Schedule
Three days, built for the people who put on races.
Panels, breakouts and round-robins across Thursday, Friday and Saturday, plus the keynotes and an expo floor you can actually get to between sessions. Every session is included in registration.
Sessions
The full three days.
Panels, breakouts and round-robins built for people who put on races. Every session is included, and nothing here is an upsell. The program is still being finalized, so times and sessions may shift. Doors open at 9:00 AM Thursday and closing remarks end at 3:00 PM Saturday.
Day one · Thursday
November 5
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Registration + welcome coffee
10:00 – 10:45 AM
Opening remarks
10:45 – 11:45 AM
Panel + Q&A: The future of public lands and trail running
Permits, access and land agency relationships: what every race director needs to know to protect the trails we run on.
Alex Staten, DHSc, ATC · Harold Bennally · Todd Janssen · Micah Rice. Moderated by Aimee Kohler.
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Networking lunch + expo
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Panel + Q&A: Race sponsors and other revenue streams
Sponsorship dollars do not just show up. How to build the relationships, think creatively, and use the resources already in your own backyard.
Mandy Mullen · Micah Rice · Brett Harrison. Moderated by Ryan Montgomery.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Panel + Q&A: Medical guidelines for every size race
Scalable medical planning for races of any size, with frameworks you can put to work on Monday.
Andy Pasternak, MD · Kim Haven, PT, DPT, WFR · Carrie Baris, WFR. Moderated by Olivia Affuso, PhD, FACSM.
3:00 – 3:30 PM
End-of-day highlights
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Group activity
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Welcome mixer + expo
The first evening together, with the exhibitors and sponsors who make the rest of the week work.
Day two · Friday
November 6
7:00 – 8:30 AM
Optional group run from Music City Center
A casual run through downtown and past the landmarks, led by Jewly Hight and Stephanie Coleman.
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Registration, coffee + expo
10:00 – 10:15 AM
Welcome + breakout instructions
10:15 – 11:00 AM
Keynote: Paul Mellor interviews Lazarus Lake
The creator of the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard, interviewed by the documentarian behind the only authorized film about him. The film screens that evening.
Lazarus Lake, interviewed by Paul Mellor
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakout + Q&A: Marketing basics for any budget
Social, email and community building: race marketing without a big budget.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakout + Q&A: Runner and volunteer experience
The details that build loyalty and reputation, and bring people back.
Jubilee Paige, Aravaipa Running
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Networking lunch + expo
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Breakout + Q&A: Storytelling and branding, with a screening of RUN IN BEAUTY
A screening paired with an honest conversation about how narrative defines a race identity and turns participants into lifelong fans.
Jordan Marie Whetstone · filmmaker, RUN IN BEAUTY · founder, Rising Hearts
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Breakout + Q&A: Recruiting and managing volunteers
Recruitment, retention and a volunteer culture that keeps your crew coming back season after season.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Expo
3:00 – 5:00 PM
Trailside Chats
Runner safety with Free to Move · to swag or not to swag · fostering run-club relationships · environmental sustainability with Tina Muir, and more.
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Day recap + announcements
5:15 – 6:30 PM
Screening: Lazarus Lake – The Hillbilly Scientist (2026)
Directed by Paul Mellor and Luke Jarmey, the first officially authorized documentary dedicated entirely to Laz.
Day three · Saturday
November 7
7:00 – 8:30 AM
Optional group run, sponsored by AllTrails
Location and details coming soon.
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Registration, coffee + expo
10:00 – 10:15 AM
Welcome + instructions
10:15 – 11:15 AM
Panel + Q&A: Building a more inclusive race community
An honest conversation about opening the trails to runners of all abilities, ages and backgrounds.
Angie Lake · Ryan Jolley · Yolanda Lopez Haugabook · Jordan Marie Whetstone · Ryan Montgomery. Moderated by Renee Janssen.
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
State of the Sport, and a first look at the new UltraSignup
What the registration data says about where trail and ultra running actually went this year, plus a first look at the new UltraSignup platform.
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Networking lunch + expo
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Keynote: Craig Thornley & Sally McRae
On leadership and succession, and what it takes to hand a race to the next person without losing what makes it work.
Craig Thornley, Race Director, Western States 100 · Sally McRae
2:15 – 3:00 PM
Closing remarks
Meet the other people who do this for a living.
Three days of networking with the race directors and organizers who create transformative experiences in wild places.
Fernandina Beach, Florida · Essential Media Production
What registration includes
One ticket, everything in it.
Every session, all three days
Panels, breakouts, round-robins and the keynotes. Nothing is ticketed separately and there is no upgrade tier.
The networking app, from Endurance HQ
An attendee directory, so you can find the people you came to meet.
Expo access throughout
The timers, printers, apparel makers and medical and registration partners race directors work with, on the floor between sessions.
Lunch each day
Plus coffee, snacks and drinks through the day, and the evening mixer with sponsors and exhibitors on Thursday.
Optional group runs
Friday morning from Music City Center, Saturday morning off-site. Easy pace, no sign-up, no drop.
A swag bag
Trail and Nashville gear from the conference partners.
Current pricing is on the registration page.
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.