The Trail Team started in December 2022 and spent its inaugural year as a team in 2023, developing the first elite trail running club of its kind in the country. The team was founded to provide opportunity, mentorship, skill development, funding, and media exposure to a team of six talented young athletes (ages 20 to 30) with aspirations of making their mark on the short-distance trail racing scene (read our announcement on the inaugural Trail Team here). The Trail Team was designed to support these six athletes to the fullest for one year, providing a platform for them to secure sponsorships and support for their future careers, then select a new group of six athletes the following year.
In addition to the six members of The Trail Team, the organization also supported a group of twenty-three athletes under The Trail Team Club, which provided a community for these athletes to grow their careers, network, and find success at races. With the start of a new year in 2024, team founder Andy Wacker now reflects on the success of The Trail Team’s first year, “In 2023, The Trail Team had a greater impact than I could have ever imagined. We supported, inspired, and connected elite athletes across North America. We knew that young runners needed more and last year resulted in a new class of American trail runners unparalleled in the last decade.”
In 2023, The Trail Team supported six athletes: Anna Gibson, Lauren Gregory, Alex Lawson, Sam Hendry, Christian Allen, and Meika Beaudoin Rousseau. These athletes, as well as The Trail Team Club athletes, competed across the country and internationally, collecting wins at Broken Arrow VK, Cirque Series Alta, Targhee, Speedgoat 50k, 28k, 10k, QMT 25k, NACAC, and achieving podium finishes at Mammoth 26k, Broken Arrow 22k, Challenge Stellina, Pikes Peak Ascent, Leadville Marathon, and Trofeo Nasego. Two of the six team members competed at the Golden Trail World Series Final, and both Gibson and Allen represented Team USA at the prestigious Challenge Stellina, where they achieved podium finishes.
In addition to race results, The Trail Team also hosted two training/team-building camps in Colorado and Courmayeur, Italy. Over $25,000 was raised in the first year via donations to the nonprofit American Trail Running Association earmarked to the team to support these athletes racing, traveling, and media (see featured articles, podcasts, and professional photos/video content on The Trail Team here). Overall, the inaugural Trail Team achieved impressive results at several of the most competitive races in the sport, brought exposure to the team as a significant force on the international level of trail running, and built athletic careers for its members in what will hopefully be many more years to come. Meika Beaudoin Rousseau shared about his experience as a member of the 2023 elite team, “The Trail Team was helpful in organizing my summer schedule and understanding the variety of series within the sport. The friendships built by TTT will last a lifetime. Having the community made the transition to becoming a professional runner seamless after running in the NCAA.”
The Trail Team 2024
As of Friday, March 1, 2024, six new Trail Team members are officially announced below. The athletes were selected out of a pool of 87 applicants based on their success in trail running, collegiate running, and community impact. In addition to these six athletes, The Trail Team Club will also continue into 2024.
Lara Hamilton
Lara is a Sydney University and Boise State University Track/XC alumna. She resides in Gunnison, Colorado, where she works as a digital marketing and innovation lead. Lara placed 27th in the Classic and 28th in the Vertical at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships; the best Australian finish ever. She is the 2023 Golden Trail National Series USA winner.
@lara_hamilton
Sarah Carter
Sarah is finishing her final NCAA season at Colorado State University, where she is completing an MS in Forest Sciences as well as a Graduate Certificate in Wildlife Conservation. She is a four-time Mountain West Conference Champion (Indoor 5k and 3k, 10k, and cross country) and was the Mountain West Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2023. She placed 9th at the 2023 NCAA Indoor National Championships and holds a 5k PR of 15:44. On the trails, Sarah has competed in three Valsir World Cup races, where she placed 9th, 12th, and 16th.
@sarah_carter_xc
Dani Aravich
Dani, a resident of Bozeman, Montana, ran Cross Country and Track and Field at Butler University. She is a two-time US Paralympian in Nordic skiing and track and field. She is currently pursuing Nordic skiing and biathlon in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, as well as trail running in the summer off-season. When she isn’t running or skiing, Dani is a disability access strategist and social media coordinator for Team USA.
@theonearmdan
Sadio Fenner
Sadio is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and currently competes for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Throughout his running career, he was the national champion in the 2,000m steeplechase at the 2018 USATF Junior Olympic National Championships, competed in the 2019 USATF U20 Championships, and was a member of the 2023 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championship team. Sadio plans to compete in upcoming summer trail races and take a hybrid approach to trail and track racing for the foreseeable future.
@the._.kidd14
Remi Leroux
Remi is a sub-ultra mountain runner from Quebec, Canada. After many years competing in ultra marathon races, Remi found his calling for mountain running at the 2022 US Mountain Running Championships at Loon Mountain Race, where he placed 5th. Since then, he has dedicated his training and racing to such events, competing in 20 mountain races all over Europe and in the United States. Remi is currently sponsored by Merrell and Coros.
@remi_leroux_
Cade Michael
Cade is a Western Colorado University alum, where he earned NCAA D2 All-American honors in Cross Country. After completing his NCAA career, Cade explored the world of cycling and triathlon. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado where he is earning an Outdoor Industry MBA. Cade is an RMAC Summit Award Winner and UCI Gravel World Champs Qualifier. Cade plans to race in the Golden Trail World Series and qualify for the UCI Gravel World Champs in 2024.
@cadecmichael
Featured photo by: Dylan Harris (@spiritofdylan). All other photos for this article have been generously provided by Andy Wacker.
