In the world of trail running, Mike Ambrose has worn more hats than most. In the past fifteen years, Ambrose has transformed from a passionate fan of trail running, to one of the most impactful leaders driving change for the sport in a variety of areas including product development, brand management and athlete marketing. Ambrose, now 38, first started trail running in the early 2010s, and has competed as a high level athlete, worked as the Salomon Trail Running Team/Product Line Manager, NNormal U.S. Country Manager and most recently as U.S. Country Manager for Näak nutrition. Few figures in the sport have had the opportunity to so closely witness and participate in the professionalization of trail running.
In line with ATRA’s 2026 theme, Roots and Horizons, Ambrose has paved a trail for an evolved future in the sport, while also remaining connected to the roots of why people continue to be drawn to trail running across the globe.
Krupicka trail kin
“I was in the Anton Krupicka era of people getting into the sport. I read his blog, watched Salomon TV endlessly, discovered major races of the era such as the JFK 50 and looked up to people who were breaking barriers at the time including Krissy Moehl and Dean Karnazes. I was consumed by the sport.” —Mike Ambrose
Ambrose first started trail running in 2010, and was inspired (as many were at the time) by none other than trail running icon Anton Krupicka. Krupicka’s philosophical approaches to running, simplistic living and strong connection to nature, attracted a new wave of trail running followers. Trail running quickly occupied Ambrose’s life. While at college on the east coast, he signed up for his first ultramarathon, which further cemented his draw to the sport, “I ran my first ultramarathon as a fun challenge, on a whim. I didn’t know anything about how to train, I had just heard about this race called the JFK 50 and decided to run it with a friend.” Ambrose finished his first 50-miler in 9:41:33.
Ambrose’s passion for the sport continued to grow, “I bought Dean Karnazes’ book (50 Marathons, 50 Days). I watched the Patagonia-sponsored video series from Krissy Moehl (which even still gives me goosebumps talking about them today!). I raced home to catch Twitter feeds the year Timmy Olsen broke the Western States 100 Mile Endurance record. I read weekly blog posts from Anton Krupicka. Trail running became such a key part of my life.”
Little did Ambrose know at the time, he would one day work closely alongside many of the idols he had looked up to when he first entered the sport. He describes the experience of meeting Moehl, one of the most inspiring figures in his running journey, “I remember meeting her for the first time fifteen years after some of the first trail running videos of her had been released, and telling her, ‘you don’t know this, but you’re a huge part of the reason I’m where I am today.’ Without Krissy, I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing right now. Life would be completely different.”
Curious to learn more about Moehl? Read our story Roots and Horizons: Krissy Moehl, Trail Running Without a Plan.
Expanding foundations of professionalism
In 2016, Ambrose put his background in marketing to work with Salomon Running. After working as a tech rep for the company in 2015, he expanded his role, earning the responsibility of signing new athletes to the trail running team. Through his work, Ambrose created some of the most impactful marketing campaigns that have contributed to the professionalization of the sport. Ambrose reflects on his time in this role at Salomon from 2016 to 2019, “Many of the foundations of the professional advancements we see in the sport today were started during this time. There was so much evolving so quickly, and to have facilitated some of these changes from an internal brand perspective was amazing.”
Several of Ambrose’s key projects at Salomon included assisting in organizing and executing the Salomon Golden Trail Series (one of the world’s most competitive trail running series), facilitating How to Trail Run Workshops (over 100 around the United States), and signing professional running contracts with some of the most influential athletes in the sport including Courtney Dauwalter, Corrine Malcolm, Addie Bracy, as well as supporting already existing Salomon elite team members such as Kilian Jornet, Emily Forseberg, Anna Frost, and many more.
Ambrose speaks on his experiences working with these athletes, “It was really cool to see the diversity of our team and all the different things they each did, and have gone on to do. Courtney has had such a positive impact on the sport for women and been a great ambassador for the U.S. around the world. Corrine has become a voice of the sport and a true expert in a variety of communities. Addie has progressed efforts towards diversity and inclusion with her OutRun organization. It was such a pivotal time and I’m glad to have played a role in helping these athletes.”
All roads lead to Chamonix
Ambrose’s role at Salomon continued to expand, and he moved from the United States to the company headquarters in Annecy, France in 2019. For nearly three years, Ambrose’s work moved beyond marketing and team management, into product development.
During this time, Ambrose also experienced firsthand the strength of the French trail running community. The nearby trail running mecca, Chamonix, France, has been regarded as the epicenter for trail running—and Ambrose quickly discovered why, “It seems like we’re in an era where all trail races lead to Chamonix in some way (similar to the common phrase in triathlon, ‘all roads lead to Kona,’ which references the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii). Trail running has always been global, but now it’s continuing to expand in a more integrated way. What’s happening in the U.S., Europe, Asia, etc. is all becoming more connected.”
Big fish, small pond 50k crushers
In addition to Ambrose’s role in shaping careers for elite athletes, he also has an impressive running career of his own. Ambrose placed in the top fifty at his first 100-mile race, the 2013 Leadville 100, finished in the top ten at the 2016 USATF 50K road championship and has won or competed at trail races throughout the country throughout a variety of distances and styles. Through his own journey as a competitive athlete, he’s experienced the advancements and professionalization of the sport, many of which he played a role in facilitating. “I used to tell my buddy that I worked with Salomon that we could hop in a 50K anywhere around the U.S. and win. Now, it’s not like that. The sport has become so much more competitive and being a fast runner doesn’t mean that you can show up to a race and expect to win.”
Ambrose reflects comically on his role in advancing the competitiveness of the sport, “I joke with this same friend now that we’re both part of the reason it’s become so challenging to win. We used to count on winning races every year, now we can’t. But it’s actually a positive thing. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love to see the growth that’s happening for the sport.”
NNormal…anything but normal
While Ambrose enjoyed his many roles at Salomon, he has continued to expand his perspectives and change the sport working for other brands. After leaving Salomon, Ambrose launched famed-trail runner Kilian Jornet’s shoe brand, NNormal, in the U.S. Ambrose describes the feeling of working so closely with one of his greatest running idols and most impactful figures in the sport, “Back in my early fandom of the sport, Kilian was my hero. It’s surreal to think that someone who’s been such a huge inspirational figure for me would so quickly become such a close partner. It was such a huge honor.”
Ambrose describes the new challenges and greater responsibilities of this role, “At Salomon, I was a very supportive piece to the whole business, and my work was more task oriented. I was one of the wheels on the freight train. At NNormal, I felt like I was the conductor of a light rail. It’s completely different having the business on your back, as opposed to just being a supportive figure.”
Next up, Näak
After two years of working for NNormal, Ambrose again shifted companies. In 2026, he became U.S. Country Manager of Näak nutrition, based in Canada. He describes his decision for the change. “I didn’t plan on leaving, but Näak made a great offer and it seemed like a good opportunity to take the learnings from the past two years and try to help another company build their brand here in the U.S.”
Näak started off small in 2016, with a mission to produce healthy and sustainable sports nutrition, without compromise to performance. In 2023, they signed a major deal with the internationally renowned trail running company, UTMB, becoming their exclusive nutrition sponsor (their current contract ensures Näak remains the nutrition sponsor for UTMB events through 2029). In addition, the brand has worked with many of the best athletes in the sport including Dakota Jones and more recently, Courtney Dauwalter.
Ambrose speaks on his role at Näak, specifically in bringing the product to the U.S., “In the past several years, Näak has established a good presence in Europe and Canada, but the U.S. was their missing piece. It’s one of the hardest countries to penetrate the market, but once you do as a brand, the sky is the limit. There’s almost two hundred REI stores, endless sporting goods stores, and so much potential for distribution both online and at physical stores.”
Nutrition is now
“Runners can’t spend $300 on a pair of racing shoes and ignore their nutrition. Fueling is a part of training and racing now more than ever.”
Ambrose has witnessed first-hand many evolutions of the sport in terms of marketing and professionalization, but he’s now discovering that nutrition is similarly a rapidly changing landscape. He speaks on the major advancements in the nutrition space, “It’s currently a great time to get into nutrition because it’s at the forefront of everything. Fueling has become more a part of training than ever and it’s a really exciting time to step into this space. We’re seeing the very real impact that it’s having on the performance of everyone. Whether you’re winning the Hardrock 100, or just trying to finish your first race, it’s a part of everyone’s journey.”
While Ambrose does not have a professional background in nutrition, his work with Salomon and NNormal have prepared him to navigate this new field. “It’s different terminology, but the same recipe to strive to create the best products to improve runner’s experiences. It’s a fun challenge to explore this new world of nutrition and to learn from the experts at Näak.”
Curious to learn more about Ambrose? Follow him on his social media here.
Looking for more ATRA stories with the 2026 Roots and Horizons theme? Click here.
