Trail Running's Family Reunion

Second annual Estes Trail Ascent – Trail Running Conference proves to be a fun-filled and inspiring three days of trail running, workshops and making connections

A collection of Instagram photos from this past weekend’s Estes Trail Ascent – Trail Running Conference (#TrailConference), of which Trail Runner is a partner. Clockwise from top left: Morning run on Black Canyon Trail near Estes Park; elite mountain runner Sage Canaday leads a workshop on uphill and downhill running technique; HOKA demo shoe run (photo by nanoontrails); sunrise on Saturday; athletes speak about race nutrition and hydration (photo by @danieljrultra); yet another group run along beautiful fall trails.

We here at Trail Runner were excited to be a part of last weekend’s second annual Estes Trail Ascent – Trail Running Conference in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. Hosted at the historic Stanley Hotel (yes, inspirational site for Stephen King’s The Shining) on the edges of Rocky Mountain National Park, the conference welcomed more than 140 trail runners and race directors for three days of:

• Group runs on beautiful mountain trails
• Demo shoes from conference partners like HOKA, New Balance and Altra
• Workshops on technique, form, stretching, injury prevention
• Film screenings, including the U.S. premier of Sage Canaday’s new film, MUT Runner
• Panel discussions on race directing, endurance nutrition, building communities, lifelong running, trail-shoe development and “the future of trail running”
• Conversations with elite trail runners like Sage Canaday, Darcy Piceu, Nick Clark, Krissy Moehl, Joe Gray, Zach Miller, Josh Arthur and Shannon Payne
• Hanging out with trail runners from all over the country

Want to learn more about the conference, and stay informed for next year?

• Photos and more on the @ATRAtrailrunner Twitter feed.
• Check out this writeup on the event by Nancy Hobbs, American Trail Running Association (ATRA) Executive Director.
• Visit the official Conference website here.