![\"M\u00ednimo](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/minimo-impacto-trail-run.webp\")
<\/p>\nTrail running has grown a lot in recent years. This is excellent. More people running on trails means more people getting closer to nature, discovering mountains, forests, parks, historic routes, and landscapes that might never be accessible through road running.
\nBut this growth also brings a challenge.<\/p>\n
Many runners come to trail running with excellent physical preparation, training discipline, GPS watch, spreadsheets, specific shoes, and performance focus. But they don’t always arrive with a formed outdoor culture. Many come from road running, where the environment is different, the rules are different, and the environmental impact is not always as evident.<\/p>\n
On an asphalt street, discarding a cup at a race aid station is bad, but normally there is a cleanup crew shortly after. On a trail, a gel packet, a piece of packaging, used toilet paper, a shortcut opened through vegetation, or a poorly removed trail marker can remain for a long time, and the impact multiplies when hundreds or thousands of people repeat the same behavior.<\/p>\n
Data released by UTMB World Series and Strava help put this growth into perspective: in the first half of 2025, participation in races with UTMB Index was 2.4 times higher than in the same period of 2022, with over 800,000 finishes in six months; 42% of these runners were participating in their first trail running race.<\/p>\n
The problem, in most cases, is not bad faith. It’s lack of knowledge. And that’s exactly where Leave No Trace comes in.<\/p>\n
Leave No Trace is not a list of rigid rules. It’s a structure of principles to reduce the impact of our outdoor activities. These principles can be applied in different environments and activities, from remote areas to urban parks, and serve as a simple foundation to guide more responsible decisions.<\/p>\n
In trail running, the principles are the same. What changes is how to apply them.<\/p>\n
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Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n
For Gabriela Corr\u00eaa, brand head of WTR, implementing minimum impact practices in trail running races is essential because the activity takes place precisely in natural environments, often in sensitive areas of great environmental value and difficult access.<\/p>\n
“Every operational decision matters: what we deliver in the kit, how hydration stations work, how waste is separated, how we guide suppliers, and even how the trail is prepared before and after the race. WTR already structures its actions with a focus on environmental education, waste management, trail conservation, and local partnerships,” she explains.<\/p>\n
![\"Copo](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/copo-wtr.webp\")
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In trail running, this means:<\/strong> Planning goes beyond pace, elevation gain, hydration, and race strategy.<\/p>\n Running on trails requires physical preparation, but also environmental and technical preparation. The athlete needs to know the route, understand the type of terrain, evaluate the weather forecast, know if there will be cell signal, download a reliable route, know how to use the GPS watch or navigation app, and notify someone about their plan when training alone.<\/p>\n Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n A trail race can take a person far from their car, home, a road, or any point with cell signal. In case of a wrong turn, fall, sprain, hypothermia, dehydration, or delay, what seemed like a simple training session can turn into a rescue situation.<\/p>\n And rescues also generate impact. They mobilize people, vehicles, equipment, travel off-trail, and pressure on natural areas. The priority will always be to save lives, but the best way to reduce that impact is to prevent foreseeable situations from happening. For organizers, this principle begins before registration opens. A race needs to have an authorized course, risk analysis, emergency plan, clear communication with athletes, information about mandatory equipment, guidance on hydration, support stations, waste disposal, restrooms, and environmental conduct.<\/p>\n In trail running, this means:<\/strong> run on the trail, stay on it, and don’t create new trails.<\/p>\n This is one of the most important principles for runners, and where we observe a lot of impact occurring.<\/p>\n In the context of trail running, “durable surfaces” are mainly the existing trails, dirt roads, rock, gravel, and other places capable of receiving foot traffic without expanding the impact. The rule of thumb is simple: if a consolidated trail exists, stay on it. Leave No Trace recommends that runners pass through wet sections, puddles, and obstacles instead of going around them, precisely to avoid creating new trails and damaging surrounding vegetation. It also advises choosing a different route when the trail is excessively muddy and needs time to recover.<\/p>\n This may seem counterintuitive. The runner’s natural tendency is to avoid mud to keep shoes dry, avoid slipping, maintain pace, or keep gear clean. But from a minimum impact perspective, the correct attitude is often to accept the trail as it is. Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n For race organizers, this principle is even more sensitive. A race course must respect existing trails, sensitive areas, conservation unit regulations, local communities, buffer zones, and the environment’s carrying capacity. Opening trails without authorization, passing through fragile areas, or placing athletes in places that shouldn’t receive that traffic flow is not just a technical error. It’s a violation of the sport’s ethics.<\/p>\n A recent case in Brazil shows that this debate is not theoretical. In May 2025, Rio de Janeiro’s State Environmental Institute (INEA) fined the Transmantiqueira Ultra Trail Agulhas Negras, the TUTAN, held in Resende, for illegal deforestation and environmental crimes against the Atlantic Forest. The race had occurred without INEA environmental authorization and involved clandestine trail opening, with approximately 615 meters deforested within Pedra Selada State Park and another 260 meters in the unit’s buffer zone. Among the damages cited were soil compaction, erosion, alteration of natural drainage, intervention in areas with slopes exceeding 45 degrees, and impact on the a\u00e7a\u00ed palm (Euterpe edulis).<\/p>\n Cases like this need to serve as warnings.<\/p>\n The runner is not responsible for all an organization’s decisions. But by registering, sharing, participating, posting photos, and celebrating a race, they help legitimize that event. That’s why choosing where to run well is also part of a minimum impact ethic. The athlete doesn’t just choose where to run. They choose what kind of trail running culture they want to help build.<\/p>\n In trail running, this means:<\/strong> everything you carry to the trail must come back with you, including small trash, used toilet paper, and feces.<\/p>\n When talking about Leave No Trace in trail running, the first image that usually comes to mind is a gel packet thrown on the trail. And, in fact, that is a problem.<\/p>\n But the impact isn’t just obvious trash. It’s also in the torn tip of the packet, in the seal, in the little piece of protein bar packaging, in the salt capsule, in the napkin from the aid station, in the gummy packaging, and in all the micro-trash that can fall without the athlete noticing. In trail running, this needs to be thought about realistically. The athlete may be tired, wearing gloves, running in the dark, cold, in the rain, or trying to open a gel on a technical downhill. If there’s no simple system, the probability that something falls increases. The rule is simple: if you carried it full, you can bring it back empty.<\/strong><\/p>\n This point needs to be spoken about clearly: runners may also need to use the bathroom in the middle of a workout or race.<\/p>\n It’s not a pleasant topic, but it’s a necessary matter. Anyone can need to defecate during a long race, an ultramarathon, a workout in a remote location, or a race lasting many hours. That’s why the runner needs to have thought ahead about what to do.<\/p>\n The classic Leave No Trace guidance, when the location allows, is to bury feces in an appropriate hole, known as a cat hole<\/strong>, away from trails, camps, and water sources. But this requires appropriate soil, sufficient distance, a digging tool, privacy, time, and knowledge. In many trail running situations, especially in races, this simply isn’t realistic.<\/p>\n On heavily used trails, sensitive areas, rocky terrain, protected areas, places where digging isn’t allowed, or races with heavy athlete traffic, the most responsible thing is to carry everything back<\/strong> in a system specifically designed for human waste.<\/p>\n In trekking, solutions designed for this already exist, such as the Gaia Adventure Portable Waste Kit<\/a>, which allows transporting waste more safely and discreetly. For runners, this type of solution may be too large, but it serves as inspiration: what’s important is that the athlete has a previously planned, sturdy, well-sealed system that’s separated from other elements of the vest or backpack.<\/p>\n In simpler situations, a reinforced zipper<\/strong> or a small waterproof bag<\/strong> can fulfill part of that function, especially for carrying used toilet paper. But, when the need involves human feces, the ideal is to consider specific systems for human waste, with secure closure and, when possible, absorbent or neutralizing material, such as WAG Bags<\/a> or similar solutions.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, these products are still not easily found in many countries. For those traveling to the United States, for example, it may be worth purchasing a few units and leaving them in your backpack or vest as an emergency element for long training sessions, fast-paced treks, or competitions in sensitive areas.<\/p>\n The main point is that this must be planned in advance. Just as the runner thinks about gel, water, windbreaker, lighting, and navigation, they also need to think about what they’ll do if they need to evacuate during the course.<\/p>\n It’s not a minor detail. Human waste is also waste. And, in many environments, leaving it on the trail, even buried, can contaminate the soil, impact water sources, degrade the experience of other users, and create a management problem for the natural area.<\/p>\n In other words: it’s not enough to think about the gel, water, and shoes. You also need to think about poop.<\/p>\n Waste reduction also happens at aid stations.<\/p>\n Many trail running competitions have already stopped offering disposable plastic cups. This reduces garbage generation and educates athletes to take on part of the responsibility for their own hydration.<\/p>\n In Brazil, WTR is a good example. In the competitions manual, the organization informs that it does not distribute disposable cups, that all athletes receive a collapsible silicone cup in the kit, and that, for certain distances, it is mandatory to start with a hydration container. The same organization presents waste management practices, a Zero Waste goal, trail cleaning before, during, and after the competition, donation of sports equipment, and other sustainability initiatives.<\/p>\n For the runner, this means leaving home prepared. It could be with a soft flask, bottle, hydration system, cup provided by the competition, or an ultralight collapsible cup. An example is the Curn Collapsible Cup, by CNOC Outdoors<\/a>, a flexible 250 ml cup, compact and collapsible that weighs around 11 g, designed for runners and outdoor enthusiasts who need a lightweight solution for drinking at water points or mixing hydration tablets.<\/p>\n The most important thing is not the cup model. It’s the change in mindset. Instead of waiting for the competition to provide everything, the athlete becomes part of the solution.<\/p>\n “When we don’t offer disposable cups at hydration stations and we deliver a collapsible cup in the kit, the runner stops being just a spectator of a sustainable message and becomes part of it. They need to prepare themselves, carry their container, think about their own hydration, and understand that their presence in that environment also implies responsibility,” Gabriela explains.<\/strong><\/p>\n For her, this behavioral change promotes education in a practical way. “The athlete perceives that small individual decisions, when applied at scale, significantly reduce the event’s impact”.<\/p>\n During one of the WTR stages, a survey was conducted that showed 94.2% of the audience noticed some of the good practices implemented, and 33% specifically cited the fact of not distributing disposable cups.<\/p>\n not taking natural souvenirs, not altering the trail, and not turning the environment into a disposable setting.<\/p>\n This principle may seem less obvious to runners, but it appears in many details.<\/p>\n Do not collect flowers, fruits, seeds, or plants. Do not take stones, shells, bones, feathers, or other natural elements as souvenirs. Do not touch historical or cultural structures. Do not remove official plaques. Do not build cairns, improvised arrows, or stone markers. Do not “improve” the trail on your own during a training run. Do not clear vegetation to facilitate a descent or overtaking.<\/p>\n Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n It’s also worth thinking about the digital world.<\/p>\n Not every GPS-recorded route should become an invitation to repeat it. In some places, sharing GPS traces of informal accesses, shortcuts, unauthorized trails, or sensitive areas can increase impact. Route apps, segments, and social networks are powerful tools, but they can also popularize paths that shouldn’t receive traffic.<\/p>\n For organizers, “leave what you find” means removing everything that was placed for the event: tape, plaques, arrows, flags, temporary structures, sand materials, ground markings, and aid station waste. Signage should be temporary, removable, and planned to leave no permanent marks.<\/p>\n “When an event occupies a mountain, trail, beach, or conservation area, there is a very great responsibility to preserve that territory and to return that space in as good care as possible,” comments Gabriela.<\/strong><\/p>\n Therefore, a well-organized event should leave no trace on the trail.<\/p>\n In trail running, this means:<\/strong> controlling any heat source associated with training, the event, or the event structure, especially in dry or sensitive areas.<\/p>\n For those simply running, this principle may seem distant. After all, runners don’t usually build campfires during training or an event. But the logic behind the principle remains very relevant: avoiding damage caused by fire and other heat sources in natural environments.<\/p>\n In trail running, this impact can appear in other forms. Some events involve start and finish lines made of sand, aid bases, gathering areas, camping, overnight stays, equipment, staff, volunteers, spectators, and on-site food. In longer events, there may also be support kitchens, stove use, grills, generators, lighting, heaters, or temporary structures.<\/p>\n Additionally, there is the risk of fire. Cigarette butts, improperly used stoves, improvised grills, unauthorized campfires, sparks, poorly extinguished embers, or any heat source during dry periods can cause enormous damage. In some regions, a small act of negligence can cause a large-scale forest fire.<\/p>\n For athletes, the application is simple: do not build improvised campfires, do not discard cigarette butts, respect local restrictions, avoid any unauthorized heat source, and guide support teams, family, and friends to do the same. Even those simply attending an event are part of that event’s impact.<\/p>\n For organizers, this principle requires arena planning, control of feeding areas, clear camping rules and support teams, guidance for volunteers and spectators, respect for local regulations, and special attention during drought or high fire risk periods. When there is kitchen use, stoves, grills, or generators, this needs to be planned, authorized, and controlled.<\/p>\n That is, in trail running, Principle 5 is not limited to the traditional campfire. It addresses a broader question: what risks and impacts can heat sources associated with the activity generate in that environment?<\/p>\n Even when the runner doesn’t camp, the race can create a structure around the trail. And that structure also needs to follow a minimum impact logic.<\/p>\n In trail running, this means:<\/strong> running without chasing, scaring, feeding, or interfering with animal behavior.<\/p>\n Runners move fast, often in relative silence, early in the morning, late in the afternoon, or at night. This increases the likelihood of unexpected encounters with animals.<\/p>\n For this reason, it’s important to observe wildlife from a distance, not chase animals to photograph them, not attempt to touch them, not feed them, not leave food scraps, and reduce unnecessary noise in sensitive areas.<\/p>\n Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n It’s also important to respect temporary trail closures for breeding, nesting, presence of young animals, fire risk, or environmental recovery. A closed trail is not a challenge for the “hardcore” athlete. It’s a management decision that needs to be respected.<\/p>\n Food scraps also fall into this category. A fruit peel, a piece of an energy bar, or food left on the ground is not harmless. It can attract animals, alter behaviors, and create an association between human presence and food.<\/p>\n For organizers, this principle involves route selection, time of year, communication with managers, noise reduction in sensitive areas, garbage control at aid stations, and clear guidance to athletes.<\/p>\n In trail running, this means:<\/strong> remembering that the trail doesn’t belong only to runners.<\/p>\n The trail can be used by hikers, families, guides, pilgrims, cyclists, horseback riders, local residents, researchers, firefighters, park rangers, and other runners. In a race, an athlete may have a race bib, timing chip, and a finish time goal. But that doesn’t transform the trail into an exclusive track.<\/p>\n Leave No Trace recommends that runners communicate their presence, ask for passage politely, wait for a safe place to pass, respect those who are climbing, and pay special attention to horses and other trail users.<\/p>\n In practice, this means slowing down when necessary, not startling people from behind, avoiding loud headphones, respecting shared trails, and accepting that losing a few seconds is part of healthier coexistence.<\/p>\n Performance doesn’t justify rudeness. Competition doesn’t eliminate respect.<\/p>\n Illustrative image generated by artificial intelligence<\/p>\n For organizers, having consideration for others means engaging in dialogue with local communities, notifying regular users of the area, avoiding blocking access without communication, respecting residents, guiding staff and athletes, taking care of traffic, noise, parking, and the relationship with those who live or work in that territory.<\/p>\n A trail run event doesn’t just happen in a landscape. It happens in a place. And places have stories, rules, communities, other uses, and other people.<\/p>\n When an event seriously incorporates the principles of Leave No Trace, it stops being merely a sporting event. It becomes an educational opportunity.<\/p>\n This can appear in the athlete’s manual, in the technical briefing, on social media, at aid stations, on temporary signage, and in the training of staff and volunteers. Simple messages can make a big difference:<\/p>\n “Stay on the trail.” The International Trail Running Association (ITRA) presents its Green Charter as an initiative to mobilize the trail running community in reducing the environmental impact of the sport, reinforcing that this responsibility involves organizers, participants, volunteers, sponsors, suppliers, and partners.<\/p>\n In trail running, there’s a lot of talk about running light. Lighter shoes, smaller backpacks, carbon poles, compact jackets, flexible bottles. Less weight, more speed, more efficiency.<\/p>\n But there’s another kind of lightness.<\/p>\n Running light also means passing through a trail without widening it. It means taking back everything that was brought in. It means having a plan for your own waste, including human waste. It means not taking shortcuts, knowing how to wait to pass others, and choosing events that respect the places they go through. Trail running only exists because trails, mountains, forests, parks, communities, and landscapes exist that are capable of welcoming us. If the sport grows without care, it compromises precisely what makes it special.<\/p>\n Chico Santos, an elite trail running athlete and coach, trained in Leave No Trace \u2013 Instructor Level 1, often uses the phrase “The more people on the trail, the more trail in us”. And feeling part of nature comes through education, respect, and awareness.<\/p>\n Organizer of Training Camps for CS Experience, Chico’s goal is to include Leave No Trace workshops to expand knowledge about low-impact techniques among trail runners.<\/p>\n “Although many trail running practitioners are aware, irregular practices still exist, mainly the habit of leaving small waste along the way. It’s important to share information, especially with those just starting out, so they begin with this awareness from the start.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond sharing knowledge at his events, Chico spreads Leave No Trace principles through his social project. “I coach three athletes who are already standing out, and I work with them on awareness about the importance of not straying from the route to save time or avoid obstacles, as well as respect for other runners.”<\/p>\n In trail running, Leave No Trace doesn’t limit the experience. On the contrary: it helps ensure it continues to exist.<\/p>\n Gear Tips is a corporate partner of Leave No Trace<\/a> and works to promote low-impact principles through articles, videos, courses, and educational materials aimed at practitioners, guides, outfitters, instructors, event organizers, and outdoor industry professionals.<\/p>\n To keep learning, access the content about Leave No Trace on the Gear Tips blog<\/a>!<\/p>\n![\"Princ\u00edpio](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/leave-no-trace-trail-run-principio-1.webp\")
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\nPlanning, therefore, is also an attitude of minimum impact.<\/p>\nA well-planned test not only reduces risks. It educates.<\/div>\nPrinciple 2 \u2014 Travel and camp on durable surfaces<\/h2>\n
\nThis means not cutting corners on curves, not opening a second line to pass others, not walking around mud by stepping on the surrounding vegetation, not leaving the course to gain a few seconds, and not turning a congested section into an excuse to forge a path where none exists.<\/p>\n
\nWhen hundreds of runners detour around the same puddle or muddy section, the trail widens. Vegetation gets trampled, soil becomes exposed, water begins to flow down new paths, and the erosion process accelerates. What was a small individual decision becomes a collective problem.<\/p>\n![\"Princ\u00edpio](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/leave-no-trace-trail-run-principio-2.webp\")
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\nBefore registering, it’s worth asking: does the race have authorization from the area’s managers? Does the course use existing trails? Does the organization explain its environmental practices? Is there a waste management plan? Will signage be removed after the race? Are there restrooms at the start, finish, and strategic points? Does the number of participants seem compatible with the location? Does the race contribute to trail maintenance, conservation units, or local communities?<\/p>\n\nIf a race causes environmental damage, opens irregular trails, or ignores conservation unit regulations, the community’s response cannot be just “but the course was beautiful.”\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nPrinciple 3 \u2014 Dispose of waste properly<\/h2>\n
\nLeave No Trace points out that many runners don’t litter on purpose, but it’s easy to lose small residue during a race. That’s why it recommends that the athlete have a plan before heading out: a specific pocket, a zippered bag, a ziplock, a reusable bottle, or another secure system to store packaging and waste.<\/p>\n
\nI remember when I did El Cruce in 2022, the organization banned the use of gel packets, which forced runners to use bottles to transfer the gel before the race.<\/p>\n![\"Organiza\u00e7\u00e3o](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/el-cruce-2022-organizacao-gel-carboidrato.webp\")
<\/p>\nHuman waste is also trash<\/h3>\n
\nFor organizers, this point is equally important. Restrooms at the start and finish are the minimum. In long competitions, strategic aid stations should also consider this need. And, when the course passes through sensitive areas, guidance on human waste should be clear before the competition.\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nCompetitions without disposable cups<\/h3>\n
![\"Atleta](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/copo-colapsavel-wtr.webp\")
<\/p>\nPrinciple 4 \u2014 Leave What You Find<\/h2>\n
In trail running, this means:<\/h2>\n
![\"Princ\u00edpio](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/leave-no-trace-trail-run-principio-4.webp\")
<\/p>\nPrinciple 5 \u2014 Minimize Campfire Impacts<\/h2>\n
Principle 6 \u2014 Respect Wildlife<\/h2>\n
![\"Leave](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/leave-no-trace-trail-run-principio-6.webp\")
<\/p>\n\nWildlife is not an extra in the race. It was already there before the start.<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nPrinciple 7 \u2014 Show Consideration for Others<\/h2>\n
![\"Leave](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/LNT-para-Trail-Run-Principio-7-A.png\")
<\/p>\nAn event can also educate<\/h2>\n
\n“Walk through the mud, not through vegetation.”
\n“Take your gel back with you.”
\n“Respect wildlife.”
\n“No shortcuts.”
\n“Your trash finishes the race with you.”<\/p>\n\nThis is the central point: an event shouldn’t just pass through a natural area. It should leave that place with the trail, the community, and the runners better than it found them.\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nRunning lighter also means leaving less impact<\/h2>\n
\nIt’s understanding that nature is not an obstacle, a setting, or a disposable product.<\/p>\n\nRunning in nature is a privilege. Taking care of it is part of the journey.\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nWant to dive deeper into Leave No Trace?<\/h2>\n