Our Town

Trail running is all about the community it fosters and the beauty and diversity within the community. Here’s a look at seven places, and the faces that call them home.

- BRIAN METZLER

Bozeman, Montana

Elevation: 4,820 feet | Population: 52,600

Situated between the Big Belt, Crazy and Beartooth mountains in southwest Montana, Bozeman is the state’s fourth-largest city but also one of the fastest growing since 2010. Despite the growth, it’s maintained its rugged mountain town vibe thanks in large part to the relatively easy access to trails and big mountains and a population that thrives on skiing, hiking, trail running mountaineering and mountain biking. The city is named after John M. Bozeman who established the Bozeman Trail pioneer route and was a founder of the town in August 1864, but the land was previously sacred land and common hunting ground of the native Crow, Pend d’Oreille/Kalispel, Salish and Blackfeet people.

GRAYSON MURPHY

Grayson Murphy admits there are some similarities to competing in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase on the track and grueling, short-distance trail races in the mountains. Both events spike your heart rate and force you to grind through the lung-burning anguish that ensues.

But it’s rare that a runner finds success in both the way the 26-year-old Murphy has, if only because track and trail disciplines are so different. Does that make her special or a little bananas?

“Maybe both?” she says . “The events are really not that different, but it kind of depends on what you like to do as a runner. Do you want to do gritty, hard training on the track or go grind in the mountains for four hours at a time? It turns out, I kind of like to do both.”