 km Strava “golden segments” or at the Golden Trail National Series (GTNS) in France. All the other Golden Trail National Series events have been cancelled.

For the golden races and GTNS France, runners must register for the race(s) on their own. For the golden segments on Strava, runners will be able to run the segment as many times as they want from July 1st to October 1st. At the end of this period, the golden tickets will be awarded to the fastest runners during this period of time up to the limit of golden tickets per segment. Runners must write to [email protected] to claim their golden ticket.

In the list below, you can find all the golden races and segments, along with the number of men’s and women’s golden tickets available for each:

Golden Race/Segments – Date or Qualification Window – Webpage – Number Golden Tickets Available

  • AUSTRALIA – Golden Segment Australia – Aug 18th to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • AUSTRIA – Mayrhofen Ultraks – September 12th – Race Website – 1M 1W
  • BELGIUM – La Bouillonnante – September 5th – Race Website – 1M 1W
  • CANADA – Golden Segment Canada – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • CZECH – Jesenický Maraton – August 22nd – Race Website – 1M 1W
  • FINLAND – Golden Segment Finland – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • FRANCE – Golden Segment France – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 2M 2W
  • GERMANY – Golden Segment Germany – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • ITALY – La Veia Skyrace – September 13th – Race Website – 3M 3W
  • JAPAN – Ontake Old Trail Race – October 10th – Race Website – 1M 1W
  • MEXICO – Golden Segment + El Chico Hidalgo Race – July 1st to Oct 1st + Oct 4th – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • THE NETHERLANDS – Golden Segment Netherlands – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • NORWAY – Golden Segment Norway – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • POLAND – Golden Mountains Trail – July 17th – Race Website – 1M 1W
  • SOUTH AFRICA – Golden Segment South Africa – July 6th to Oct 1st – Info Coming Soon – 1M 1W
  • SPAIN – Trail Cap de Creus – September 27th – Race Website – 2M 2W
  • SPAIN – Gorbeia Suzien – September 25th – Race Website – 2M 2W
  • SWEDEN – Fjallmaraton – 27K July 25th – Race Website – 1 M 1W
  • SWEDEN – Golden Segment Kullamennen – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • SWITZERLAND – Golden Segment & Sierre-Zinal – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 5M 5W
  • UNITED KINGDOM – Golden Segment UK North – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • UNITED KINGDOM – Golden Segment UK South – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • USA – Golden Segment Pacific Northwest – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • USA – Golden Segment Arizona – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • USA – Golden Segment Colorado – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • USA – Golden Segment California – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
  • USA – Golden Segment New England – July 1st to Oct 1st – Strava Segment – 1M 1W
Golden Trail Series

For the Golden Trail National Series (GTNS) France, the top 3 men and women of the overall ranking will get a golden ticket.

The Golden Trail Series ask everyone wishing to participate in the Golden Trail Championship to pre-register for the race before August 15th, 2020 on this link. NOTE: There will be two options when registering:

  • Option A: “I register, I want to go to the race even if I don’t get a golden ticket”
  • Option B: “I register, I will only go if I have a golden ticket”

If a country is in lockdown and athletes are not allowed to travel to the Azores in October, the golden tickets winners of this country will get €500 in prize money to compensate the fact that they won’t be able to travel and participate to the GTC. If the whole Golden Trail Championship has to be cancelled, all the golden tickets winners will get €500 in prize money.

About Salomon: Born in the French Alps in 1947, Salomon is committed to pushing the boundaries of mountain sports through the creation of innovative equipment that allows people to play, progress and challenge themselves in their chosen outdoor sports. The company produces and sells premium footwear, winter sports and mountaineering equipment, hiking equipment, and apparel specifically designed for all of those disciplines. Products are developed in the company’s Annecy Design Center, where engineers, designers and athletes collaborate to create innovative solutions that continually improve the outdoor experiences of those who see nature as a vast playground.

** Golden Trail Championship “golden tickets” are not related to the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run’s golden ticket program founded in 2015.