Trail running in the United States has a rich history of inviting pacers and crew to assist runners in reaching the finish line, but some believe that the practice of pacing is antiquated and should be disallowed for elite runners.
A pacer, defined largely as someone who runs with race participants for designated sections or the entire race (though some races strictly forbid pacing in certain or all sections), can assist a runner to stay focused, maintain speed and cadence, lift their spirits, carry supplies (some races forbid a pacer from carrying participant’s race supplies or muling) and most importantly can support a runner’s safety. At some of the most classic ultramarathon trail races in the US, including the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, Leadville Trail 100, and Hardrock 100, pacers have historically been allowed and are often celebrated as a part of the racing culture.
Jason Bryant, Vice Chair of the USATF Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) Council, shares the latest news from the council on pacing, as well as significant changes to pacing rules in 2026, “Pacing has taken place at long trail ultras for quite some time. The USATF rule just changed this year, 2026, to state that pacing is allowed in trail ultras if the race allows pacing. This is also the rule for World Athletics. Previously, the rule defined a ‘safety monitor’ that must run ten meters behind the competitor and could not communicate with the competitor.”
Bryant continues, explaining the reasoning behind these changes and his personal opinion on the new rules, “The old rule did not match what actually occurred at trail ultras and was nearly impossible to monitor. I have always argued for consideration of older and non-elite runners. I felt that conventional pacing should be allowed for these competitors as their races are mostly about the trail community and the experience. Then an elite rule could be implemented for top competitors disallowing pacers if desired.”
PROTIP: Watch this entertaining and instructional video “How NOT to Pace a Runner” that is featured in Tayte Pollmann’s Top Five Mountain Outpost Videos to better understand rules around pacing and muling.
PTRA on pace for change
“Having pacers is something special and with Western States being the oldest, most prestigious 100-mile event and paving the way for so many other events that now make up our international trail running calendar I think that a change here would spiral into lots of changes in the argument of free and fair competition but would in fact lead to a loss of the true heart of our community, the uniqueness of Western States and other events, the support for our races and much, much more.” —Emily Hawgood, professional athlete and PTRA member
While opinion pieces have appeared on blogs, social media, and been covered by media outlets in the past decade debating the pros and cons of allowing pacers at races (particularly in ultramarathons), there has been no conversation more impactful in the history of the sport as the discussions in January and February, 2026, prompted by members of the Pro Trail Running Association (PTRA). This non-profit organization based in Switzerland was founded in 2022 by elite trail runners Kilian Jornet, Francesco Puppi, and Pascal Egli, and acts as a union for the rights, fairness and sustainability of the sport.
The debate was sparked largely by PTRA member Emily Hawgood, who wrote an article in early January 2026 on pacers at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. This piece was published on the PTRA substack, which promoted other members of the community to share their opinions. Jim Walmsley, Abby Hall, Luke Nelson, and Canyon Woodward, among many other elite athletes, shared opinions on this topic.
In response to the many perspectives from the PTRA, Woodward constructed his own post on the PTRA substack entitled “Proposal for Pacer-free field at WSER and Golden Ticket Races,” which offered a potential solution to several of the major dilemmas presented in the PTRA discussions (read Woodward’s piece here). “My hope is that this proposal honors that tradition (pacing) while recognizing that what works beautifully for the majority of participants may not be what’s best for professional-level competition at these races,” wrote Woodward in his publication.
On February 9, 2026, PTRA members made an advisory decision and voted in favor of Woodward’s proposal, to recommend pacer-free championship fields at Western States and Golden Ticket Races. Out of fifty-three recorded member votes, thirty were in support of the proposal and twenty-three against. Listed below are quotes from several board members of the PTRA who speak on the recent vote and its potential to produce change on pacing at major ultramarathons including the Western States 100 and more. PTRA members discuss how pacing pertains to individual versus team mentality, community and overall race experience, unfair advantages of pacing, and race history/tradition.
PROTIP: In most races a pacer is assigned a “pacer number” to accompany the runner in the event and must also sign a liability waiver.
Rosanna Buchauer
“The PTRA helps to give pro athletes a voice and to shape the future of trail running. That’s why the discussion of pacing and crewing at big races like WSER is important. I see it like this: to develop the sport further and to focus on performance like an elite does there should be no pacing (and only limited crewing) to make races as fair and measurable as possible. If you see it as community and adventure, pacers and bigger crews might add to the experience and for sure add a lot of joy. Nonetheless, to compare races worldwide and award the best performance in the field it helps to define standards around crewing.”
Jeff Colt: Jeff Colt on the trails.
“It’s naive to think our sport is at a fork between professionalization and participation. That fork likely happened when Scott Jurek was still running Western States, or maybe you can pinpoint it to Red Bull funding Karl Meltzer‘s Appalachian Trail FKT effort or his namesake Speedgoat becoming a top-selling shoe globally. Regardless, the sport is professionalizing and I speak as a professional in the sport who really loves lining up with all participants and sharing a long effort through beautiful places. I love the heritage of trail running and the community-centric feel of many races. I fear that UTMB will make an overly-formulaic experience the norm as many others critique Ironman of doing in triathlon. In thinking about our sport’s future, I often focus on the perspective of the average finisher to balance out my thoughts on the pro-level of the sport.
I have had pacers at Western States all three times I’ve raced. I’ve never had a pacer at a Golden Ticket race the four times I chased a ticket. It’s easy for me to agree with Canyon Woodward’s proposal for an Elite field at WSER that can’t use pacers within the greater field while acknowledging the value pacers bring to the livestream experience and the energy at the race. If we are just talking about fairness in sport at the highest level, then I synthesize my thoughts to the conclusion that pacers offer opportunity for unfair advantages and are a variable that is hard to control. At Golden Ticket races and Western States, I no longer think pacers are a safety concern at the front end of the field. I hope the community at large can recognize that there are plenty of races where pacers are in place for the safety of runners. Additionally, some runners might not feel comfortable running 100 miles without a pacer and having a pacer may make our sport more accessible.”
Tim Tollefson in action. Photo: mammoth trailfest.
Tim Tollefson:
“Personally, while I may be anti-pacer, I’m passionately pro-choice (I voted for pacers to remain). The ‘to pace or not to pace’ discussion is a fun one albeit perhaps more of a signal to a bigger question – with the continued professionalization at the top end of trail, and a desire from elites for, ‘higher standards, clearer processes’, can the sport function effectively in its current blended participation model while respecting the values many independent events are built on? What might seem like a simple request from elites can be far more nuanced and difficult to implement from an operator’s side. In the conversation around the implications of equity, access, and ‘grey area’ tactics, the current practices for crewing deserve honest and in-depth reflection.”
Albert Jorquera:
“Coming from an European background in trail running, pacing feels a bit odd to me. For us ultra running is mostly about personal achievement, so being helped by someone else conflicts with this feeling. It’s a bit like climbing Mount Everest alone or being helped by a sherpa. We don’t focus only on achieving something, but on how it’s achieved. That said, as an amateur trail runner, I respect the tradition, the heritage and the uniqueness of pacing in the US races. I’d love to run Western States and I think that if I got into it I might ask a pacer because it’s something that I may never experience again and would create a unique experience. It’s beautiful to have these differences in our sport.
Race aid station support on the trails.
However, as a fan and journalist, when it comes to competition, pacing raises many questions and flags. “What if the pacer carries some items of the other runner? What if I can have a crew of twenty people and a foreign runner can only have one or two? What if I have a faster pacer than the other runners? I think that in elite competition all conditions must be equal and when races are being won by minutes any slight advantage can affect the final result.”
