Pro Trail Runners Association Accessibility, Inclusion and Diversity Guidelines

Just announced this week and worth taking a deep dive:

This working definition is a starting point and should be continually reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant and responsive to the evolving needs and experiences of the trail and ultra running community. As our sport continues to expand, we have an opportunity to shape an inclusive culture that welcomes runners from all backgrounds.

The new guidelines anchors around four main points:

• Accessibility
• Inclusion and Equity
• Diversity and Representation
• Intersectionality

Accessibility highlights:

Accessibility in trail running refers to the intentional design and organization of races, training programs, media broadcasts, and related activities to ensure that they are open and available to all athletes, regardless of physical ability, socioeconomic status, or geographical location. 

Inclusion and Equity highlights:

Inclusion in trail running means creating a welcoming environment where everyone, regardless of their background, feels valued and can fully participate. Equity ensures fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to resources and opportunities. 

Diversity and Representation highlights:

Diversity in trail running refers to the representation and active involvement of athletes from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This should extend to professional athlete sponsorships, event, program, and brand leadership, and marketing and branding campaigns.

Intersectionality highlights:

Recognizing intersectionality is crucial to understanding how various identities overlap to compound marginalization for some athletes. We should acknowledge and address these intersections in partnership with these athlete groups to create a more inclusive and equitable environment.

I haven’t spend a lot of time with this document, but I appreciate how concise it is, appreciate that it exists and that the group of global runners have put in so much effort in creating it. At first glance feel like it’s something I want to sign off carte blanche for my Rock Candy Running races. I’ve been wrestling quite a bit with the need for policies or guidelines that define the community standards of my races but I also feel like this shouldn’t be that hard and not every race director should have to reinvent the wheel here.