November 5–7, 2026 · Music City Center · Nashville, TN
The Future of Trail Running Starts Here.
The US Trail Running Conference brings together the people building the future of trail running: experienced race directors, new race builders, athletes, brands and the community behind the sport. Join us in Nashville for three days of ideas, practical tools and conversations that help races grow stronger.
Built for race directors and aspiring race directors.
The US Trail Running Conference is designed first for the people building races now, and the people who want to build them next. It is for independent race directors, series operators, event teams, community leaders, volunteers and runners who have ever thought: someone should put on a race here.
Race directors
Independent directors, series operators and the teams behind the biggest events in the sport.
Brands & retailers
Footwear, nutrition, hydration, timing and insurance. The companies race directors buy from and bring on as race partners.
Media & storytellers
Writers, photographers, filmmakers and podcasters covering where the sport goes next.
Runners
Anyone who wants to know what goes into the races they line up for. You do not have to direct one to come.
The sport is national. The conference is too.
Front Range singletrack, Sonoran desert, the Florida coast. Different ground, different land managers, different rules, and the same job.
Boulder, Colorado · Twain Wilkins
Make your race stronger from the inside out.
Three days of practical programming, honest conversations and hard-earned ideas from the people building races across the sport.
Permits, land access and stewardship
Forest Service, state parks and private land. What gets approved, and who to call.
Building sponsorships
How to build sponsor relationships, other revenue streams, and what is already in your own backyard.
Medical planning at any size
Scalable medical planning for races of any size, with frameworks you can put to work on Monday.
Volunteers & staffing
Recruiting, keeping and not burning out the people who make race morning work.
A few sessions from a three-day program. The full schedule
Keynotes
Learn from the most experienced voices in the sport
All three days
Sally McRae
Professional runner, author & emcee
On stage across all three days, hosting the panels and the breakouts and keeping the program moving.
Saturday · 1:30 PM
Craig Thornley
Race Director, Western States 100 & Waldo 100K
With Sally McRae, on leadership with purpose, and what leadership really looks like — on the trail, in your race organization, and in life.
Friday · 10:15 AM
Lazarus Lake
Barkley Marathons · Big’s Backyard
In conversation with Paul Mellor. Forty years of building races most people thought could not be finished, and what he learned about the runners who kept entering.
The schedule
Thursday
Nov 5
Friday
Nov 6
Saturday
Nov 7
Nashville
Downtown, and walkable.
Music City Center is in the middle of downtown Nashville. The hotel block is a quarter mile away, the airport is fifteen minutes out, and you can walk to most of the rest.
- Music City Center: 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S, downtown.
- Broadway: restaurants, music and the honky-tonks, a few blocks from the venue.
- Hotel block: Tru by Hilton, a quarter-mile walk, held until October 21, 2026 or until it sells out.
From people who came back
“I am excited to be a part of the U.S. Trail Running Conference again in 2026. It’s a place where we can exchange ideas, talk through challenges, and learn from each other in ways that ultimately improve trail running for all.”
Dale Garland
Race Director, Hardrock 100
“I very much enjoy meeting and talking with other race directors and vendors each year at the US Trail Running Conference. Since Western States is an established race it would be easy to just continue to do what has worked. While I think we have a lot to offer to new races, it also behooves WS to see what other race directors are doing.”
Craig Thornley
Race Director, Western States 100
“I have been attending USTRC for six years now, and aiming for my seventh! You are going to learn so much, how to connect with all runners from all walks of life in your community, how to be sustainable, and to run a better race. You’re going to have a great time!”
Kimberly Aubuchon
SARR Prickly Pear
Sunday Nov 8 · 8:00 AM · Warner Parks · free, registration open
Dirt Circus comes to Nashville.
UltraSignup’s free community run series closes the week at Vaughn’s Creek Cross Country Course. A fun run, followed by a celebration and expo with booths from brands, regional races and retailers.
Partners and exhibitors
Conference Partners
Presenting partner
Exhibitors
