Make Money Trail Running | Races, Sponsorship, Social Media

Last updated on April 14th, 2021 at 05:29 pm

We're an Affiliate! We are a reader supported website. We hope you love the products we recommend. Just so you know, we may earn commission off the purchase of items we mention in this post. Thank you if you use our links!

So, you are killing it on your local trail running circuit, and want to start monetizing your love for running trails. You’re not alone in this goal, and it is possible, albeit difficult, to make money trail running.

The amount of money you are able to make will depend on your skill level, marketability, connectivity to the trail running community, and more.

Below I go through some of the different ways money is made through trail running.

The Main Ways Trail Runners Make Money

There are a variety of ways to make money running trails, and they vary in their difficulty level and required running proficiency. In other words, some ways to make money are directly tied to how good of a runner you are, and other ways to make money are less tied to how good of a runner you are. Here are some ways to make money in the trail running world:

Racing Competitions: This is just like it sounds; entering and winning money at races.
Landing Sponsorships: One or multiple companies support a runner through sponsorships.
Becoming a Social Media Influencer: The runner has gained a large social media following, and money-making becomes possible by providing companies access to their audience.
Running a Camp: It is not uncommon for high profile trail runners to put on camps and retreats where people are charged money for training and the experience.
Running Coach: Runners leverage their experience, following, and notoriety to run coaching camps, experiences, or do one on one coaching.
Become an Affiliate for Shoe Companies: Affiliate marketing is the norm for companies nowadays. Grow a following and send them to shoe companies, and when they make a purchase you can get a commission
Start a Print on Demand Side-Hustle: Set up a website with a company like Printful, and sell custom-designed merchandise (like your personal t-shirt design). This can make you money while your running your favorite trail.

Let’s explore these six ways trail runners make money in more detail below.

1. Win Money at Trail Racing Competitions

This one is exactly how it sounds; competitive. Trail running has become a more mainstream competitive athletics platform, and because there are elite athletes running in the main trail racing competitions you better believe it will be difficult to win, or rank appropriately, to receive a payout in the form of prize money. If you fancy your chances in this category you are a better runner than I am!

List of Trail Races with Prize Money

Here are a number of trail races across the world that offer a purse

Run Rabbit Run Steamboat Springs 50 & 100 mile: $75,000 purse! Yes, that is correct, a $75,000 purse was distributed among the various placing runners in the 2018 races, and in 2019 it looks as the much of the same is planned.

Capstone 100: The Capstone 100 was held in Bamei Town, Dafu County, Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province and touted a $10,000 grand prize for the first-place finishers, and a variety of other dollar amounts for those placing in second and third place. Solid gold, silver, and copper also accompany the first, second, and third-place finishers.

Golden Trail Series (GTC): This series is sponsored by Salomon and competing trail runners must complete 3 of 6 races included in the series; each race is in a different country, and with different environments. A Purse of €5,000 is available for each of the individual six races that are a part of the GTS.

Marathon du Mont Blanc: Mont Blanc in France has become one of the Mecca’s of modern Trail Racing. The first year a purse was offered for the races at the mountain was 2018. €35,000 was up for grabs. Also worth noting here is that one of the races taking place at Mont Blanc is also a race of the Golden Trail Series (see above). This might be a situation where two prizes could be won in doing well at both races.

Ultra Gobi 400: The Ultra Gobi 400 Kilometer Facebook page is offering a $10,000 prize to anyone that can beat the course record of 71 hours. That is a big prize, and at 400 kilometers if anyone is able to Daniel Lawson’s time, they will have earned it.

Cirque Series: This trail racing series is comprised of six mountain ridge races focused on elevation gain and technical trails. The six races take place from June through September, and there are prize purses for each of the six races. Each race provides a monetary prize for the Pro, Expert, and Sport category. Pro runners can win $1000, $300, or $200 depending on if they finish in first, second or third. These winners are available each race. Runners registering in the “expert” and “sport” categories also have the opportunity to win, but in the form of awesome gear; between $200 and $400 in gear is available for the top three ranked in the expert and sport categories for each of the races.

Elite Runners Win Money

There are likely other individual trail races I am missing, but the list above should give you a start in exploring where you could possibly win some trail running prize money.

With the above list being provided it is worth noting that the prize money certainly brings with it an elite group of athletes for races where elevation gain is great and the conditions are extreme. If you are going for top spots at any of these trail events above, you are going to need to be an elite runner and athlete.

2. Become a Sponsored Trail Runner

For those of us who can’t rely on beating the best trail runners in the world, there are still options. Some of the best ways to do this are to gain sponsorship from companies selling products for trail running.

Don’t get me wrong, you will still likely have to be an elite runner if you are going to become a sponsored team member for a big brand. That said, it is an avenue for making money as a trail runner that doesn’t necessarily require winning the Marathon du Mont Blanc. That is good, because the odds of winning that race is low, even for the most competitive trail runners.

Which Brands Have Trail Running Teams

Nearly all manufacturers of trail running shoes have “teams” that compete in a variety of trail races. These teams of runners represent the brand they are sponsored by. Through races and community engagement, sponsored runners bring attention to the brand. In exchange, the brand will often provide sponsored runners with a variety of compensation. Fees for races, travel costs, the cost of gear, or actually writing a check.

Larger companies, or those more specialized in the world of trail running, often sponsor a larger number of athletes to expand the reach of their brand.

Examples of Trail Running Companies With Sponsored Athletes

Major shoe brands like Salomon, Altra, and La Sportiva will have dozens of sponsored trail runners. While the best of the best runners likely receive more compensation it shouldn’t be overlooked that there is room for developing athletes to join these teams from time to time.

You can check out the trail running team at La Sportiva here, or read about the new members Altra added to their trail running team back in 2018. These are just two major companies, but most major brands are similar in their marketing efforts. Check around to see what other brands have teams.

Major brands support a good number of athletes. We’re not saying it’s easy to get on one of the teams or become a sponsored athlete, but seeing the number of athletes being supported is encouraging.

Combining Multiple Sponsorship’s

One thing to consider if you are trying to become a sponsored athlete is that it is possible to be sponsored by more than one brand.

You might only be able to associate yourself with one of the big shoe brands, but think bigger than shoes: GPS watch manufacturers, waterproof outerwear, protein bars, headlamp makers, shorts companies, compression sleeves, and more could all (in theory) be represented by the same sponsored runner.

Each of these different brands would then represent a small piece of the pie with regards to the type of compensation you receive. It is unlikely that a single sponsorship will provide a full income on its own; unless you are a Kilian Jornet or a Tommy Rivs layering sponsorship’s will likely be an absolute necessity.

If you are training for a race you are likely burning a ton of calories. It is very important you replace these spent calories with protein-rich nutritious foods that will keep your muscles operating smoothly.

3. Become a Social Media Influencer

More now than ever amateur runners are taking to social media to express their love of trail running. Mastering social media is about much more than the sport though. Showcasing the lifestyle around trail running has become just as important as the sport itself.

Following The Journey of Trail Running Influencers

Social media is the best way to learn what our favorite athletes are up to. Want to learn what Tommy Rivs is doing for hill training? Find out…in real-time on social media.

The same goes for what our favorite athletes are wearing, what GPS watch they like, what shoes they are running in, and on and on. Companies notice that we are watching the details of our favorite athletes; they want to get their products in front of our eyes. This is where partnerships between trail runners and brands are made.

Trail Runners Killing it On Social Media

Various runners across a spectrum of running capabilities can succeed at the social media game. Below are a few examples of trail runners doing really well on their social media platforms.

Lucy Bartholomew

A watermelon loving Australian who loves long races, traveling, and mountain running. If you don’t follow Lucy Bartholomew on social media I would highly recommend it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lucy Bartholomew (@lucy_bartholomew) on May 21, 2019 at 12:49am PDT

Not only is Lucy Bartholomew a great competitor, but she is in love with the general running community. Her engagement with runners all over the world makes her very appealing for potential sponsors.

While being an appealing sponsored runner Lucy has also developed a brand all of her own, and she has a great website that likely goes a long way in helping here make a living wage; you can check her site out here.

The Cappuccino Cowboys

This is more of a running team that has morphed into a sort of brand. The Cappuccino Cowboys are a collective of highly competitive trail runners whose members tend to do VERY well in landing on the podium. That said, their team has created a light-hearted brand around running memes, inside jokes, and their members.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cappuccino Cowboys (@cappuccinocowboys) on Jul 1, 2019 at 12:52pm PDT

While The Cappuccino Cowboys are elite trail runners they have also done a great job of building a team-based brand, and a buzz around each of the runners in the group. This is appealing to potential sponsors.

In addition to the Cowboys potential allure to sponsors, they have done a great job of taking some of the money-making into their own hands by creating a website where their own products are for sale. You can check out their website here.

Companies Take Notice of Influencers

Companies have noticed the power of influencers; they recognize the attention we pay to athletes, and they understand it has real value. Instagram profiles related to trail running have tons of followers, and these followers are interested in the journey being displayed. This journey is valuable to companies. For this reason, companies will often provide compensation to influencers.

Social Media Levels the Playing Field

While building an Instagram account isn’t necessarily an easy feat, it doesn’t require you to be an Olympic level athlete either. Followers might be just as interested in your journey, as they are in how good of a runner you are.

While building a following on Instagram or YouTube might seem like fun and games it should be noted that real money can be made by so called influencers. Many social media personalities have taken years to grow their followings doing what they love, and brands are willing to pay money for access to those followers.

Another notable aspect, which might come as a relief to those without an elite level of athleticism, is that being a social influencer is about more than your involvement in a niche.

Followers gained on social media may only be slightly attributed to trail running. The rest of the followers may be more interested in the lifestyle aspects of the account.

In other words, a holistic personal brand can be created via social media without being a top ten finisher at Pikes Peak. Because of this fact, getting compensated for what you love is more accessible to the general population.

Social Media Pays

Social Media is HUGE when it comes to getting money through sport. Again, if you are really deft with social media this may hold more weight than actually being a great runner.

Sure, you might run in races throughout the year, but your following and how you use your social media platform may ultimately win you sponsorship deals.

Which is better, being a great runner or being good at social media?

Probably the right mix of both, although brands really just want the best way to connect with potential customers. If you aren’t that great of a runner, but you have 70,000 engaged followers on Instagram, you might be in a good enough position to get companies to ask for your representation.

4. Trail Running Camps

There are a variety of camps for those wanting to take on a marathon, a 50 miler, or a 100-mile ultra marathon. Often these camps, or retreats, are hosted by a high profile or experienced runner in order to help less experienced or less disciplined runners maximize their efforts and hone their training regimen.

This route is a little more intensive, and certainly requires that you are more of an authority on your craft if you are going to be charging other runners to take part in your educational programming.

That said, many trail runners that have large followings find that running retreats are a great way to bring in money while doing something they love.

How much the organizers of these camps/retreats charge per participant varies widely based on:

How intensive the experience is
The camp’s duration
The experience level of the coach
Other variables like the location

If you are interested in comparing what these types of running experiences are being offered for, it is pretty easy to do some searches on the web or talk to someone at your local running store. I found a few examples by doing a few quick searches; check out this retreat hosted by Timothy Olsen as an example: Run Mindful Retreats

5. Becoming a Coach

Running coaches are available for all skill levels. In fact, it is very likely that your favorite professional trail runner has a coach of their own. These coaches make money by provided directed programs and varying levels of personal implementation.

As stated above, running coaches aren’t just available for the professionals. Aspiring marathon runners, those just getting started, and prospective college runners alike can find a coach on the marketplace.

Sage Canaday and Sandi Nypaver are examples of trail runners who have their own coaching service. The service is called Sage Running, and they provide 2-3 week plans at a time and charge by the month.

If you feel you have the expertise and marketability to provide coaching/training services for other runners this could be a great way to make money in the field of trail running.

6. Become an Affiliate Marketer for Shoe Companies

Not all trail runners make their money directly from the sport itself. This is probably a little obvious when we spoke about becoming a social media personality… after all, that isn’t really trail running, but it is slightly related when you think of the type of content being created.

Another way to make money trail running, without having to be an elite runner, is through affiliate marketing.

In simple terms, affiliate marketing is when brands pay you a commission when they make a sale that comes from visitors that originated with your website, YouTube Channel, or email list. In short, send the brand traffic, and when a sale is made you make money.

This is a WIDESPREAD tactic to make money. Here are a couple of prominent trail runners that make money in this way:

Seth James DeMoor: An elite trail runner (and runner in general). He has a YouTube channel with over 100k followers, and he reviews shoes that he uses. He makes a commission on the shoes he links to in the description of the videos.
The Ginger Runner: This has become a brand of its own. With a YouTube channel of over 150k subscribers, reviews are done on shoes, shorts, running vests, and more. As viewers click on the links in his video descriptions they make money.

If you have a social media following, a large email list, or are developing a blog related to your love of running, you could become an affiliate marketer too.

7. Start a Print-on-Demand Side Hustle

If you have a creative touch there are ways to broaden your income. If you’ve ever had a great idea for a t-shirt or a hat, you can create them, and sell them without keeping an inventory.

Companies like Printful provide an awesome resource to design and sell your own clothing via print-on-demand.

This type of service allows you to get clothing printed (or embroidered) one at a time… which means it won’t require a huge out-of-pocket expense to try your hand at this.

Printful (and other similar companies) sometimes offer a portal on their website that you can send your visitors too; this means you wouldn’t need to build an entire site just to sell some t-shirt designs – you could just send people to the portal.

The most common way to do print-on-demand would be the following steps:

Set up a Shopify or BigCommerce store: These are inexpensive ways to start a website that is tailored to e-Commerce.
Design a t-shirt: Create a single t-shirt (or hat) design to start, and build from there. Want to see how this works? Make your own shirt as a test, and you will see how addicting it is.
Connect Printful to Your Website: If you set up a Shopify or BigCommerce website, you will be able to connect all your Printful designs to Shopify or BigCommerce.
Automate it: When you get an order through your site, Printful will fulfill the order for you – you do not have to lift a finger. After all, you already designed the clothing and connected your website to Printful.

The benefit of starting side hustles like print-on-demand is the minimal time investment it requires. Because this type of income stream is more passive once it has been set-up, you can make money while running your favorite trail race.

Other Ways Trail Runners Make Money

Are you a trail Runner making money in a way I haven’t covered in this post? Is there a trail race you are aware of that has a monetary prize that I haven’t listed in the first part of this post?

Let me know, and I can make some updates!

If making money on the trails is what you hope to do hopefully this post has provided some minimal direction for how you could best focus your energies to start building some form of compensation from your passion.

RELATED POSTS: