The Golden Trail Series is a points-based series of international trail races featuring a changing lineup of top races each year.[1] The series was created to grow the sport of trail running by creating a series of high-profile, high-spectacle, high-paying races; and to showcase the speed and excitement of shorter-distance (sub-marathon) trail racing, as opposed to the relative slowness of ultramarathons.
Competitions and athlete interviews are covered on Golden Trail TV and web series include Chasing Dreams[4] which are presented by running journalist David Hellard.[5]
Race Format
The series consists of eight main races around the globe each season.[6] Runners accumulate points based on their finishing positions, with points awarded down to the 60th place finisher.[7] Each athlete’s best three performances from the regular-season races count toward their series ranking. After all eight races, the top 30 male and female athletes in the standings qualify for the Grand Final.[8]
The series concludes with a Grand Final that consists of a prologuetime trial (with partial points reward) and a final race (with full points reward). Participation in the Grand Final is mandatory to be included in the final standings.[8] Overall series winners are determined by the highest points total from their best three regular races plus the Grand Final.[8]
Races
Races are categorised into the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS), started in 2018,[9] and the Golden Trail National Series (GTNS), started in 2019.[10] The former includes several of the world's most competitive trail races.[11]
The Golden Trail Championship (GTC) was created in 2020 to replace the planned World Series which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took places in the Azores in the form of a four-day stage race.[12] The success of the GTC format meant that it was proposed as a replacement for the series final in alternating years.[13]
The specific races in the series are not always the same each year. While some iconic races appear often, new races are introduced and some rotated out annually. The location of the Grand Final also varies from year to year.[14]
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Japan)
China)
Italy)
USA)
Mexico)
Austria)
Portugal)
Norway)
Spain)
Switzerland)
France)
