Brian Metzler on “Trail Running 2.0”

Brian ponders some of the same questions I was asking myself in my post from yesterday, but he was actually on the ground at Palisades Tahoe and witnessed the BA-TC-WS combo week that was ushering in ‘Trail Running 2.0 in America’:

The evolution of trail running was on full display in the racing action at Broken Arrow and Western States, yes, in front-of-the-pack competition but also in the vibrant middle of the pack, and equally as important back-of-the-pack finishers.
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However, it was hard not to notice and be wary of the burgeoning trail running industrial complex — the huge, not-so-subtle feeding frenzy of big and small brands aiming to capitalize on the massive growth the sport is experiencing.

How the “grassroots community” responds to this will give a good indication on how things will grow moving forward. Currently this “Trail Running Industrial Complex” as Brian calls it, is being promoted from within, from the main voices and players of our sport, but I wonder if there will be backlash at some point? And Brian thinks the same:

Can the growth, commercialism, and professionalism be balanced with keeping the grassroots soul of the sport intact?

And asks this to Topher Gaylord, arguable one of the most important “behind the scenes guys” in our sport today. Topher responds:

“I think there’s tension that people talk about as the soul of the sport being lost, but I think that’s a bit misguided,” Gaylord says. “There’s a lot more money in this sport now and it has become much more professionalized and commercialized, but I don’t think it has changed the grassroots feel of the sport. I think that’s still alive and kicking. I really think the community is alive and well, and it’s just evolving with the increase in participation. But it’s still there at the core nucleus guiding this growth.”

It’ll be fascinating to follow along how this will all play out in the near and far future.