2025 Keep Trail Running Weird Award Winners

For the past five years, UltraSignup has closed out the year with the Keep Trail Running Weird Awards. Unlike traditional end-of-year running awards, these honors aren’t about the fastest finishers or the most innovative brands. They exist to celebrate the trail running community itself.

These are the friends who got us into trail running in the first place—the people who bring the party to every race, who make you feel welcome at a group run even if you’ve only met once or twice. They are the runners who make trail running feel like a family.

In 2025, the awards received several hundred nominations and thousands of votes. Each year, UltraSignup team members have the rare privilege of reading the stories behind those submissions and hearing firsthand from trail communities across the United States. We are honored to facilitate these awards and to help recognize the runners you nominated who make this sport what it is.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Run the Alps and Running Warehouse!

See bottom of page for the Grand Prize Winner.

Community Awards & Data Awards

Keep Trail Running Weird celebrates two different types of awards. The community awards contain 5 categories which are nominated and voted on by all of you. While the data awards cover 5 categories of winners who are determined by the data contained in the UltraSignup platform. The categories are as follows.

And the Winners Are…

Data Award Categories

Most Races Completed: Wayne Kline – 32 races

Of all the runners out there, Wayne completed the most races in 2025. Congrats Wayne! This category is always fun to watch.

1. Why do you run? I run for a love of the sport. Also for health. I have Parkinson’s disease and this helps to keep me mobile. At the age of 71 this is important.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Running has taught me that the finish line is not the finish, it is a gateway to tomorrow and more beautiful runs to come!
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? When I was a brand new Runner, established members of the ultra community, took me under their wing, and introduced me to all the important people, even though I didn’t feel deserving. I learned that everybody is important! We all share opportunities to learn and live on the trail and on race day!
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no metals or finish lines needed? One part Of running that gives me joy is the solitude and adventure of the trail, the physical joy of running fast, and sharing running stories with my running friends And companions.
5. What does being weird mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? Well, I guess I was born weird and have become more so with age! When I’m on the trail, I keep an eye out for everything from UFOs to crazed squirrels to slime molds. The variety is infinite, and we are all a part it!

Most Hours Raced: Dipak Bhattacharyya – 888.46 hours

We love to see a repeat winner! Dipak claimed this title in the 2024 awards with 718 hours of racing and in 2025 he exceeded his record by 170 hours!

1. Why do you run? Running  makes me happy and gives me peace.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Running taught me that nothing is impossible.
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? Be consistent and disciplined.
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? Extreme suffering.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? To me being “weird” means I am normal, others are not normal 🙂

Most Miles Raced: Matthew Kellenberger – 2,037 miles

Matthew completed twelve 100 mile races with results on UltraSignup in 2025, a portion of his total 16 100-milers, and back-to-back ultras for 20 weekends in a row. His unbelievably impressive year saw him become only the 4th person to run both the Rocky Mountain Slam and the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in a single year. We’re awed, impressed, and tired just thinking about it.

1. Why do you run? I run to stay healthy and as a spiritual journey as part of a greater goal to become one of the most athletically accomplished multisport ultra athletes in triathlon, swimming, cycling, running, skiing, etc.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Running has taught me patience, pacing, and pain management to ignore the short term discomfort for long term achievement of goals.
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? If people like me had known about ultra sports and ultrarunning sooner, in general, we would have been able to get more accomplished earlier on when I used my athletic ability for military and fire service but it’s never too late to start at any point.
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? The challenge brings me joy, the longer and harder the race the better for me. I enjoy the discomfort and pain and smile more because of it during the race. The military gave me the mentality to overcome the worst. But I do love the Western belt buckles as an earned prize to wear.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? I think most runners and athletes in general are seen as “weird” at the ultrarunning and ultra sports level. We do it because we must love it, obviously, since the challenge is that much more difficult. So I think being weird is that every individual should bring a piece of themselves to every race to add to the collective weirdness of everyone.

World Traveler: Timmy Parr – 20 States

This category celebrates the runner who completed races in the most states throughout the year. Tim Parr completed races across 20 different states throughout the year, covering a lot of terrain. Congrats Timmy!

Rookie of the Year: Zach Gault – 15 Races

The Rookie of the Year is the runner who posted their first race finish on UltraSignup in 2025 and then went on to complete the most races. We love to see the community grow and the corners of our mouth turn up when we think about another person catching the running affliction. Congrats Zach!

1. Why do you run? I run because the physical suffering you impose on yourself is the only antidote for the suffering the world imposes.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Faith.
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? Train in zone 2.
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? Cutting loose on a downhill.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? Wearing all white makes me feel like an innocent angel.

Community Award Categories

Best Dressed: Paula Goulet Adams

Multiple-year nominee and 2025 winner, Paula brings the perfect outfit to every race. She carefully designs a costume for each event she attends. But as one nomination said, “it’s her bubbly personality and friendliness that are the icing on the cake.” Voters turned up for Paula and we’re stoked to see her crazy costumes get the spotlight.

1. Why do you run? I run & wear costumes because it keeps things fun and helps me stay in a positive mindset. It’s an outlet for me — a way to move in nature, be creative, and reset myself — but it’s also how I connect with people. I love the shared energy out there: the smiles, the conversations, and that feeling that we’re all just enjoying the run and experience together.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Running has taught me so much about myself. I discovered that I like pushing myself to do things that scare me a little bit & I like the feeling of accomplishing those goals. I’ve learned I’m much stronger than I ever thought. It’s also taught me the importance of how keeping a positive mindset effects our performance and overall experience not only in running, but in daily life.
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? I would tell a new runner to be kind & patient with themselves as there’s so much to learn about. Keep that positive mindset & try to not compare yourself to others & most importantly enjoy the journey as you grow. 
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? The thing that brings me the most joy in running is connections and camaraderie amongst the community. I never feel alone on a run and am happy to meet new friends. My costumes are often an icebreaker to get people chatting.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? To me, being “weird” in trail running and costumes means having fun and not taking it all too seriously. I mostly do it for myself as a creative, expressive outlet, but I also love how it breaks the ice and opens the door to chatting with people along the way. If what I’m wearing makes someone smile, laugh, or enjoy their run a little more, that just makes the whole experience even better. 

One of my mottos: “keep the Fun in your Run!” If you’re not enjoying it what’s the point. 

Best Pacer: Elizabeth Castillo

Pacing is hard work. It requires a certain finesse, physical preparedness, a poker face, and at times a silver tongue to keep a runner moving in the darkest points in their race. Elizabeth was nominated and selected by the community for pacing friends across hundreds of miles. Congrats Beth!

1. Why do you run? Why not🙂 but seriously it’s brought me joy, adventures, a new outlook on life and a bunch of community and friends I cherish dearly. 
2. What’s something that running has taught you? I can do tough things, it gives me confidence and really helps my mental. 
3. If you could tell a brand-new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? Seriously don’t give up, you can feel like dog shit one moment then gold the next! Eat drink take a nap but don’t give up. Give it a little time. 
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? Seeing people reaching their goals and pushing beyond what they thought they were capable of. 
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? Everyone’s weird and how boring it would if we weren’t 

Best Race Day Fail: Tara Friend

Best race day fail may be kind of diabolical as a category. However, all trail runners know that sometimes things go wrong on race day. For Tara, that was a broken toe on the way to the race! Not only did she toe the line (pun intended), she won the race. The community was so impressed that they voted Tara’s fail into the record books.

1. Why do you run? I run because I cannot not run. It keeps me sane, lets me see miles and miles of trails and explore further wherever I go, and gives me big goals to strive towards. It’s what I live for. 
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Running has taught me that my body can do crazy things if I give it the chance. 
3. If you could tell a brand new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? Rest when you are hurt. The story of the race day broken toe was actually just the beginning of a very frustrating injury cycle. Even after the race I only took a few days off, and on a short easy run the following week I ended up badly spraining my other foot due to overcompensation. Because I was too stubborn to rest after a broken toe and a huge effort, I could barely put weight on my foot for two months and was unable to run for three months leading up to my first 100 mile race. 
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? The community! This is something I am learning more and more the longer I run. I have met some of the most incredible and crazy (in the best possible way) people through running. 
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? “Weird” means bringing your authentic self every time you hit the trail, not trying to fit in any boxes of what you think a runner should look like or act like. Also lots of conversation about your bowel movements with friends and strangers alike!  

Favorite Trail Weirdo: Andrew Glaze

The moniker “Favorite Trail Weirdo” is one to wear with a badge of pride. The hero in this category is one who shows up authentically and full of life. We’ve recognized some incredible weirdos in prior years and we’re honored to have Andy Glaze join the ranks. Andy is known for his fun and inspiring Tik Tok videos, jorts, his 100 mile/ week running streak, and some really nasty toes. You all spoke up and said, “yea, this guy is our favorite weirdo this year.”

1. Why do you run? I run to quiet my mind. It is how I process stress, trauma, and life. Running keeps me grounded and honest with myself.
2. What’s something that running has taught you? Progress comes from showing up consistently, not from motivation. Most breakthroughs happen long after you want to quit.
3. If you could tell a brand-new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? Slow down. Easy miles matter more than fast ones, and consistency beats intensity every time.
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? Early mornings alone on the trail when the world is quiet and expectations disappear.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? It means smiling in the middle of the suffering. If you can find joy when things get hard, you’re doing it right. Smile, or you’re doing it wrong.

Most Inspirational: Callie Vinson

This category is a perennial favorite. We saved it for last because we know you’re willing to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to see who the community is most inspired by this year. Callie Vinson is a runner, a coach, an advocate for body positivity, and a strong voice that resonates with so many other runners. We’re proud to be able to recognize Callie with this award on behalf of the trail running community.

1. Why do you run? So so so many reasons and I think that reason ebbs and flows by the day! But, mainly to 1) enjoy my body and what it can do, 2) spend more time exploring the outside world and 3) stay more connected to people!
2. What’s something that running has taught you? There will always be highs + lows in life, so buckle up and just enjoy the wild ride.
3. If you could tell a brand-new runner one thing you wish you’d known sooner, what would it be? It’s very very very rare that someone will actually care about your pace or how far you can run so just do you!
4. What’s one part of running that brings you joy, no medals or finish lines needed? When I make it through a whole run without an emergency bathroom break.
5. What does being “weird” mean to you when it comes to trail and ultra running? Being your true self! Honestly, I think we’re all weird living in a world that tells you to act normal. But, something about being on trails that invites you to be you!

Grand Prize Winner

The winner of this year’s Grand Prize is Shirley Gao!

The winner was randomly selected to win a free trail running vacation from Run the Alps and a $500 Running Warehouse Gift Card. We are so grateful for each of these wonderful partners for supporting the contest.

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