Speakers

Dale Garland has been the director of the Hardrock Hundred since it’s beginning in 1992. As director, his commitment to celebrating the legacy of the hardrock miners in whose memory the run is dedicated, celebrating the accomplishments of each runner and creating a sense of community has helped make Hardrock what it is today.

Lisa has over 30 years of coaching experience, specializing in marathons and ultramarathons in the Bay Area. She has trained over 15,000 athletes for ultra races 100 to 500 miles events nationwide since 2009 and continue to do so today. I collaborated with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to develop the inaugural Ultra Program for Team in Training. I provided 700 coaches across 64 chapters with a plan for running an ultramarathon. Lisa successfully established the first SF Fit team in San Francisco in 1992. In 2015, she was honored to have been inducted into the National Black Marathon H...

Tony is the co-founder and executive director of the National Black Marathoners Association (www.blackmarathoners.org) and was previously on the boards of Running USA and the Dallas (formerly White Rock) Marathon. Last year, I received the President’s Council on Sports, Nutrition, and Fitness Hero Award. For over twenty years, the NBMA’s mission has been to increase the number of African American distance runners.

Mandy Mullen, founder of the run.Windsor Race Series and co-owner of run.Colorado Relays, organizes twelve annual events from 5k to ultramarathon and overnight relay races. A local nonprofit founder, military wife, mom, and three-time 100-mile finisher, she thrives on bringing communities together through running.

Olivia Affuso, PhD, FACSM is the Director of Strategic Leadership Initiatives for the Council on Black Health & a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. She conducts research on the prevention of chronic disease in women through physical activity. Olivia is also an experienced ultrarunner, explorer & outdoor enthusiast. She maintains a basecamp in Asheville, NC where she serves on the board of the Run828 Foundation, the host of the Hellbender 100.

Rob Palmore (he/him) is a Black Men Run / BMR TURF Ambassador, trail runner & race director. Rob enjoys the trails for all of (their) un-improvements. (They are) peaceful, calming, and simple. As a result, he finds trail running both therapeutic and beautiful.

Bailey Jo, a former therapist and now Fleet Feet Nashville's Community Marketing Manager, is passionate about helping others. She fosters inclusive spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to explore and engage in movement

Aimee Kohler is the founder of a zero carbon running events company, The Running Kind, based out of Pennsylvania and hosting events in the Tri-State area. She prides herself of prioritizing sustainability at each of her events & as of recent has officially received Carbon Neutral Certification through The Change Climate Project. In addition to hosting events, she is a mountain fanatic and plant based athlete! Gnarly, technical, punchy mountain running is her choice of terrain, currently she runs for Ciele Athletics and is training for a variety of races in 2024 including Golden Trail National Series & USATF Vertical Mountain Running Championships. Though hosting events is a passio...

Melissa Londry is a mother of two, licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma, race director, and ultrarunner. She advocates for safer, more inclusive trail running spaces and brings both clinical insight and lived experience to discussions on harassment and women’s safety in the sport

As a member of the UltraSignup team, I actively look for unique ways to contribute to the success of the largest trail running community in the US. In this capacity, I've had the opportunity to work on dynamic challenges of the outdoor recreation industry head-on.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead and to serve innovative, high-growth companies that can positively impact lives on a massive scale.

Tom Hooper, race director - Sports and Event Management: Race Director for 7 New Hampshire based trail races. Race director for Multiple USATF National Championships. USATF Staff Member.

Kirkland Alexander Lynch is CEO of Barking Owl, an award-winning sound company. He leads the company's Start Without a Shot initiative, replacing triggering race-start sounds with inclusive alternatives, and advocates for sound's power to shape safer, more human experiences

Kim Levinsky has been at the helm of Sassquad Trail Running since their first "Trail Party" in 2018. Sassquad hosts 10 Trail Parties throughout NJ / NY & their mission is to welcome all peoples, paces, & ages. Since that inaugural race, Kim has directed 70 events ranging in distances from 5K up to 150 miles. Kim recently completed a thru-run on the New York Long Path in nine & a half days, becoming the first woman to complete all 358 miles in a single-push.

Nancy Hobbs is the Executive Director & Founder of the American Trail running Association (ATRA). She set up the Team USA Women's Running Team, and is an avid trail runner herself, often found on the podium at Masters Running Championships

Susan is the Director of Client Development for UltraSignup, helping the platform's race directors connect with trail runners & grow their races through various promotional channels. An expert in race sponsorship, she served as Director of Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorship for the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation for over a decade. She also served as Director of Marketing for the Birkie, based on her experience as a branding & marketing consultant to founders & businesses in 22 industries across the U.S. & abroad. Susan is board vice-president for ATRA &, through that relationship, an advisor to the U.S. Trail...

Kimberly Aubuchon is a trail runner, trail advocate, and community connector residing in San Antonio, Texas. She currently serves as the board appointed Trail Activities Officer for the San Antonio RoadRunners (SARR), overseeing the Club’s trail run training programs and directing their Club’s two trail races—The Prickly Pear 50K and the Rocky Horror 50K. SARR has about 2000 members, and approximately 300 of those participate in the SARR Off-RoadRunners trail training program that I started in 2013. The trail training programs just celebrated our 10 year anniversary, the Prickly Pear’s 20th...

I live in the metro Washington, DC area. I'm a 12 year self-employed massage therapist. I've run off & on since my high school track/cross country team (47 years ago). I'm a member of several running groups (my primary being Black Men Run), but my schedule tends to force me to run solo. Trail running races have become the new love/hate relationship in my life. I've run them for 13 years with big increases in 2023. As a Black Men Run Trail Ambassador, I shall continue to strive for diversity in the road/trail running community as I 'run' the world.

Steve Aderholt has been organizing events for over a decade. He started the Ragnar Trail series which has introduced many people to the beauty of trail running. He is proud of what he helped build at Ragnar, especially a strong focus on environmental sustainability. Since leaving Ragnar, Steve freelances for numerous events and feels lucky that ...

Paulette Odenthal has been active as an ambassador in the running industry for three decades as an accomplished runner, race director, coach, volunteer & current committee member for many local races. She is also the MN state representative for Road Runner Club of America. She has completed more than 100 marathons and beyond distances in road & trail running & recently completed a s...

Andrea Slate is the Sales Manager with the Nicholas Hill Group, Inc. (NHG) since 2018 but in the insurance industry for over 30 years. NHG is a nationwide insurance firm specializing in risk manage...

Paul Jurasin is the founder and principal of Em:Path:Ize Innovation and Foresight, a consultancy focused on helping organizations foster internal problem solving through an innovative and future oriented culture. He was previously the Director of the Digital Transformation Hub for Cal Poly where he lead the development of new technology innovation programs, with a focus on fostering relationships with global corporate and public sector partners

Alex Ross has been the Director of Digital Marketing for the Denver Colfax Marathon for almost 10 years. After completing his first 50 mile race in Leadville he went on to run several more ultras including a 100 miler all while juggling his 4 teenagers and day job. Now he helps events reach new runners to continue growing the community.

Tayte is a grounded artist in trail running, chocolate making, & farming. Did someone say the renaissance era was over? Proud American Trail Running Associate Project Associate (a.k.a Trail Trotter) for over 6 years, specialized in writing educational articles which include race recaps, athlete/coach interviews, training tips, large topic discussions, book reviews & much more. The best part of what I do is the meaningful human connection.

William has been with Achilles International Nashville for about 10 years now. He is a history professor at TSU, & a food / sustainability writer for Edible Nashville. He has crafted several features to encourage people to trail run in Nashville's Public Parks.