Salomon Running Academy 2016 - Calling the next generation of elite Trail-runners!

16.03.2016

­Out on the trails and up in the mountains, there are young guns charging ahead, filled with passion and dreams, inspired by idols or simply addicted to the great outdoors. Some of them don’t even know how talented they are. Most of them don’t realize that they’re the athletes who will be shaping the future of the sport. Salomon are on a mission to find those young guns from all around the globe and gather them together for an exceptional week on the trails.
 
The Salomon Running Academy kicked off in 2015 as a novel concept. The aim isn’t just to recruit and nurture new talent. There’s a bigger purpose: to bring together two generations of runners and to build lasting relationships, so that the original spirit of the sport gets passed on and thrives. “I want to give something back to the sport that I love, by actively helping the next generation” says Jonathan Wyatt, one of the veteran athletes involved, along with Anna Frost and Max King.
 
It’s not about putting the young athletes in competition with one another and signing up the winners. “It was refreshing to be told that you don’t have to be the best. The attitude was to help us all be the best we can, and above all to have fun”, says Micha Steiner, a young Swiss athlete who attended the 2015 academy. “Having fun with running is what will attract young talent to the sport and keep it authentic and healthy”, believes Greg Vollet, the event organizer, who was quick to point out just how hugely impressed he was by the level of the group in 2015, some of whom are soaring ahead with their careers today.
 
So the next academy attendees can expect boundless energy, wild descents and a fair amount of goofing around with the “vets”, on and off the trails. Plus product development workshops and plenty of in-depth advice on how to manage their sport, both physically and mentally, from athletes who’ve been there and learnt from experience. The date is set for May 2016, the place is Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany, and the call goes out to all young runners between 16 and 20, from anywhere in the world. “Above all, it’s about sharing the passion. The great thing about enthusiasm is that it’s contagious!”, says Vollet.
 
For more information on the Salomon Running Academy 2016 and how to apply visit www.runningacademy.salomon.com