The Pretty Woman Moment
In 2023, Tracksmith rolled out their infamous “Boston Qualified AND Accepted” singlet. It instantly reminded me of Pretty Woman—that scene where Julia Roberts gets snubbed in a luxury shop. Except this time, Tracksmith was the shop girls, and the broader running community was Julia.
That moment wasn’t just about a singlet. It was about who gets to belong and who doesn’t.
Fast forward to today, and nothing’s really changed. Tracksmith is now chasing the trail market, PRTA is still trying to position itself as progressive while centering the same old faces, and the biggest races like UTMB and Western States keep reinforcing a culture that feels fun on the surface but remains one of the least accessible spaces in the sport.
The Trail Running Illusion
Trail runners love to market themselves as the “party gang” of running. Not rigid like the road crowd, but free, wild, welcoming. The problem? That “welcome” only extends to people who already fit the mold.
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Cost barriers: Gear, travel, lodging, and days off work make participation nearly impossible for many athletes.
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Safety barriers: For BIPOC athletes, running deep into overwhelmingly white, rural spaces doesn’t feel freeing—it feels risky.
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Cultural erasure: Nearly every race takes place on Native lands, yet acknowledgment is rare and actual partnerships even rarer.
The “party” isn’t for everyone when the guest list is quietly curated by wealth and whiteness.
Tracksmith: Elitism in a New Outfit
Tracksmith built its brand on exclusivity and Boston nostalgia. Their Boston singlet was the clearest example: catering to an already privileged sliver of runners. Now they’re pivoting to trail running—timed with UTMB season—and it feels less like building community and more like colonizing a new market.
Sure, the gear will look sharp. But unless their DNA changes, it’s the same old Tracksmith: curating who “belongs” while leaving the rest outside.
PRTA: “Here for the Women” (But Which Women?)
The Pro Trail Runners Association (PRTA) tried to make a splash with their “women’s race” push. On paper, it looked like progress. In practice, it was a parade of white women claiming to speak for all women in trail running.
No recognition of Indigenous or BIPOC women. No acknowledgment of the harm of erasure. No partnerships to broaden access. Just surface-level gestures that never touched the systemic issues keeping women of color out of the sport.
When “inclusion” only reflects the people already at the table, it isn’t inclusion. It’s branding.
UTMB and Western States: The Big Stages
UTMB and Western States are treated like the Super Bowls of trail running. But peel back the curtain:
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UTMB: Marketed as “global,” but participation requires expensive travel, access to qualifying races, and deep sponsorship connections—barriers that skew heavily toward white and wealthy athletes. The global South is almost invisible.
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Western States: The lottery makes it look fair, but the system reproduces the same demographics year after year. And like almost every race, it runs on Native land—the homelands of the Washoe and Nisenan peoples—without acknowledgment or partnership.
The “best parties in running” are staged on stolen ground, yet Indigenous presence is treated as irrelevant. That’s not just exclusion—it’s erasure.
Sidebar: Naming the Land Isn’t Enough
Land acknowledgments without action are empty. Trail races don’t just use these lands, they profit from them. That comes with responsibility.
What does action look like?
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Profit-sharing and partnerships with local tribes
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Indigenous leadership on race boards
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Direct financial support flowing back to communities
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Honoring cultural knowledge around land stewardship
If trail running wants to call itself inclusive, this is where it starts.
Myth vs. Reality: Trail Running Edition
Myth 1: “Trail running is inclusive—everyone’s welcome.”
Reality: Everyone’s welcome… if you can afford it, feel safe in white spaces, and don’t mind racing on Native land treated like a backdrop.
Myth 2: “We already do land acknowledgments.”
Reality: Words without action are PR. True respect means partnerships, profit-sharing, and Indigenous leadership.
Myth 3: “Fee waivers or stipends are handouts.”
Reality: They’re not handouts—they’re investments. Without them, the sport only reflects those who can already afford it.
Myth 4: “We already have diversity—look at this one athlete.”
Reality: Tokenism isn’t systemic change. Real diversity shows up in leadership, storytelling, and safety.
Myth 5: “It’s not about race, it’s about money.”
Reality: It’s both. Class is a barrier, but race shapes belonging and safety in ways money alone can’t fix.
Myth 6: “Trail running is apolitical.”
Reality: Running became political the moment it ignored the people whose lands it profits from.
What Real Inclusion Could Look Like
Trail running doesn’t need more branding. It needs more courage. Here’s what inclusion really looks like:
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Indigenous partnership: Profit-sharing, co-stewardship, and leadership at decision-making tables.
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Lowering barriers: Entry waivers, gear stipends, and travel grants framed as investments, not handouts.
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Global representation: If UTMB is “world” anything, it should reflect more than Europe and North America.
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Intersectionality: Inclusion has to mean space for BIPOC women, trans, and nonbinary athletes—not just white, cisgender women.
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Safety and belonging: Accountability systems so BIPOC athletes aren’t left to navigate hostile environments alone.
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Environmental care: Honor the land as more than a backdrop—connect Indigenous knowledge to trail stewardship.
Trail running could reconnect us to land, history, and community. But until brands, races, and orgs are ready to do this work, it’ll keep being what it is now: a closed circle with a cooler, calling itself a party.
And maybe that’s why Tracksmith feels so at home here.