Each year, UltraSignup closes out the year with Keep Trail Running Weird Awards. We consider the awards a ‘podium finish’ for the everyday runner, honoring the beautifully weird and free-spirited culture of the trail running community. Since 2021, we have recognized 5 winners nominated by the community and 5 winners based on crunching the numbers in our database. Read on to learn about the award categories and nominate your friends. Award winners will receive UltraSignup apparel and be invited for an interview on an episode of The Trailhead podcast.
This year’s awards are supported by our friends at Aspire Adventure Running. Anyone who participates by making a nomination or voting will be entered into a raffle to win a multi-day running trip, Goat Rocks, for you and a friend with Aspire Adventure Running!
Do you have that friend is the best ambassador for trail running? They run with joy and determination, they are at the heart of their community, lifting others up and encouraging everyone to be their best self. That’s who this award is for and it’s time to share that friend with the world. Nominate your local inspiration and they’ll inspire others.
Best Pacer
Pacing is hard work. It requires a certain finesse, physical preparedness, a poker face, and at times a silver tongue to keep a runner moving in the darkest points in their race. Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their pacing skill? Nominate them today.
Favorite Trail Weirdo
One person’s weirdo is another person’s idol. There’s lot’s of weirdos in trail running and we love that for us. Tell us about the runner who unfailingly makes you say “seriously?!” Maybe it’s their nutrition plan, their race day kit, or their training style, maybe it’s their unconventional outlook on life. Tell us who this person is to you and why they are so dang loveable.
Best Race Day Fail
Not a lot of explanation needed. Who biffed it best?
Best Dressed
Trail runner style should have it’s own fashion week. Who do you think consistently looks the smartest, the flyest, the most “Keep Trail Running Weird Awards” magazine cover issue worthy?
This year’s awards are supported by our friends at Aspire Adventure Running. Anyone who participates by making a nomination will be entered into a raffle to win a multi-day stage run for you and a friend! This year’s trip explores the volcanic ridgelines of Washington state’s Goat Rock’s Wilderness.
Data Award Categories
(Where our data scientist pulls the data from UltraSignup.com and crunches the numbers to find the stand-out runners)
Most Races Completed
Some runners pick one big race a year, maybe a couple of tune-ups. Other runners love the joy of community events and spend their weekends traveling local races. That kind of community support is so valuable, the more you race local, the more you contribute to the trail run community.
Most Hours Raced
Sometimes it’s not about getting to the finish line first. This award celebrates the runner who spent the most time out on race courses in 2023. In 2021, Jameelah Abjul-Rahim Mujaahid took home this award and completed the most races.
Most Miles Raced
2022’s high mileage was 1,750 race miles while 2021 came in at a whopping 2,055.01 race miles! With the rise of the 200+ mile race, who knows what we’ll see from this year!
Rookie of the Year
We love to see the runners that discover trail races and never look back. This award is for those of you who made a splash in your “debut season.” Let’s celebrate the runners that find what they love and go all in.
Most Tenacious
One of our favorite categories, the Most Tenacious result is given to the runner with the most DNF results each year.
