Runners of all ages and skill levels can participate in the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship, as there is no qualifying process. Last year, close to 500 trail runners from 30 different states gathered at Snowbasin Resort for the event. There will be three different courses to accommodate the various levels of runners. A 21-kilometer half-marathon course will serve as the national championship course, but there will also be a 10K and a 5.8K.

Every age-group winner from the 21K course will be awarded a free entry to race at the 2018 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship at Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawaii.