Best Trail Running Photos

Ever since a fateful run back in 1999, trail running has been a huge part of my life. Janine and I spent that winter living in Moab, Utah, in a VW Westfalia, by the name Maggie, that regularly decided to stop functioning. Thanks to Maggie, we’d become friends with many of the area’s tow truck drivers. One snowy, winter morning, during a climbing trip to Indian Creek, we found ourselves with time to kill at our campsite, waiting for yet another tow. 

Instead of freezing in the van, we headed out for a run, something we often did to explore deeper into the desert or mountains. Because the red desert landscape was covered in a light dusting of white, we took the camera, excited to shoot something other than climbing. That cold morning, Janine made a photo of me that Patagonia ended up using to promote their new trail running line. 

In the following years, countless commercial and editorial assignments came our way from leading outdoor brands. We were fortunate to get to travel all over the world and work with some incredible athletes and people. 

Ueli Steck became one of my closest friends, and since we were now living in the same town in Switzerland, we often trained together. It was while running and climbing with him that I began to hone my skills of being a trail running photographer/athlete. Ueli didn’t much care for the  back and forth photo thing – he’d pause and let me get the camera out and I’d shoot, but he’d carry on whether or not I got the image. I learned to get the photo.

I also learned to lighten my load. In those years, I went on three Himalayan expeditions with him, so I sold all my big Canon cameras and lenses and switched to light Sony systems. Changing over to a simpler set up was one of the best decisions I ever made. Ultimately, it’s not about what camera you shoot, it’s about making the best experiences for great imagery. More importantly, it’s about all that time doing the sport and being in the mountains, each and every day, not just for images, but for the spirit. 

Fast forward to 2016 and a chance meeting with Kim Strom during a running trip. Kim was and is a writer, a photographer, a designer, and an athlete. She was about to become my best friend and business partner. Kim slammed the gas pedal to the floor as opportunities came our way and we dreamt up new ideas. She might say I led the charge, but I can truthfully say that without her, I wouldn’t be charging.

I was a climber long before I would have called myself a runner, and like a climber, I seek beautiful lines, big projects, solitude, and self reliance. I creatively apply my fitness and skill set to mountain objectives that I can do alone, or share with a small group of close friends. Somewhere along the line I fell in love with trail running, not for the running, but the philosophy of moving light, long, and simply. It’s a craft that even in my increasingly ripe old age, I am able to consistently do, to improve, and to learn from.

Looking back on this period since we started working together and shooting our real running days, I wanted to see what photos stood out, not just for the image itself, but for the story behind it. In the time it took to experience, and make, my twelve favorite trail running images, starting with the first of these photos made back in 2016, I ran 27,483 kilometers and climbed 1.61 million vertical meters (17,077 miles/5.3 million feet). 

It’s pretty clear that the location does a lot of the work, but you have to do a lot of the work to get to the locations. These are very real images, moments, and stories that most define why I trail run. Maybe they’re not our Best images, but they represent some of my best times from being a mountain and trail runner.

Each image links to the story behind the photo.

So far, I haven’t committed to a favorite image of 2024. It’s possible I haven’t made it yet.

And looking back we noticed this isn’t the first time we’ve looked back over a chunk of years. Back in 2011, I also made a Top 10 Favorite Photos of the Decade. Some things never change.

By Dan Patitucci