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Mission statement

As coaches, mentors, and competitive runners, we are developing the next generation of trail runners. The All In Trail Collective’s aim is to provide coaching support and mentorship for promising, younger athletes, particularly those from marginalized or underserved communities.

Read about the 2023 and 2022 scholarship recipients.

The ultramarathon distance has historically been where aging road and track runners go to retire and a few elite athletes dominate at select races. Additionally, socioeconomic status and race can be indirectly and indirectly linked to access to trails and natural spaces. However, COVID and the ensuing current running boom have contributed to more runners looking to run trails or set Fastest Known Times. Ultra distances will always be grueling and complex. The strategy of a multi-hour or multi-day effort intimidates all runners, especially younger ones. It takes time to start asking the right questions and reach our potential. That’s where All In comes in.

We recognize that trail running is empowering. It directs our passions and energies into positive, community-building experiences. Developing into a stronger runner requires patience, ambition, and curiosity. As coaches and competitive runners, we want to cultivate passionate, younger, and talented athletes, and introduce them to a world that we love so much.

Stay up to date on deadlines or with the program by following our @AllInTrail Instagram.

We have two programs, an All In Trail community and a year-long 1:1 coaching scholarship.

All In Trail Collective

The All In Trail Collective is a community of individuals who are All In on trail running. Our aim is to provide community and support, particularly for individuals who are excited to run trails but might not be in a position to work with a coach. We’ve created the All In group to provide access to high-quality coaches, an online community and a few other resources to help athletes stay motivated and connected across the country.

The All In Trail Collective community exists of:

• A private online message board community (using Slack) with other trail athletes and All In coaches. We encourage dialogue on training, races, and all things trail
• Private All In Trail Strava group
• Monthly
• Discounts on team races (like the Mesquite Canyon 50 Mile | 50K | 30K | 1/2 Marathon | 8K)
• A monthly newsletter
• Reposting of #allintrail content on our @AllInTrail Instagram
• Opt-in participation: Peer-to-peer mentoring program

Requirements:

• Between the ages of 20-28. (If you feel that you should be included within this group but are older than 28, please consider applying and telling us more about why this program would be a good fit for you)
• A resident of the United States, Canada or Mexico
• Willingness to stay engaged and actively participate in our community

If you are interested in joining, please respond yes to the question ‘Regardless of my scholarship application, I would like to be included in the All In Trail Collective group.’

All In Trail Coaching Scholarship

We, Scott Traer, Jess Schnier, Georgia Porter, Yassine Diboun, Rosa Moriello, and Joe McConaughy, are offering a scholarship for one year of free coaching for 10-14 athletes. The goals of this program are:

• To develop talent in the future generation of trail and ultra runners, and mentor those individuals to succeed in running and life.
• To broader the diversity of the sport to include those that have historically been underserved and/or discouraged from participation.

In the US, the ultramarathon distance is dominated by white athletes and individuals who identify as cis males. While that isn’t a knock on the current and previous generations of runners, we strongly believe our sport will flourish and be much more impactful if we have more Joseph Grays, Courtney Dauwalters, and Ryan Montgomerys. We hope to attract and select individuals who bring different perspectives and/or background to the sport, and that, by working with one of us, these individuals will find their footing and voice in the trail running community.

Each of us has had our own journey to discover trails. We hope our mentorship will encourage a few select young people to pursue trail and ultra distances and to accelerate their learning and enjoyment of the sport.

Should I apply?

This scholarship is meant to support younger adult runners who are looking to develop into a competitive ultramarathon- or Fastest Known Time-focused athletes. See criteria below:

• Between the ages of 20-28*.
• A resident of the United States, Canada or Mexico. (coaching is remote/no geographic location required)
• Athletic individuals with thru-hiking backgrounds; or,
• Competitive trail athletes who’ve podiumed at regional races or been top 15 at major races; or,
• Individuals with competitive running backgrounds. Time suggestions are listed below:
  • Men: 4:20 mile, 15:00 5k, 31:00 10k, 1:12 HM, 2:30 marathon.
  • Women: 4:50 mile, 16:30 5k, 34:30 10k, 1:20 HM, 2:45 marathon.
• We encourage individuals with various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds and/or sexual orientations or identities to apply.

*With these scholarships, we’re hoping to encourage and mentor younger athletes who might not otherwise have an opportunity to obtain or confidence to seek out high-quality coaching. That generally means folks around, 20-28; however, if you feel that you should be included within this group but are older than 28, please consider applying and telling us more about why this scholarship would be a good fit for you.

Benefits

Each coach is offering a few scholarship spots to different athletes for the entire calendar year of 2023, totaling 10-14 spots.

• 12 months of one-on-one coaching services* (a $2,400 value). Including:
  • Customized training plan via Google Docs, Training Peaks or Final Surge
  • Private training Slack & Strava groups
  • Tempo, track, hill and long run workouts
  • Weight program consulting
  • Race nutrition consulting^
  • Gear and fast packing consultation
  • Injury consultation^
  • Sponsor discounts and select race entries
• Sponsors include companies like Brooks and race organizations like Aravaipa.
• Additional mentorship: If possible, I will pair you with a regionally located athlete who is able to offer additional mentorship and potential transportation assistance for events. If events require travel, I will work to help you find local support from the community with transportation, lodging, and support if possible

We’d like to give a shoutout to program sponsors, including Rainshadow Running, Aravaipa Running, Trail Animals Running Club and Tejas Trails for offering free or discounted race entries to athletes. Additionally, we’d like to thank program sponsors Sawyer, TrailButter, Brooks, Janji, and Salomon for hooking athletes up!

*Individual coaches have different coaching styles and processes and have unique sponsorship arrangements to benefit you.
^While we make every effort to provide athletes with correct information that is tailored to you, we are experienced running coaches but not licensed medical professionals. We study modern running practices to attempt to keep any athlete injury-free and healthy, but running may cause damage to your body. For medical issues, you should see a licensed professional. Under no circumstance shall any coach be held responsible for injury or damages.

Application info & process

Please apply using this link. If you have questions about your application, please leave a comment below, or message the

In the application, you will be asked to answer questions about your personal history, training history, and goals. You will also be asked to submit a 500 word written essay on ‘Why do you wish to apply for this scholarship? Will this experience contribute to your personal or professional goals, or impact your community?’.

See timeline. When the application period ends, we will review applications and narrow down a list of finalists. Finalists will be notified and scheduled for a follow-up call. The purpose of this call is to make sure that you and your coach are the right fit for your needs as an athlete. Non-selected applicants will be notified, by 12/27/21 at the latest. Scholarship recipients will be apart of the All In Trail Collective, and non-selected applicants will be encouraged to join.

Application period: 11/14 – 12/12/22
Middle of December: Potential of finalists interviews and selection of recipients
Coaching start date: 1/1/23

If selected, what will be required of me?

Your coach will work with you to set goals and a training calendar for 2023. We expect any athlete…

• To dedicate significant time and effort to training (8-12 hours per week)
• To have a long-term interest in developing into a competitive trail runner, ultra runner or fastpacker
• To attend bi-weekly or monthly one-on-one check-ins with your coach
• To set a race calendar for 2023 with at least 3 efforts/events
• To be an engaged member of their local trail running community and steward of the sport, including at least 8 hours as a volunteer or pacer at a trail running event or race at two separate events
• To engage with your coaches client roster for both their benefit and for that of the broader group
• Optional: To write a monthly blog article on a running-related topic. This could be on the running experience, a race report, a gear review, or whatever topic is interesting to them. Link to blog.

Maximizing your potential as a trail and ultra runner is a multi-step process. In this program, we’re interested in helping younger athletes establish a program and process to develop their craft rather than focusing purely on results. Most ultrarunners post their best performances in their 30’s; becoming a strong trail runner takes years to develop. Immediate results will not be the best measure of long-term success.

Please support this scholarship

Our biggest issue with this application is that we’re worried that it will not be presented to the individuals who would most benefit from it, and they will not apply. For those of you reading this, we ask that you please support this scholarship by expanding the reach and network of this opportunity. Our success will likely depend on the recommendation of a friend of a friend to apply or by the goodwill of a stranger who shares this scholarship with their local trail running group.

If you would like to help this program succeed, we ask:

• Share this scholarship with any local trail running organization via social media or word of mouth
• Recommend the scholarship to an individual who you believe would be a good fit
• Make an introduction. We’d love to make connections with individuals or organizations who might be able to help the mission of the scholarship
• We will happily facilitate financial contributions to cover travel-related expenses or in-kind gifts for scholarship recipients, please get in touch with me on Instagram or in the comments below
• Give us feedback: How can we increase the potential or value of this scholarship?

Please reach out to our email allintrail at gmail.com or reach Joe on Instagram

Joe McConaughy