On Land Use Permits for Races

This week has been all about Trump’s insane, erratic, and nonsensical tariffs, but I wanted to circle back to the issue of DOGE firing, or threatening to fire, or firing and then rehiring public lands staff. Zoë Rom wrote an article for iRunFar a couple of weeks ago highlighting the realities:

…emergent changes to how these public lands are administered may threaten the future of trail running and racing, making advocacy and volunteer efforts increasingly critical to maintaining access for the global trail running community.

The article focuses in large part on trail work – something that’s within our power and something we can do and contribute and help. And while this is all good and even vital in some places, the reality is that without event permits there won’t be any need to clear the trails for races, as none will be happening.

In this conversation folks often have knee-jerk reactions suggesting that maybe having these lands in private hands may be a better solution in the long run (this is the common response in America where government can’t be trusted). And I just laugh in response as golf course owners and mining companies aren’t known to welcome recreation events to their properties – and if they do it would come at exorbitant costs making trail races unaffordable.

On a personal note (or one on behalf of Rock Candy Running):

I had submitted the permit for our Beast of Big Creek races in the Olympic National Forest back in November of 2024. Initially I was told to have a response by December. That took longer, which pushed the decision past the inauguration, and then with Trump in office everything was put on hold. Back in March, after the DOGE layoff announcements I messaged my contacts – who had been temporarily laid off – hoping to get some good news, or rather any update at all. I was told (by the incredibly apologetic and friendly staff!) that permits will be issued in May, leaving me still unsure if my permits would be granted. But I have since gotten word that I will get my recreation permit granted for the upcoming event. So, an event that’s happening in August will not have a signed permit until late May. I will, of course, open registration and announce the event, but this is all on a verbal/email agreement, and does not include an actual permit in hand, which puts the entire operation in potential jeopardy. Not sharing this to slam the NFS staff, as I mentioned above they have responded exemplary, super supportive, and friendly throughout all this. But this is me sharing the realities race directors are facing in trying to navigate these choppy waters of unnecessary knee-jerk decisions by actual jerks-in-charge thinking they have even the slightest clue of what they are doing. “Oh Trump and Musk are business geniuses and know exactly what they are doing…” Fuck, what a joke.

I leave you with the short film ‘Run With Respect‘, commissioned by Brooks and shot on Snoqualmie land:

When we no longer look at the land as something to conquer but instead as something to respect, protect, and learn from, we show respect to Indigenous people and help protect their land for generations to come. Listen to different runners reflect on their learnings from the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement and how they connect with the land they run on.

This is the way.