The American Trail Running Association (ATRA) recently launched its newest program, Connect with the Trail, a grassroots, community-building initiative sponsored by OrthoLite, with support from Salomon and Balega. The #ConnectWithTheTrail program will invite trail runners to share imagery from the trails on their Instagram and/or Twitter channels, using #ConnectWithTheTrail and tagging ATRA and OrthoLite in their post for an opportunity to win a curated product package from OrthoLite, Salomon and Balega.
“Our hope is to enhance the trail running experience for athletes at every level with superior comfort and performance thanks to our innovative insole technology,” says Dan Legor, global director of marketing for OrthoLite. “We’re looking forward to deepening our commitment to the trail running community and engaging with them through the Connect with the Trail program.”
Imagery submitted as part of the #ConnectWithTheTrail program should fall into one of the following categories, with a goal of inspiring other trail runners and sparking conversation amongst the community:
- Emotion: Reflect the emotion one experiences on the trails and illicit a “Wow” response from the viewer.
- Responsibility: Speak to the 2019 ATRA theme of “Trail Running Responsibly,” showing runners sharing the trail with multi-users (e.g., running with their leashed dog, or pitching in on a trail maintenance day).
- Community: Celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion at trail races, or on group runs
Each month, the ATRA team will select an image that represents at least one of the above categories to be featured on its social channels and website. The individual who submitted the selected image will receive a custom product package from Connect with the Trail’s presenting sponsor, OrthoLite, and supporting partners, Salomon and Balega.
“We expect this to be a really engaging campaign and are excited to see what the running community submits to illustrate their trail running spirit and how the community shines,” says Adam Chase, ATRA president. “We are grateful to our sponsors, OrthoLite, Balega and Salomon, and look forward to rewarding those who submit the best image each month.”
Connect with the Trail officially launched this month and will continue throughout 2019, giving trail runners an opportunity to share their experiences and further grow the community. Instructions on how to engage and future program updates will be promoted via ATRA’s social media channels and website on an ongoing basis.
To learn more about ATRA, visit www.trailrunner.com
