AN AMBITIOUS NEW SERIES WITH A GOLDEN START LIST!

THE GOLDEN TRAIL SERIES IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE LIST OF INCREDIBLE ATHLETES CONFIRMED TO TAKE PART IN THE SERIES THAT’S ALREADY BEING HAILED AS A GROUNDBREAKING SUCCESS AND A REVOLUTION IN THE WORLD OF ELITE TRAIL RUNNING.

Kilian Jornet Excited to Face the World’s Best Runners

The unique formula of the Golden Trail Series has managed to attract, for the first time, the best runners in the world who view this series as a 'dream tour' of competitive races. Mountain running and Skyrunning World Champions past and present, legends, speedsters and the best of the best are confirmed to battle it out.

“I'm super excited about the Golden Trail Series because it takes the best ever races – the races that everybody wants to do – and puts them together,” said Salomon athlete Kilian Jornet, regarded by many as the world’s best all-around trail runner and endurance athlete. “I'm excited about that because the level will be huge. The best runners are already in these races so the level of competition will be amazing. Each race is so unique too – like Zegama with the ambiance, Sierre-Zinal is just so fast, Pikes Peak has the history of being like the third marathon ever in the US and Ring of Steall has the amazing landscapes and technical sections. Every race is something crazy. Then it's also really cool to have the last race at Otter Trail in South Africa with the solidarity project. We'll be there all together, not racing only for the selfishness of winning a race but for something that can help other people.”

The Golden Trails Series brings together the most prestigious and legendary short-distance trail races—Zegama in Spain, The Mont Blanc Marathon in Chamonix, Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland, Pikes Peak Marathon in the USA and The Ring of Steall Skyrace in Scotland. To compete for the overall classification and participate in the Grand Final, it will be necessary to participate in three of the five races. This guarantees that the elites meet several times and ensures the deepest and most competitive starting lineups in each race. The overall top-10 after the five races will be invited—with a person of their choice—to the Grand Final, the Otter Trail in South Africa.

Each race is unique, offering a specific type of challenge, meaning that the advantage and the favorites for each race will change depending on the runners’ strengths. The races offer climbing, descending, flat and technical terrain. Ultimately, however, it's the most versatile runner on any type of terrain that will win the overall classification.

A SERIES EQUALLY EXCITING FOR MEDIA - AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE AN ORIGINAL STORY

These legendary races are already the events that attract the largest audiences on social media. Journalists from the international print media will be present at each race in the series to tell the entire running community, sharing every moment and every step of the champion's race. Millions of people around the world are set to follow each competition.

EQUALITY AND UNPRECEDENTED PRIZE MONEY

The desire of the series is to offer equality to all these exceptional athletes by offering race prize money of the same value, 1000 €, to each of the first five men and women at each race. Furthermore, the top 10 men and women in the overall rankings will receive €5,000 if they take part in the final, which they will be invited to with a person of their choice. An eight-day dream trip to South Africa, the venue of the grand final that will decide the best and celebrate the sport.

WITH SPECTACULAR REWARDS, A UNIQUE ETHICAL POSITION

With exceptional bonuses comes exceptional conditions. At each race, the top 10 men and women in the overall rankings will have to participate in the toughest anti-doping program that exists in the world of sport today. A blood test will be asked of these athletes one month before the race and also one day before the race to be able to compare variations. Race bonuses will be awarded to athletes once the results of the podium anti-doping tests are known. But the most radical change is certainly the refusal of TUEs based on corticosteroids during the entire series. Therefore, the competition between the athletes will be as honest as possible and doubts about the performance of each can be lifted. Trail running is still a "clean" sport, a model to follow and preserve.

A FINAL HUMANITARIAN GOAL

Since the top five are awarded so well during the whole season, the Grand Final bonus will go to the humanitarian cause of the athlete's choice *. The first five men and women will each receive €1000 towards their cause. In addition to these bonuses, the community can also put money into a "common pot" which will be shared equally between the 20 associations/causes chosen by the 20 elites invited to the final. Athletes will not be running only for themselves, meaning a new vision and altered approach to the sport.

THE GOLDEN TRAIL SERIES SUPPORTED BY SALOMON

Salomon, a French brand, born in Annecy in 1947, has always worked for the evolution and the promotion of the sport, historically with skiing, then, more recently with trail running and outdoor sports. Salomon Running prioritises its relationships with its athletes and race organizers, two major pillars of the sport.

“Every sport has various elements that lead the way—brands, athletes, race organisers, community and the media—and if everyone’s goals are the same and there’s a mutual respect, the sport can evolve faster and we can go quite far. So we discussed the series with each of them before launching, and that’s certainly a factor to it being so strongly supported”

- Gregory Vollet, Sports Marketing Manager at Salomon.

GOLDEN TRAIL SERIES 2018

ZEGAMA (SPAIN) - THE BEST FANS

MONT BLANC MARATHON (FRANCE) - THE BEST SCENERY

SIERRE-ZINAL (SWITZERLAND)- THE FASTEST

PIKES PEAK (USA)- THE HIGHEST

RING OF STEALL (SCOTLAND)- THE MOST TECHNICAL

GRAND FINAL:OTTER TRAIL (SOUTH AFRICA) - THE MOST EXOTIC

LA CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

MEN

KILIAN JORNET - SPAIN - LEGEND OF TRAIL RUNNING

STIAN ANGERMUND - NORWAY - SKYRUNNING WORLD CHAMPION

FRANCESCO PUPPI - ITALY - WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPION 2017

SAGE CANADAY – USA; PASCAL EGLI – CH; MARC LAUENSTEIN – CH; ALEXIS SEVENEC – F; PATRICK SMITH – USA; NICOLAS MARTIN – F; ANDY WACKER – USA; BHIM GURUNG – NEPAL;CEDRIC FLEURETON – F; JAN MARGERIT – SPAIN; THIBAUT BARONIAN – F; KIRIL NIKONOV – BULGARIA; FRANCOIS GONON – F; ISMAIL RAZGA – MOROCCO; DAI MATSUMOTO – JAPAN; REMI BONNET – CH; MAX KING – USA; STEPHAN WENK - CH; WILLIAM RODRIGUEZ – COLOMBIA; THABANG MADIBA - ZA

WOMEN

LAURA ORGUE - SPAIN - SKYRUNNING WORLD CHAMPION

SILVIA RAMPAZZO - ITALY - WORLD MOUNTAIN RACE CHAMPION 2017

SHEILA AVILES - SPAIN - 2017 WINNER OF THE SKYRUNNER WORLD SERIES

EMELIE FORSBERG – SWEDEN; IDA NILSON – SWEDEN; MEGAN KIMMEL – USA; RUTH CROFT – NZ; STEVIE KREMER - USA

YIOU WANG – USA; MICHELLE MAIER – GERMANY; DENISA DRAGOMIR – ROMANIA; CELINE LAFAYE – F; AMANDINE FERRATO –F; ELI GORDON – SPAIN; EMMA CLAYTON – UK; MEGAN LIZOTTE – USA; EMMA POOLEY – UK; ANNE LISE ROUSSET - F

The most represented nation is USA with a delegation of 16 athletes.

All continents are represented.
70 ELITE athletes have registered to take part in the overall ranking.

THIS SERIES WAS CREATED TO PROMOTE THE BEST TRAIL RUNNERS IN THE WORLD, TO HIGHLIGHT THE INCREDIBLE AND PASSIONATE FANS WHO ARE AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT OF THIS SPORT AND TO SHOWCASE THE NATURAL SETTINGS AND THE GRANDIOSE ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH THESE EXCEPTIONAL RACES WILL TAKE PLACE.For more information