Parker Galbraith, current Brigham Young University (BYU) marketing undergrad, dreams of innovating the future of trail running brand campaigns. Raised in Sugar City, ID, a small 1,700-person farming town in the eastern part of the state, Galbraith developed a passion for trail running from his father, an avid runner who has competed in events around the US as well as the popular European race, UTMB. His father’s many trail running adventures inspired Galbraith to fall in love with the sport.
On a mission to merge his passions for trail running and marketing, Galbraith envisions himself working after college with major brands in the trail running space to create campaigns that bring more runners to the sport. Galbraith aims to bring his exciting ideas to life while honoring authenticity to himself and the trail running community.
Take your electrolyte pills
“This family is too competitive”
Galbraith jumped into trail running in high school, completing his first 50K, the 2020 Beaver Head 55K at only seventeen years old. He raced both his brother and father in this event—doing his best to stay with them. As an inexperienced ultrarunner, Galbraith wore a pair of beat up shoes, not realizing the toll it would have on his body, “I was already feeling so sore by mile ten I knew it was going to be a long day.”
In spite of wearing shoes that caused increasing pain throughout the run, Galbraith was able to make up time on the hills and eventually caught up to his brother and father by mile twenty-five. But Galbraith had given everything he had to reach the top, and his struggles were just beginning, “As soon as I caught up to them, my legs just cramped. I got charlie horses, became stiff and fell into the snow around me,” Galbraith recalls comically his family’s reaction to his breakdown, “My dad told me, ‘Take some electrolytes. I’ll see you at the bottom.’ My brother said ‘Oh, that sucks’ and also kept going. I was left thinking that this family is too competitive.”
But Galbraith was hooked on the challenge, “It was definitely fun, even though it hurt. Racing with my family was a blast and it was an amazing experience to me to be literally following in my dad’s footsteps.”
While Galbraith enjoyed participating in both high school track and cross country, he was drawn most to exploring the trails in his hometown of Sugar City, ID. Situated near the Wyoming border and one of America’s most iconic mountain ranges, the Tetons, Galbraith had access to world class trail running in beautiful mountains and foothills.
Curious to learn more about trail running in the Teton area? Read our story on the Teton Trail Runners here!
Only the young
Trail running is attracting an increasing number of younger participants, Galbraith included. Teenage ultrarunning phenoms such as Sebastian Salsbury, have redefined what’s possible for younger runners, as well as increasing opportunities for younger participants at trail races (visit our race calendar and view all “Youth” events across the country here).
Galbraith speaks on the recent rise in the youth trail running scene, “There’s definitely an up-and-coming younger audience in trail running. I saw this firsthand in high school, where my friends were all into trail running. We signed up for ultramarathons together, trained together on trails and talked about popular races in the scene like the Western States 100 Mile Endurance run or UTMB. Even at track and cross country meets, my friends and I were wearing our ultrarunning hats and gear.”
Overall, the feel of the trail running community is what has continued to attract Galbraith to the sport most, “There’s something special about the trail running community. Everyone is so happy. Nobody is too cool or better than anyone else. Even if you’re the slowest person in the race, everyone is cheering you on. I love that.”
Fake it ’til you make it
Galbraith dreams not only about running, but about expressing his creative personality through marketing for trail running brands. While he is still a student and not yet a professional, Galbraith has created several “mock-ups” and “fake campaigns” that highlight his exceptional ability for marketing work.
Stravatar, one of Galbraith’s ideas designed for popular online activity tracking brand, Strava, had immediate positive feedback. The concept was to introduce an “avatar” to the Strava platform that would encourage users to maintain their avatar by uploading their physical activities. Avatars would also be able to interact with other avatars on the Strava platform for games and challenges. While this concept was only a brainstorm, Galbraith decided to download the social media platform, Tiktok, and post his idea for others to see, “I had no experience with Tiktok, but I was surprised to find that I had over 40,000 views within a week and tons of direct messaging to me afterwards. People were wondering if I was going to bring this idea to life. It was really cool to see the validation behind these ideas and how interested people were.”
Long run lover
With both Galbraith’s anticipated future career in sports marketing, and his trail running goals, he’s in it for the long run. Galbraith shares his dreams about his career possibilities and brands he’d be excited to partner with in the coming years, “The North Face is one that I’m interested in. I love the direction they’re going with trail running, and how they’ve emerged as leaders in the sport over the last few years…Nike is also another one that has been on the rise on trails that I’d love to work for…Right now, I realize that I would love my first job to help set me up for future success in this industry, even if it’s not directly related to this sport or these brands.”
Galbraith expresses the same maturity and patience beyond his years with his running career. After traveling with his father to one of the epicenter’s of trail running, Chamonix, France, on several occasions for the Superbowl of trail running, UTMB, Galbraith gained appreciation for this classic race. While Galbraith admits that the 100-mile UTMB race still feels daunting, he is excited to train for the shorter 50-kilometer race in the UTMB week of events, OCC. Galbraith shares his goals of racing at UTMB and following in his father’s footsteps, “I would love to run OCC in 2027. Honestly, more than anything I would like to be involved more in the trail running community. The UTMB races are just so amazing to be a part of. I’d love to get into 100-milers eventually but for now OCC is the main goal.”
Connection, not deception
“I hate bad advertising more than the average person. But then when I see something creative, it’s a blessing. I really respect those that take time to make something worth engaging with.” —Galbraith
Marketing can often be taken negatively. Some assume it’s based on trickery or to convince audiences to purchase items they otherwise might not want or need. Galbraith approaches marketing differently, and shares his approach, “Great ideas and campaigns are always rooted in truth. It’s about connecting with human emotion and the way people see the world.”
Galbraith continues, highlighting connection and community as key to effective trail running marketing strategies, “If you can make your campaign an experience that people want to be a part of and share, then that’s successful. People just want to be a part of something and feel like they’re contributing and being creative too. That’s something I always keep in mind as I’m brainstorming new ideas.”
Curious to see Galbraith’s work? Follow Galbraith on his Instagram here.
