Brian Metzler Wants More

Speaking of UltraSignup News, here’s Brian Metzler with an article about his wishes for the future of trail running:

Trail Running Isn’t Broken, But These Changes Could Help Fix It.

First off: shitty AI slop as feature image is very cringe! Why, if we try to elevate and PAY creators, are we using AI slop?

Second: Wishing to not ‘stray too far from the grassroots beginnings’ while only offering ideas that essentially call for next level professionalization of the sport seems… dishonest?

Third: Brian’s wishes are only focused on US trail racing and doesn’t consider the global aspect of our sport. Which is fine, but should be acknowledged.

Here are Brian’s five wishes:

• End-of-the-Season Championship Races with All the Sauce
  
  Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but I’d love to see a high-profile multi-race event like Broken Arrow Skyrace staged in the U.S. at the end of the year that includes multiple race distances and a big prize purse with a festival atmosphere that will attract more interest among a wider range of runners, new sponsors and more spectators. 

Mammoth Trailfest comes close to that, but maybe it’s not “end of season” enough. Javelina does have the party atmosphere and the WS Golden Ticket, but doesn’t have the prize money. And maybe the loops aren’t exciting enough to be a USATF championships. Ultra Trail Cape Town (one of the most important races on the World Trail Majors circuit) is that season ender for many elite runners. For a US race to become that draw it needs to have a lot of things going for itself, especially with Cape Town being in the Southern hemisphere and offering very nice weather in November. In October there’s Kodiak Ultra Marathons which is now the North American Major for UTMB and in November there’s Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko and Chiang Mai, the Oceania and Asian Majors for UTMB respectively. The Golden Trail Series has their Grand Finals in October as well. I guess, what I’m after here is that the elites are well-served with lots of race options and they will pick their events based on what bigger event they are chasing, be it Golden Trails, a Western States ticket or running stones for UTMB. The idea that there’s one event that will bring folks together on a national level will always be challenged by the fact that our sport is very global one.

• More Women in the Hardrock 100
  
  I appreciate that Hardrock and the Western States 100 try to be as fair as possible with their weighted lotteries, but it might be time to move forward and break away from old legacies. If it was up to me, both races would have a 50-50 split between men’s and women’s entrants starting next year.

I love this idea and what better event to introduce this 50-50 split, essentially creating two races, than Western States. I don’t think it will come to Hardrock anytime soon, but want to be surprised. This would actually be an aspect of professionalization that would really help the everyday runner and keep things “grassroots”, as it wouldn’t take very much to implement it. Heck, technically this could be implemented on UltraSignup today.

• More Big-Name Talent from Road and Track Running
  
  While there is no guarantee of success transitioning from the to the trails, more high-profile athletes from other disciplines would add depth to the sport, develop more intrigue around key events, and potentially expand more mainstream interest and create more fan favorites.

I can’t see a ‘big name’ who trained on the track and road all their life making a successful career pivot to be successful in mountainous races like UTMB or Hardrock. Getting big names into the sport will require big money and is probably a chicken or an egg thing. Will these top athletes bring their sponsors and dollars along with them or are they waiting for the general sponsorship packages to rise and become interesting for them, so that a jump to a new sport becomes a financial lucrative move?

• More Comprehensive Drug Testing
  
  No matter who is racing on the trails, the sport desperately needs enhanced drug testing to maintain its legitimacy and credibility, especially as it continues to delve further into professionalization and commercialization.

Yes, of course this needs to happen, but I wish Brian would’ve offered some ideas on where the funding for this should come from.

• More Feature-Length Movies and Storytelling TV Series
  
  While we’ve all been inspired by the countless 10- to 20-minute reels and videos (like those in this year’s Trail Running Film Festival) that have whet our appetites, trail running is ready for more advanced content. It’s time for a YouTube docu series about the Western States 100 with candid interviews, professional cinematography, and savvy editing that emerges from the early December lottery event and continues through the start of the next race. If there can be a Netflix documentary about sprinting, there can certainly be a similar (and more relatable) production about trail running.

Well, thank you for the shout out of TRFF, Brian, really! What Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ has done to the imagination of sports lovers everywhere is fascinating to behold. Everyone wants a docu series now for their favorite sport. I don’t think we’re far off from this for trail running, the stories are there. Currently there’s just the issue of the missing dollars, not just to produce a series but also give the athletes featured the incentive to participate. What makes these docu series so intriguing is the long-term, season-long, behind the scenes coverage. Currently no athlete in our sport would want to subject themselves to this, I would think, unless there’s serious, and I mean serious money involved.

I’m not the only one commenting on this article. There are some great comments underneath the article worth reading.