Editor’s Note: Bell Lap & The Future of Trail Runner

In any race with repeated loops or circuits, the final lap is signaled with the ringing of a bell. The bell lets racers know it’s time to leave it all out there, in a final, beautiful push. 

Even a good run’s gotta end. In a way, ours is ending with this beautiful book. This is our ringing bell, our swan song that signals the closing of one chapter, and the start of another. The journey at Trail Runner has taken another turn. After more than 20 years, the print magazine hitting mailboxes this month will be the last print issue of Trail Runner. 

While this will be our last print issue, we’ll continue to bring you the best stories, photos, and training tips from the trail online. The spirit of Trail Runner lives far beyond glossy paper pages. 

It lives in the first few minutes of an early morning run, with just enough sunrise to switch off your headlamp. It lives in the irremovable mud caked between the lugs of your shoes, a gritty reminder of a weekend well spent. It’s in group-run high-fives and long solo miles. It lives in the split-second decision of knowing that you can make it at least one more mile. It lives in ripping speedy downhill trails and slogging gnarly uphill climbs. It lives in every rewarding, hard, flowy, heartbreaking, and transcendent moment on the trails. 

Trail Runner has never just been a magazine. It’s a community, a culture. A spark that’s ignited every time you lace up a pair of shoes and hit the trails you love. It’s alive in every step. 

We’re growing and evolving alongside our sport. More than ever before, people are flocking to the trails as a form of exercise, connection, self-care, and competition. We’re excited to continue serving as a point of authentic connection and education for this community. We’re dedicated to stewarding the sport into the future so that more folks can experience the same joy we’ve found out on the trails.

Trail Runner has never just been a magazine. It’s a community, a culture. A spark that’s ignited every time you lace up a pair of shoes and hit the trails you love. It’s alive in every step. 

We’re not going anywhere. Our team of writers is bigger than ever. Our stoke for bringing more people into the world of off-road running has never been brighter. You’ll be able to find us all day, every day online at trailrunnermag.com , where we’ll be doubling down on bringing you the stories, photography, training tips, training plans, advice and resources for every step of your trail running journey. 

This issue is a celebration of the adventures that bring us together. We follow an athlete chasing her dream of running the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, and another pursuing her buckle at the Leadville Trail 100. Both have overcome immense odds to get to the start line, and both have used their running to serve their communities. We explore how the shapes of trails shape us, and how we can connect more deeply with the places we run by paying attention to form and flow. We get expert tips on fueling for summer adventures and maximizing joy through psychology. We’ll explore what it takes to be a great coach, the beauty of the front-door trail run, the joy of setting an FKT, the anxiety of recovering from injury cycles, and the loss of a four-legged running buddy. And of course, we’ve included new gear reviews – there’s always gear.

It wouldn’t be the same adventure if we knew exactly where we were headed. But whatever is ahead, Trail Runner will continue to reflect the bold and brilliant community that forged it. 

The bell’s ringing. It’s time for a new adventure. 

Happy Trails,

Zoë Rom
Editor-in-Chief
Trail Runner magazine

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