The 2025 U.S. Collegiate Trail Running Championships are back for the third year in a row with both individual and team rankings. As with the past two years, the 2025 race will be held in conjunction with the half marathon at the Moab Trail Marathon in Moab, Utah, on November 8. This year’s event will also serve as the USATF Half Marathon Trail National Championships. Teams and individuals from colleges and universities across the U.S. are encouraged to register for the collegiate event.
Western Colorado University won the team event at the 2024 Collegiate Trail Running Championships. All photos courtesy of Josh Eberly.
The Birth of Collegiate Trail Racing
The inaugural Collegiate Trail Running Championships kicked off in 2023 and were created in response to the growth of trail running at the collegiate level. Josh Eberly, head coach of the trail running team at Western Colorado University (WCU) in Gunnison, Colorado, has been leading the development of this race and says, “In NCAA cross country, there’s a strong, established culture, but trail running is growing rapidly, and I felt we needed a platform that could bring that same energy and community to the trails.”
Eberly is not new to coaching trail running at the collegiate level. “We’ve been building our trail running program at Western Colorado University for 12 years, and over that time, I’ve had countless calls and emails from coaches and schools asking how to integrate trail running into their own programs.” When it came to creating a collegiate trail running championships, he said, “Rather than wait for others to develop something similar, I decided to create it and hope they would come.”
Indeed, the race has grown since its inception in 2023, thanks in part to the Collegiate Running Association, which certified the race in 2024, adding credibility and exposure to the event. Additionally, a recent NCAA rule change that reduces restrictions on athletes competing in non-traditional races like this one further opens the door to participation. These changes, plus this year’s USATF national championships, should bring in top runners from across the U.S., both collegiate and other elites.
“We’ve won the team championships for two years in a row at Western Colorado University, but we’d love to see more schools step up and challenge us in 2025,” says Eberly. “If you’re a collegiate trail runner, grab your teammates, come to Moab, and be part of building something special in the trail running world.”
The start of the 2024 U.S. Collegiate Trail Running Championships in Moab, Utah.
Eberly explains why this event series is especially great for hosting championship trail races: “The Moab Trail Marathon — led by race directors Danelle [Ballengee] and Darrin [Eisman] — has been a trusted partner of ours for over a decade. I’ve raced and coached at hundreds of trail events, and their course, terrain, and professionalism are unmatched. The course offers true trail running — technical sections, rugged climbs, and breathtaking views — not a golf course or flat dirt road. The competition is world-class, and the collegiate athletes get the unique experience of racing alongside elite professionals while having their own separate scoring and awards.”
Athlete Qualification
To qualify for the collegiate championships, runners must be enrolled in at least one credit at a college or university as a student or graduate student. The collegiate race will start at 10 a.m., in the same wave as the USATF elite competitors. The team championships is a combined score of the top two male and top two female finish times per team, and teams must wear a school singlet or uniform. The top three men and women will also receive custom awards.
The women’s podium at the 2024 U.S. Collegiate Trail Running Championships in Moab, Utah (left to right): 2. Adah Chapman, 1. Corinna Pena-Johnson, and 3. Samm Strothman.
In addition to the collegiate and USATF trail half marathon championships, the weekend will also feature marathon, half marathon, and 10k races open to anyone, as well as a kids’ race.
Participants can sign up via the Collegiate Half Marathon National Championship option on the Moab Trail Marathon website, even if the half marathon is full. For questions about the collegiate race, contact Joshua Eberly at [email protected].
The men’s podium for the 2024 U.S. Collegiate Trail Running Championships (left to right): 3. Scott Klingonsmith, 1. Anders Hekkli, and 2. Bayden Menton.
Call for Comments
- Are you a collegiate racer excited for the growth in trail running?
- What other trail distances do you think collegiate trail racing should extend into?
