2025 Trail Running Transfer Ratings

It is an exciting time of year, the January athlete shuffle! There will be winners and there will be losers. It is exciting to see how and where brands are investing their capital. I’ve decided to grade some of these more noteworthy moves. There have been many moves this contract season, I’ll just be covering a few here. If I’m feeling spicy there might be a part two for the announcements to come later. 

The one thing I learned in college is “D’s get degrees.” So you might notice some grammar mistakes or flawed logic, that’s all part of the fun! I’m grading these based on current company status, current shoe offerings, and whether I perceive this as an upgrade or downgrade for the athlete. Obviously very important factors like pay and contract length are omitted. I do certainly wish we knew these hidden details. So these are merely judged on how they appear from the outside. And as always, let’s not get our emotions involved as this is strictly business. 

Jazmine Lowther

The North Face to Arcteryx

Jazmine was with The North Face for about 2 years. Moving from The North Face to Arcteryx means Jazmine is now a big fish in a small frozen Canadian pond. Brand wise these two outdoor wear goliaths are similar, with Arcteryx being more premium. Arcteryx is working on their shoe offerings, you might say they are like TNF from 2019(ish). They haven’t established themselves as a household name in the trail running footwear space. On the bright side this means there is loads of growth opportunity for both Jazmine and Arcteryx. Obviously the Canadian connection is also nice. With all this in mind I give this move a solid B grade.

Tom Evans

Adidas Terrex to Asics

A sound mind is a sound body, right!? Looking back it is not surprising Mr. Evans left Adidas. However, for him to land at Asics seems like a slight backslide from our outside perspective. I’m sure this dude is still making the big bucks since he has an agent representing him. Asics’ team has always seemed light so to sign a big name like Tom Evans means he might be able to make himself the headliner of the brand, the star of the show. I would also expect that maybe Asics will be looking to make some moves in the trail world. I haven't tried their trail shoes, but they often are not included with the big names in the trail world. More large and quality brands in the space is a good thing, so I wish them the best. After all the hype around this one fizzled out, I’m going to give this move a D grade.

Corrine Malcolm

Adidas Terrex to HOKA

Okay, so the good news for HOKA is that she’ll be able to proudly sport those lil birdy logos on the broadcasts of UTMB and Western States. I’m very intrigued about what spurred this move, I can’t imagine Adidas dropped Corrine. With a newer team like Adidas Terrex they are still building their identity and policies around athlete sponsorship. I hope they don’t make it a habit of letting well loved athletes go. Corrine is a great personality in our sport and she should be supported by a brand. As far as the move goes and comparing the two brands I consider this a sidestep. I’m excited to see Corrine take on THE MAMMOTH (do we actually have to capitalize the entire thing?) decked out in some phat HOKA shoes. Since C’s are average, I give this move a solid C.

Caitlin Fielder 

Salomon to Adidas Terrex

Well it seems like many Salomon athletes were removed this year. Every couple years it seems like Salomon trims their running team down and this year many suffered that fate. While the North American team lost many athletes, the rest of the world wasn't so lucky either. I genuinely hope Salomon did not cut Fielder from their roster, that would be a silly goose move. The move from Salomon to Adidas Terrex is an upgrade for Caitlin. The talented multi distance trail crusher should receive more support from her new team. Adidas is stacked in Caitlin’s realm so this will be exciting to follow over the years. This move receives an A grade, well done!

Francesco Puppi

Nike to HOKA

Well well well… looks like Mr. Puppi is a HOKA guy now. He made it seem like he left Nike on his own terms, obviously we don’t know how true that is. Nike’s trail running sponsorship strategy is hard to read sometimes, it wouldn’t be crazy if they dropped Puppi. Francesco left Nike complaining about their “win at all costs” marketing and landed at the family-friendly love everyone rainbows and butterflies HOKA. Honestly I think this is a solid move for Puppi. HOKA seems to have a more stable athlete roster when compared to Nike. Let’s not forget Nike did, at one point in time, drop their entire trail roster. This move should pay off well for him in the long term as he gets carried away into UTMB series bliss. I give this move a solid C, bravo Mr. Puppi.

Chris Myers

Salomon to Brooks

Brooks seems to be making quality moves with their signings, and this one of them. Chris is a solid North American performer and deserves a supportive brand. With a 10th place finish at Western States last year, he’ll be heading back hoping to better his result there. Salomon seems to be struggling with their team identity so this is a good move for Chris. With Brooks’ rapidly growing image across all genres of running I think they are an exciting brand to watch for the future. I’ll give this move an A! It has aligned a growing brand with an exciting runner. 

That wraps it up for now. There are a handful of exciting transfers yet to be announced, I am eagerly awaiting these. Pending these announcements, I will write up a part 2 for this. Trail running should implement a transfer deadline à la European football (soccer) to build the hype and excitement. I am quite stoked for 2025, the talent we have on the scene and the races we have coming are exciting. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these ratings feel free to leave a comment below.