give your project the light it deserves.
THE award categories Trail Running Awards
Why enter the Trail Running Awards?
🌟 Visibility
Each candidate benefits from a visibility campaign on the Mile & Stone newsletter, official website and social networks: direct exposure at the heart of the trail ecosystem, even if you're not the final winner.
👀Recognition
Present your initiative to a jury of trail personalities: athletes, brands, media, equipment suppliers and organizers. A professional, recognized look at your work and your innovations.
🤝Experience
Each dossier includes 2 invitations to the Awards evening (value €200 excl. VAT), to celebrate, network and create lasting connections during a unique evening in Annecy.
🚀 Impact
Winners benefit from lasting recognition, enhanced media visibility and official visuals to affirm their credibility with partners, customers and the media.
📣Communication campaignof the year
This category highlights the creativity and effectiveness of communication and partnership activation campaigns that have made their mark on the trail running world.
It rewards initiatives capable of capturing attention, creating emotion and generating measurable public and community impact.
The originality of the concept, the relevance of the message, the strength of the activation and the results obtained: these are all criteria that recognize the work of brands, agencies and partners who have succeeded in pushing back the boundaries to engage their audience in an innovative and lasting way.
The 2024 winner
Winner of the 2024 Communications Campaign of the Year, the Matheysins SkyRace stood out for its immersive and innovative broadcast, offering the public an experience worthy of the greatest sporting events. A spectacular showcase that broadens the audience for trail running and highlights its beauty.
👟Product of the year
This category honors the most outstanding trail running equipment launched in 2025.
It is awarded to products that offer real added value to users, by setting new standards in terms of performance, comfort, safety and durability.
Technical excellence, innovation, influence on practice and inspiration for the community: all dimensions that underline the essential role of brands in the evolution of trail running.
The 2024 winner
Winner of the 2024 Product of the Year Award, Wise's Sherpa Max bag won us over with its innovative approach and unrivalled comfort. Designed for ultra-endurance, it combines a patented quick-access system, exceptional stability and a body-hugging fit that offers runners the unique sensation of wearing nothing at all. A major innovation that redefines the long-distance trail running experience.
⚙️SERVICE of the year
Service of the Year rewards initiatives that redefine the way trail running is experienced and practiced.
This distinction is aimed at solutions launched in 2025 capable of providing concrete support for athletes, whether in terms of technology, nutrition, health, coaching or improving the racing experience.
The focus is on innovation, quality of service, measurable benefits for trail users and positive impact on the trail community and ecosystem.
The 2024 winner
Winner of the Service of the Year Award, TiBib-live has established itself as a revolutionary real-time tracking and safety solution for ultra-trails. Able to locate participants even without network coverage, and to ensure their protection thanks to a compact, intuitive device, TiBib transforms the organization of endurance events. A decisive innovation that enhances runner safety while opening up new perspectives for organizers and spectators alike.
💼STARTUP of the year
This category recognizes young companies less than five years old who are reinventing trail running through their innovations.
It recognizes start-ups capable of offering products, services or technological solutions that bring real added value to practitioners and players in the sector.
Creativity, development potential, relevance of solutions and impact on the ecosystem are among the main selection criteria for this award.
The 2024 winner
Winner of the Start-up of the Year award, Enduraw stands out for its pioneering approach combining scientific research and artificial intelligence. By optimizing the pacing and training of trail athletes using advanced algorithms, while sharing its knowledge with the general public, it is helping to bring high performance and the community closer together. An innovation that opens up new perspectives for training and the democratization of knowledge.
🍃Environmental initiative of the year
The Environmental Initiative Award recognizes trail running's exemplary efforts to preserve nature.
Whether it's a question of reducing waste, limiting the impact of organization, or catering and awareness-raising projects, this award recognizes actions that make a difference in the field.
Criteria include originality, measurable positive impact, overall coherence and ripple effect on the community and other organizers.
the 2024 winners
Winners of the Environmental Initiative of the Year award, the VVX and the Mont-Blanc Marathon have distinguished themselves by their concrete commitment to a more sustainable way of running. The VVX is working to reduce its carbon footprint by encouraging train travel and funding local projects through the collection of finishers' T-shirts. For its part, the Mont-Blanc Marathon is innovating by reserving almost 40% of its race numbers for participants travelling by train or bus, from 2025 onwards. Two strong, exemplary initiatives that point the way to more responsible trail running.
🏃Female & male athletes+ team of the year
These categories recognize the year's most outstanding sporting achievements in the world of trail running.
Three awards are presented: Female Athlete, Male Athlete and Team of the Year. Unlike the other awards, there are no nominations: the nominees are selected directly by the jury.
Criteria include excellence of results, sporting impact, consistency of performance and ability to inspire the whole community.
the 2024 winners
Katie Schide
Elhousine Elazzaoui
HESITATING TO APPLY? WE ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS 👇
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To apply is to enter the spotlight of the trail ecosystem. All participants benefit from visibility via the Mile & Stone newsletter, the official website and social networks. It's also an opportunity to present your project to a panel of experts, get a professional perspective and meet the community at the ceremony. Each entry includes 2 invitations to the Awards evening (valued at €100 excl. VAT each), a privileged opportunity to network, celebrate and create lasting connections.
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Winning a Mile & Stone award means strong, lasting recognition in the world of trail running. Winners benefit from enhanced media exposure, dedicated communication in Mile & Stone newsletters, and official visuals for use on their media. Their project is presented as an industry benchmark, giving them added credibility with partners, customers and the media. It is also a visibility booster and a long-term image lever, beyond the ceremony.
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Don't worry: the application process is simple and straightforward. A clear form accompanies you step by step as you present your project, your objectives and your impact. You don't have to write a complex application, just tell your story and your approach in a sincere and structured way.
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Many share this sentiment, but it has no place here. The Trail Running Awards are aboutinnovation, impact and authenticity, not size or budget. Young brands, associations and emerging projects have already shone in the first edition. If your initiative brings something new or inspiring to the world of trail running, you've got a place.
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The Trail Running Awards require a contribution to ensure the smooth running and quality of the process. This contribution covers the management of applications, the formatting and analysis of dossiers, communication around the nominees and the visibility offered to candidates before, during and after the ceremony. It also guarantees a transparent and professional operation, with an independent jury assessing each project according to precise and fair criteria.
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Absolutely. The jury is independent of the organization and made up of well-known personalities from the trail andoutdoor industry. Each member is selected for his or her expertise, and in the event of a conflict of interest, abstains from voting. Decisions are taken collectively, based on public criteria (impact, innovation, consistency). At the Trail Running Awards, it's not size or notoriety that counts, but the value of the project.
APPLY FOR THE TRAIL RUNNING AWARDS
Dossiers for non-profit organizations such as associations, NGOs and other similar bodies will be free of charge.
Start-ups (companies less than 5 years old) will benefit from a 50% discount.
Proof of seniority and/or nature of the organization (e.g. articles of association, proof of registration) should be sent by e-mail to contact@mileandstone.com.
For the start-up price of the year, the discount is already applied in the form above.
Dates to remember:
July 10, 2025: Applications open
November 14, 2025 (new date) : Application deadline
December 9, 2025: Awards ceremony
🎗️Social Initiative of the year
In this category, the emphasis is on projects that place people at the heart of trail running.
It recognizes initiatives that promote access to sport for all, encourage diversity and strengthen the sense of belonging to a supportive community.
The focus is on the concrete impact on participants, the relevance of actions, and their ability to create an inspiring and sustainable model.
The 2024 winner
Winner of the Social Initiative of the Year award, Atlas Quest has distinguished itself through its efforts to promote access to outdoor sports in the Moroccan High Atlas. By developing inclusive and sustainable initiatives while actively supporting local communities, it embodies trail running's ability to act as a lever for social cohesion and territorial development.