Over the past couple of years, we’ve been working hard to connect with race directors from around the country. These are people passionate about running, and their races are important opportunities for their local running communities to connect with particular trails and landscapes. A large but still unknown proportion of trail races occur on local, state, and federal public lands. Everything from land management agency budget cuts to development proposals can impact these races and runners. We think connecting race directors with each other, stewardship and advocacy organizations, and lawmakers is vital to ensure that their events help give back to the land and trails while still serving runners and local economies.
That’s why we started the RPL Race Director Collective, which was hugely successful in 2025. Hundreds of race directors representing thousands of races across the country signed letters we drafted to protect the Roadless Rule and to urge Congress to allocate more funding to outdoor recreation management at federal land agencies. We also facilitated direct connections between race directors and their members of Congress. Craig Schmidt, of Inside Trail Racing, is one such race director. Read his recap of a recent information-sharing event with Representative Jared Huffman in San Francisco.
Craig’s Recap:
Inside Trail Racing is a Northern California-based trail running organization. We host over 20 trail running events throughout the year, with four of our major events being on public lands in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After the recent government shutdown impacted us, and we rely on these public lands for our events, we were excited to attend and participate in this advocacy event.
Inside Trail Racing was invited to an “interactive conversation with Congressman Jared Huffman, Ranking Member, House Natural Resources Committee, in San Francisco”. The invitation came via Outdoor Alliance of California and Runners for Public Lands. Talk about a great opportunity and a way to continue to get involved in learning and protecting our lands and natural resources.
There are many obstacles facing our public lands. This event helped us understand many of these risks, including the selling off of public lands, oil drilling in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and government funding for many of our favorite parks across the country. Activists like Congressman Jared Huffman and many of the lobbyists in attendance at this event are working hard to defend the rights and preserve our lands. The Q&A was short; we didn’t get a chance to ask a question during the panel, but we heard from many groups who are active participants in protecting these lands, like a group that organized trail work and trail activity days for the Latino community in Monterey on public lands like Fort Ord National Monument. These groups are showing how trail stewardship can lead the way and have a positive impact on the trails we use regularly.
The event helped reinforce the work we are striving to achieve. In 2025, we began laying the foundation for iTR to be active trail stewards through our partnership and sponsorship of Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship, including sponsorship of National Dig Day on June 6, 2026. And the work we are doing with China Camp State Park, through donations, a trail day on September 27, 2025, and a planned trail day for Friday, February 27, 2026.
These might be small ways we are getting involved in being positive stewards of our lands, and we are continuing to look for opportunities to be a positive influence. We as an organization are only a small part, but as a community—the trail running community—the minor impacts we make can have a considerable effect. We encourage you to join other organizations or us on dig days, trail work, fundraisers, and volunteering to protect and clean up the trails we use.
Thank you to Outdoor Alliance for making this event happen and to Banta Visuals for providing photos!