October 15 - 17, 2025

US Trail Runnning Conf | RD

600 Henley Street

Knoxville, TN • Exhibitor, 3 days, 2 days , 1 day

Registration closes: Mon, Oct 13 @ 11:59PM CT



RD Registration Overview


Whether you’re a trail race director, a road event organizer, experienced trail runner, an ultrarunner, a trail newbie, a fan of the sport, or somewhere in between, the thirteenth annual US Trail Running Conference is for you. The Conference is held in partnership with the American Trail Running Association and brought to you by Active at Altitude.
We welcome race directors and event organizers from all levels, whether you have a series of larger races, one smaller event, or perhaps planning your first one. The majority of the content during the Conference is geared towards race directors, however we do encourage trail runners and fans of the sport to also attend to add their voice to discussions that will help shape the future of the sport. The event also includes a top-level expo featuring vendors that provide products or services relevant to trail race directors.
You can choose to attend for the entire Conference, or you have options to include portions of the Conference to suit your schedule. We will also include fun runs on local trails in the Knoxville area during the Conference, on Thursday and Friday mornings.
The rates for Trail Race Directors include access to all workshops and sessions, networking events where featured, access to the expo, lunch on the full days, and refreshments at break times. There will also be a Conference app available.

Returning to Knoxville, a Trail Enthusiasts Playground!

The 2025 edition of the US Trail Running Conference returns to Knoxville, TN. We enjoyed this location so much in 2024, we decided to return for a second year! We look forward to an exciting event in a stunning location that has a strong trail running community. For the second time in its history, the US Trail Running Conference is moving to the South East of the United States to Knoxville, Tennessee. Known for its commitment to outdoor access and surrounded by the breathtaking Smoky Mountains and picturesque lakes, Knoxville offers an unparalleled setting for trail runners and nature lovers. The conference aims to host the event at unique trail destinations throughout the US every year as a way to highlight the beauty of trail running across the country. Previous locations include Estes Park, CO, San Luis Obispo, CA, Fayetteville, AR, and Mukilteo, WA.

The Conference takes place in the UT Conference Center - there is ample parking for all participants at the conference location. The Center is fully accessible for adaptive athletes

Energized and broadened format

This year's conference builds on the revitalized organizational structure that we introduced in 2024, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for attendees from start to finish. Get ready for an immersive and educational event like never before.
New content will include subjects such as using media to let everyone know about your race, how to sell out your races in record time, creating effective sponsor partnerships, mentoring with experienced RD’s, deeper dives into marketing and media, using latest technologies like livestreams and race communication tools, how to tell the story about your runners and your race, aid station planning, event logistics and more.
See the full schedule for the Conference here, and make sure to check back for updates.

If you are a Trail Runner looking to register, please use this link to register for these options.

New Voices

The 2024 USTRC will feature additional voices from the trail running community, providing new, fresh, and diverse perspectives, insights, and experiences. Explore the richness of trail running culture with a broader range of voices contributing to the discussions and the planning of the sessions.

In Partnership with Visit Knoxville Sports Commission and ATRA

Join us in collaboration with the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission and the American Trail Running Association, who are equally excited about hosting this milestone event in Knoxville. President of Visit Knoxville, Kim Bumpas, expresses enthusiasm, stating, "Our destination has many natural trails providing varied terrain, stunning overlooks, and unique elements."

Discounts

Our pricing has been set at an affordable level to make sure as many people as possible are able to attend.
We have introduced low and medium carbon travel discounts to incentivize participants to use lower carbon methods of transport to attend the Conference.
Discounts are available for members of or referrals from organizations and groups that correspond to underrepresented categories in the sport e.g. Black Girls Run, Latinos Run, Black Men Run, Trail Sisters, OUTRUN, United in Stride, Achilles, military or veterans – note that these are examples, this offer is not limited only to these groups.
ATRA members – all ATRA members receive a 15% discount off registration options for Race Directors and Trail Runner in-person standard rate option only.

Please contact Even Director, Terry Chiplin, at terry@ustrailrunningconference.com, or Assistance Director, Trujillo Shalvoy, at Corinne@ustrailrunningconference.com, if you have any questions about these discount offers.

Monthly Webinar Series for Race Directors

Our popular monthly Webinar Series for Trail Race Directors will be kicking off in January 2025 running through until September - there are registration options for 1 webinar up to and including the complete series. You can see more details on this exciting series at this link.

Event's current local time: 3:01 AM CT

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