Pro Trail Runners Association

In 2025, @protrailrunners supported the UTMB Group in launching the first edition of the Athlete Opportunity Pathway, helping athletes from around the world line up at UTMB World Series races in Argentina and Thailand. The project was open to athletes with elite potential, but without brand or sponsor support. We are pleased to share that the project is back again in 2026 with support to race in: Mountain Ultra Trail by UTMB (South Africa), Torrencial Chile by UTMB or Trail of the Kings - Lake Toba by UTMB (Indonesia). The Athlete Opportunity Pathway is officially open for applications. This funding is specifically designed for those who have the potential, but do not currently receive financial support from a sponsor. We believe that trail running is a sport for everyone, but we know that many barriers still exist for those in geographical underrepresented locations in the world. The Athlete Opportunity Pathway is designed to help bridge this gap. You can apply at link in the PTRA bio. Don’t hesitate to write with questions. See you soon on the trails!

PTRA TALK SERIES 2026 - The role of social media for pro athletes with @philippreiter007 . The PTRA TALKS are back next Monday 27th April at 8AM PST / 5PM CET with an interesting session hosted by Philipp Reiter. The German is a former pro athlete who created content for @salomonrunning and @arcteryx before founding @the.adventure.bakery and @peakpixelcafe . If you are an elite runner and you are interested on improving your communication you can join the session, wether if you are a PTRA member or not. Link to the PTRA TALK in the stories and the bio.

🏅 PTRA Women Equality Recognition – GOLD From the Pro Trail Runners Association, we want to recognize a true commitment to equality in trail running. Today, we award the GOLD medal to 3 Días Trail Ibiza for its strong dedication to female participation and the visibility of women in the sport. ✨ What makes this race stand out? • Equal prize money for men and women • 41% female participation, a key indicator of real impact • Strong female visibility across communication and media • Women start ahead of men on the final stage to enhance their media presence • Availability of feminine hygiene products at aid stations • Appropriate infrastructure: bathrooms and conditions designed with women in mind • Pregnancy policy supporting female athletes • Strong female representation among volunteers and ambassadors • Promotion of women’s teams and mixed or women-only pair categories • Active invitation of female athletes as role models These actions not only improve the experience for female runners, but also actively contribute to increasing female participation and building a more balanced and fair sport. 👏 We recognize organizations that don’t just talk about equality, but implement it through concrete and visible actions. Together, we continue working towards a more inclusive trail running community for all. 📷 @miguelrua

✨ PTRA Women Equality Recognition – @transgrancanaria Transgrancanaria 🏅 From the PTRA Women’s Equality Working Group, we want to recognise the work of races that are actively supporting women’s participation and visibility in trail running. Today, we highlight the work of Transgrancanaria, a race that has shown a strong and consistent commitment to improving the experience and participation of women in our sport. Over the years, Transgrancanaria has implemented meaningful actions that are helping shape a more inclusive trail running environment, including: • Equal prize money • Increased visibility and representation of women in communication • More accessible cut-off times to support participation • Female hygiene products available at aid stations • Safe spaces such as the Punto Violeta These initiatives reflect key principles outlined in our PTRA Best Practices Guide for Race Directors: • Initiatives to encourage women’s participation • Visibility and representation of female athletes • Improvements to the race experience for women • A clear commitment to continuing progress toward a more inclusive sport Transgrancanaria receives the PTRA Golden Recognition, acknowledging the important progress made and the strong foundation they have built. Recognising these initiatives also has a clear purpose: to inspire other races to continue moving in this direction. Thank you to the Transgrancanaria team for their commitment and for contributing to a more inclusive future in trail running. 🌍 Together we continue working toward a more equal and inclusive sport.

Making trail-running more inclusive, together. 🏔️✨ A huge thank you to @eszter.csillag for sharing her story. Her perspective is a powerful reminder of why the evolution of our Paths to Parenthood policy is so important for the entire community. This progress is the result of a deep, collective commitment. By working hand-in-hand with the @protrailrunners Association (PTRA) and their Women’s Equality Working Group, we’ve built a framework that truly reflects the reality of our athletes’ lives. We are thrilled to be moving our sport forward, together. 🤝 👉 Find all details and conditions via the link in bio 🔗 #trailrunning #utmbworldseries #meetyourextraordinary

Because becoming a parent is one of life’s greatest milestones, trail running should never be an obstacle. 🏔️🍼 Since 2023, over 400+ runners have already benefited from our pregnancy policy. Today, we are taking a new step forward by expanding our parental support to be even more inclusive. 🤝 The Power of Collaboration: UTMB x PTRA This evolution was co-developed hand-in-hand with the @protrailrunners (PTRA). By working closely with the athlete representatives, we’ve established a framework that addresses the real-world challenges of elite careers while ensuring these benefits apply to every single runner on the circuit, from pro to amateur. ✨ What’s New? Our policy now embraces all paths to parenthood: 🔹 Pregnancy and medically assisted reproduction (IVF, fertility treatments) 🔹 Adoption and surrogacy 🔹 Support for ALL parents, regardless of their family situation. 🔹The policy also applies if a pregnancy journey does not go to term. Key Benefits for both parents: ✅ Full refund or deferral options for your race entry. ✅ For lottery-based races, receive a refund and benefit from priority access for a future edition ✅ For Elite Women Athletes: A frozen UTMB Index for 5 years, ensuring motherhood never hinders a professional career. 👉 Find all details and conditions via the link in bio 🔗

Meet @brokenarrowskyrace - PTRA Gold Recognition🏅 Following on from our recognition of @taraweraultratrail incredible 50% female participation milestone, we’re proud to shine a light on another race that has been leading the way in women’s inclusion from the very beginning. Since 2016, Broken Arrow has consistently worked with a gender split hovering around 54/46% — and for 2025, they’re aiming to lock in a firm 50/50. But what truly sets them apart is their forward-thinking approach to achieving equity in a sold-out event. For 2026, Broken Arrow is implementing a powerful new strategy: when a race sells out and has a large waitlist, the waitlist itself becomes a tool for balance. If the gender split isn’t already 50/50, they will actively invite more women off the waitlist to move the split toward — or beyond — equal representation. This kind of intentional, structural action reflects the very principles outlined in our PTRA Best Practices Guide for Race Directors: High female participation Initiatives to encourage women’s participation Visibility and representation of female athletes Improvements to the race experience for women A clear commitment to continuing progress toward a more inclusive sport Broken Arrow hasn’t just embraced these principles — they’ve been executing them for nearly a decade, and they continue to push forward with innovative solutions that raise the bar for all races. Thank you to the Broken Arrow team for their long-standing leadership and for showing us what’s possible when commitment meets action. 🌍 Together we continue working toward a more inclusive and equal future in trail running. #TrailRunning #WomenInTrail #PTRA #BrokenArrow #TrailEquality

Have you ever had a problem in getting paid the prize money or expenses from a race or circuit? One of our main purpose as an elite runners association is dealing with these problems or delays. We do it in a constructive way, we approach the race or the circuit privatelly, avoiding public exposure, we ask for the reasons and we work toward a solution as soon as possible. If you want us to help you in this issue, now or in the future, please consider joining the PTRA at protrailrunners.run. 📷 @alexis_berg

🏅 PTRA Gold Recognition – Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB From the PTRA Women’s Equality Working Group, we want to recognise the work of races that are actively supporting women’s participation and visibility in trail running. Today we congratulate Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB, which this year reached 50% female participation — an important milestone that shows what is possible when race organisations actively support women in our sport. Tarawera has been actively working on reaching this milestone of 50% women participation. They created strategies to reach out women, to support them with training plans for the different distances, to build communities around them and to make sure they have a great day out there on race day. Tarawera receives the PTRA Gold Recognition because it reflects several of the principles highlighted in our Best Practices Guide for Race Directors, including: • High female participation • Initiatives to encourage women’s participation • Visibility and representation of female athletes • Improvements to the race experience for women • A clear commitment to continuing progress toward a more inclusive sport Recognising these initiatives also has a clear purpose: to inspire other races to continue moving in this direction. Thank you to the Tarawera team for their leadership and commitment. 🌍 Together we continue working toward a more inclusive and equal future in trail running. #TrailRunning #WomenInTrail #PTRA #Tarawera #TrailEquality

Women Equality Race Framework We’re proud to introduce a recognition system highlighting trail races that actively support women’s participation, experience, and conditions. This is not a ranking, but a positive framework to recognize progress and encourage improvement. Recognition Levels 🥇 Gold 🥈 Silver 🥉 Bronze 🥇 Gold – Leading races with measurable impact • High female participation (~40–50%) • Initiatives increasing women’s participation • Balanced media visibility • Support for maternity & family needs • Public commitment to equality 🥈 Silver – Races with strong structural measures • Reviewed cut-off times • Private spaces near finish areas • Menstrual products at aid stations • Staff & volunteer awareness • Public communication on equality initiatives 🥉 Bronze – Foundational measures in place • Equal prize money • Pregnancy deferral policy • Menstrual products available • Inclusive communication • Equal access to race bibs ✨ Together we can build a more inclusive future for trail running. 📷 @alexis_berg

✨ What Shapes Women’s Participation in Trail Running When women see others like them on the trails, it becomes easier to imagine themselves there too. Ahead of International Women’s Day, ITRA is sharing perspectives from across the trail running community on what helps more women reach the start line - and continue their journey in the sport. 🏃‍♀️💬 Hear from @rebecca_runs_wild , @corrinemalcolm , @daniela_oemus , @juliadavis101 and @ro_xy_ro they share reflections on representation, community support and the structures that help women stay in trail running. Created in collaboration with the @protrailrunners Women’s Equality Group. 📸 Photos by: Alexandra Janiak @olajaniak Tanya Raab @tanyaraab Somer Kreisman @somerrunner Tobias Oemus @0emus Centurion Running @centurionrunning Näak @naakbars 🔗 Read the full article via the link in our bio. #ITRA #WomenInTrail #TrailRunning #IWD2026 #SharedResponsibility

✨ Shared Responsibility: How Everyday Behaviours Shape Our Sport Ahead of International Women’s Day, we are sharing reflections from the trail running community on how everyday behaviours influence the culture of our sport. 🏃‍♂️💬 Trail runners @vincentbouillard , @tomevansultra and @slukenelson share reflections on how everyday actions shape the culture of trail running. Created in collaboration with the @protrailrunners – Women’s Equality Group. 🔗 Read the full article via the link in our bio. 📸 Photos by: Olivier Vin @olivierheimana Aisha McAdams @ai.shoots Tanae Nelson @tanaenelson MANGDO @by.mangdo #IWD2026 #TrailRunning #WomenInTrail #SharedResponsibility