Heading into its fourth year in 2026, The Trail Team is once again recruiting its next class of young trail running elites who are looking to take the next step in their running careers. The application process is open until Sunday, February 8.
Member of TTT prepare for the 2025 Moab Half Marathon. Photo: Jeff Jones
If you’re a U.S.-based runner between 20 and 30 years old and focusing on sub-ultra distances, The Trail Team (TTT) provides a valuable opportunity to take advantage of mentorship, travel assistance, training camps, and media coverage. Program founder and four-time USATF national champion Andy Wacker says they are looking for the “most elite and promising young trail runners on the continent.”
The program, founded in 2023, is designed to develop up-and-coming trail runners needing additional support for advancing their running careers. According to Wacker, “We aren’t coaches, and we aren’t a shoe sponsor. We are the heart and soul of trail running and focus on how we can help bridge the gap for elite, development runners, whether that is financially, by paying for race entries, race housing, and travel, or by helping them assemble a world-class support system.”
Like last year, the 2026 program will bring on six new athletes to join the rest of the 20-person team. This year, the program will focus on bringing runners to three of the most prominent U.S. sub-ultra distance races: the Sunapee Scramble, Broken Arrow Skyrace, and Moab Half Marathon. The events serve as the 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships in the Up and Down Classic distance, a stop on the 2026 Mountain Running World Cup, and the 2026 USATF Trail Half Marathon National Championships, respectively.
Sophie Wright and Shea Aquilano, both members of the 2025 TTT. Photo: Andy Wacker
The program has a history of success, having previously assisted Anna Gibson, Christian Allen, and Lauren Gregory with their racing, all of whom went on to achieve national and international success. The program has fostered long-term relationships with many of the runners who’ve passed through it, and “graduates” still serve as a wide and experienced network for new team members.
TTT members receive uniforms, shoes, and accessories from program sponsors, as well as housing at key races, professional photos, and consults with physiotherapists, chiropractors, strength coaches, and more. Runners also receive personalized mentorship from professional runners such as Allen, Courtney Coppinger, Rachel Tomajczyk, and Grayson Murphy.
The 2025 TTT gathers for a winter training camp in Moab, Utah. Photo: Jeff Jones
Year after year, members of TTT see success. The 2025 class had Shea Aquilano place second at the 2025 JFK 50 Mile, 14th at the Trail World Championships Long Trail, and win the Gorge Waterfalls 100k. Emily Clarke also placed fifth at the Mammoth Trailfest 50k, and Hawk Call placed eleventh at the Broken Arrow 23k.
TTT offers a unique opportunity to be part of a running team. Wacker says, “I believe strongly in synergy. I think we often see trail running as an individual endeavor and miss out on the fact that community is what differentiates trail from other types of running. My philosophy is that running together makes you faster, and that working with a team makes us better.”
Hawk Call, member of the 2025 TTT. Photo: Mike McMonagle
Now in its fourth year, Wacker has seen the mentorship effect in his program. “Our team functions like a Division I cross-country team. You enter as a freshman: weak, knowing nothing. You are asked to rise to a new level, guided by upperclassmen, accumulating athletic prowess. In a year or two, that freshman is the expert leading the next generation.”
If you think you’d be a good fit for the program and are interested in applying, you can find more information on the Trail Team website and download the application for the program.
The 2025 TTT trains together in Moab, Utah. Photo: Jeff Jones
