Tayte Pollmann to join ATRA as Project Associate a.k.a. Trail Trotter

Tayte Pollmann will join the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) team as a Project Associate shortly after he graduates from the University of Portland on May 6. This effervescent 21-year-old will put his degree in English to use as his main role with ATRA will be to write and share articles and short videos from his upcoming travels as a competitive trail and mountain runner across the United States and overseas — hence the Trail Trotter moniker — through a new program entitled, #TayteOnTrails, a program which will be presented by NIKE TRAIL RUNNING.

“NIKE TRAIL RUNNING is excited to partner with and support the American Trail Running Association and appreciate their service to the mountain, ultra and trail communities,” said Pat Werhane, NIKE Trail Running Sports Marketing Manager. “Tayte is a great ambassador for the sport and we look forward to following his adventures on the trails and in the mountains.”

Pollmann hails from Sandy, Utah, where his love of mountain running was realized. “I remember running trails with my Dad in high school. We’d be sweating on hot Sunday long runs sometimes going for 3-plus hours before we’d notice we ran out of water! We left the house for adventures more so than for runs sometimes,” he said. “And I think it’s that attitude that I like so much about our sport. I can go for a run up the canyon at home in Utah and make friends with a family of mountain goats, discover a new peak, and lose all sense of time because it’s just so fun to move through the mountains.”

He’s a past winner of the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, Broken Arrow 52K Skyrace, and ran cross country at the University of Portland, earning academic awards for the student-athlete with the highest GPA. Pollmann was on the US Mountain Running Team as a junior in 2015, where he was a member of the silver medal-winning squad, and in 2017, he represented the US again at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships finishing in bronze-medal position to lead his team to a silver medal.

Pollmann is a member of the Nike Trail Team, for which he now races. His upcoming schedule includes the Zegama-Aizkorri 42K (Spain) in May, the Broken Arrow Skyrace 52K (California) and the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships (Poland) in June, and the Pikes Peak Marathon (Colorado)in August. He also plans to train in France as well as his home in Utah.

“Tayte is a welcome addition to our American Trail Running Association family,” said ATRA’s executive director Nancy Hobbs. “His thoughtful writing style, wit, and humor will surely resonate with his peers, and will show an untapped audience what is possible to achieve in our sport through perseverance, dedication, and goal setting. We’re certainly looking forward to being part of Tayte’s trail and mountain running adventures and sharing his stories with our constituents.”

Added American Trail Running Association president Adam Chase, “Tayte has been a rising star and, by tapping him for this program, ATRA will allow our members to do more than watch from afar, providing a platform to bring his adventure stories forward for public consumption. In many ways Tayte represents the future of trail running and ATRA is fortunate to have him on board for this project.”

Pollmann said, “I’m really excited to give back to the sport in this way. The American Trail Running Association mission has always been inspiring. Nancy, Richard and Peter do so much to help the athletes in the US and across the globe realize our sport. I look forward to contributing to ATRA with my adventures in the mountains!”

Follow Tayte’s journey at our Trail News section on this website or on YouTubeFacebook, Twitter and Instagram – #TayteOnTrails