Trail Assistance: The digital solution for centralizing trail logistics
Managing assistance and coordinating logistics is a structural challenge in ultra-endurance. Faced with these recurring difficulties, the Trail Assistanceapplication, developed by a group of passionate young entrepreneurs, offers a technological solution to unify all those involved in the race. This young start-up, whose development is based on strong validation in the field, has been singled out in the Startup of the Year category at the Trail Running Awards.
From personal experience to technological innovation
The idea for Trail Assistance came from the direct experience of its founders, who were confronted with the hazards of racing: errors in timing, confusion over access to refreshment points or difficulties in communicating with assistance. The project aims to provide a technological response to simplify and standardize the assistance process.
The platform is positioned as the first hub designed to simultaneously connect the three stakeholders in a sporting event: the rider, the organizer and the assistant.
At the heart of the application: Preparation, connection and training
Trail Assistance's architecture is based on three key functionalities that digitize traditional procedures:
1. Advanced planning
The tool provides a fully automated race plan for the runner. More than just a digital roadbook, it calculates estimated passage times, integrates the management of nutritional requirements and centralizes the equipment checklist. The aim is to offer precise, intuitive monitoring right from the preparation phase.
2. The assistant's secure role
Trail Assistance seeks to professionalize the role of the assistant. Coordination is facilitated by geolocation and integrated messaging. For runners without a team, a marketplace enables qualified assistants to be found and recruited. This dimension is reinforced by e-learning modules dedicated to assistance.
3. Simplification for organizers
The platform becomes a standardized communication tool for the event. It enables organizers to digitize and distribute a roadbook for accompanying persons, distinct from the runner's roadbook, offering better control of assistance flows at key points in the event.
Strong market validation prior to launch
Trail Assistance's start-up status is accompanied by promising growth indicators, even before it goes to market. Preliminary results confirm strong support for the concept:
The team received over 100 unsolicited applications from users wishing to take part in the beta-testing phase.
50 beta-testers were selected to validate the reliability of the ergonomics and key functionalities.
A trail partner has committed to testing the solution with its subscribers, and brand partnerships (nutrition) have already been established.
This initial feedback validates the existence of a structural need and lays the foundations for a business model that will be measured by retention and usage indicators from the moment of public launch. This global approach and the project's growth potential, aimed at optimizing the racing and support experience through technology, naturally place this young company at the center of discussions in the Startup of the Year category.
