LINHAI, China, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Salomon Trail Week wrapped up with a standout showing at the Tsaigu Trail race in the Kuocang Mountains, capping a week of racing and community events organized by the French outdoor sports brand. The race brought together 6,500 runners, including 20 Chinese and international Team Salomon elite athletes. Across the men’s and women’s 25K, 50K and 105K races, Salomon athletes claimed eight of the 18 podium places.
The women’s 50K delivered the team’s strongest results, with Salomon athletes sweeping the podium and taking five of the top six places. Winner Tove Alexandersson broke the women’s course record by nearly 38 minutes, headlining a series of strong performances by Courtney Dauwalter, Varvara Shikanova, Bart Przedwojewski, Joey Hadorn, Chi Lingjie, Tang Jingyan, Fan Banglin, Aurore Dacier and Naomi Lang.
Beyond the racing, the week followed trail running legend Courtney Dauwalter’s journey through China, with a fan event in Shanghai and local running community activities in Hangzhou, alongside three dedicated Salomon experience spaces at Tsaigu. As a longstanding strategic partner of the race, Salomon combined competition, community engagement and runner support to help one of China’s leading trail events build stronger international connections and bring fresh momentum to the country’s trail running community.
Salomon athletes sweep the women’s 50K podium: winner Tove Alexandersson (4:25:45), runner-up Varvara Shikanova (5:01:23) and third-place finisher Courtney Dauwalter (5:07:52). In the men’s 50K, Fan Banglin finished fourth in 4:22:13. In the women’s 105K podium: Chi Lingjie (14:09:51) and Tang Jingyan (14:13:42) respectively won the second and third places.
World-Class Racing in the Kuocang Mountains
The grand finale of Salomon Trail Week, the 2026 Tsaigu Trail race welcomed its largest international field to date. Courtney Dauwalter made her Tsaigu 50K debut, while Tove Alexandersson—visiting China for the first time and ranked No. 1 in ITRA’s women’s world rankings with a Performance Index of 862—and British standout Naomi Lang joined other international elites on the Kuocang trails. They raced alongside leading Chinese athletes and emerging runners from Salomon’s China Next Gen Project across the 25K, 50K and 105K distances.
The depth of the field produced exceptional racing in the women’s 50K. Salomon athletes swept the podium, with Alexandersson winning in 4:25:45 and lowering the women’s course record by nearly 38 minutes. Shikanova finished second in 5:01:23, followed by Dauwalter in third in 5:07:52. Dacier placed fifth in 5:19:32 and Lang sixth in 5:20:24, giving Team Salomon five of the top six places. In the men’s 50K, Fan Banglin finished fourth in 4:22:13.
Chinese and international athletes also delivered strong performances over 105K. Salomon elite athlete Bart Przedwojewski took third in the men’s race in 11:22:25. In the women’s race, Chinese athletes Chi Lingjie and Tang Jingyan finished second and third in 14:09:51 and 14:13:42, respectively.
The final distance, the 25K, brought further success. Salomon elite athlete Joey Hadorn won the men’s race in 1:47:43, while the athlete Chang Miaomiao from Salomon’s China Next Gen Project took second in the women’s race in 2:16:17.
The presence of some of the sport’s biggest international names gave Chinese runners a close-up view of world-class competition, reinforcing Tsaigu’s ambition to be a race for the global trail running community. Sharing the trails tested athletes’ fitness and tactics while bringing different trail running cultures into direct contact.
Beyond the Race: Connecting Runners Through Shared Experiences
Salomon Trail Week extended well beyond the finish line. Beginning with Dauwalter’s fan event in Shanghai, her journey through Shanghai, Hangzhou and Linhai brought trail running culture from urban exhibition spaces to mountain racecourses, giving runners opportunities to meet and learn from one of the sport’s most celebrated athletes.
At the first stop in Shanghai’s Xintiandi district, Salomon created an exhibition centered on Dauwalter. Conceived as "Courtney’s Home," it used seven spaces within a home to explore her running philosophy and life beyond racing. The event also featured an autograph session and, in collaboration with the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Chinese premieres of two documentaries about Dauwalter. A conversation with comedian Pang Bo and Salomon elite athlete Wenfei Xie, known as "Seyu," explored the spirit of trail running from different perspectives.
Dauwalter then traveled to Hangzhou, where she joined a Tsaigu training camp to meet local trail running communities. Sharing her experience of long-distance racing and the mental strength it demands, she helped connect the city’s runners with the challenges and possibilities of the mountain trails.
At Tsaigu in Linhai, a busy program of activities continued those exchanges. Chinese and international Team Salomon elites gathered at the brand’s booth to meet spectators and pose for photographs, while Dauwalter’s dedicated autograph session drew an enthusiastic crowd. Alexandersson and Dacier also took part in the "Meet the Elites" fan event, connecting with Chinese runners through games and live Q&A sessions.
Through conversations, shared experiences and informal activities, the athletes exchanged perspectives with local runners and gave enthusiasts a more personal connection to the sport’s international culture.
TRAILHEAD Debuts at Tsaigu, Expanding Support for Runners
Salomon created three main experience spaces at Tsaigu during Trail Week: a central booth featuring a 16-year ADV SKIN hydration vest history wall and athlete displays; the TRAILHEAD Salomon Trail Hub, a new service concept making its race debut; and the Salomon Super Hydration Station. Together, they brought runner services, equipment and brand experiences into one setting, strengthening the community around the sport.
At the main booth, the ADV SKIN history wall traced Salomon’s exploration of lightweight carrying systems from 2008 onward. From early prototypes and structural improvements to advances in materials and successive product generations, the display charted the series’ development and the brand’s longstanding investment in trail running equipment. It gave runners an inside look at the evolution of equipment that has helped shape modern trail running.
A highlight of the event, the TRAILHEAD Salomon Trail Hub marked a new step in Salomon’s approach to runner services. Making its race debut at Tsaigu, the concept provides support before, during and after a run, connecting city stores, Salomon hubs, race venues and local communities through an integrated service network. Further TRAILHEAD locations are planned for next year, with runners’ practical needs guiding their development.
The complementary Salomon Super Hydration Station brought together trail running equipment displays, on-site shopping and a hydration vest trade-in program. Runners could explore products up close and replace their gear at the race venue, with equipment services available in one place.
The week also created space for discussion across the industry. Salomon convened the Trail Link Forum, bringing industry professionals and brand executives together to discuss the development of trail running, opportunities for the sector and ways to strengthen China’s connections with the international sport.
Through the forum, Salomon extended its role beyond race sponsorship, creating a platform for industry dialogue and supporting exchanges between Chinese and international trail running communities.
A New Decade of Investment in Chinese Trail Running
Salomon Trail Week marked another step in the brand’s second decade of commitment to trail running in China. It built on the Lighthouse Initiative, an elite incentive program launched in 2025 with a million-plus yuan prize pool and the highest prize money offered domestically for a 100K race category. The program aims both to attract international elites to Chinese races and to create opportunities for local runners to progress.
By bringing leading international athletes to China and combining racing with fan events, community activities, the new TRAILHEAD Salomon Trail Hub and immersive exhibitions, Salomon connected multiple aspects of the sport. The initiative encouraged competitive exchanges between Chinese and international athletes while supporting the development of local trail running culture and runner services. It also created opportunities to share international experience in China and give Chinese runners and communities a stronger voice abroad.
Looking ahead, Salomon will continue investing in Chinese trail running talent, runner support and broader participation in the sport, strengthening connections between China and the international trail running community.
The racing in the Kuocang Mountains has ended, but the connections forged on the trails continue. Salomon Trail Week closes with new opportunities for Chinese trail running to engage with the world—and more encounters on the trails still to come.
About Salomon
Founded in 1947 in the French Alps, Salomon has continually pushed the boundaries of mountain sports, helping people enjoy, progress and challenge themselves in the outdoor activities they love. Salomon designs, produces and sells premium footwear, apparel and equipment for skiing, trail running, mountaineering and hiking, driven by a commitment to innovation. Its Salomon Sportstyle range reinterprets the brand’s outdoor heritage through the lens of urban life and contemporary style.
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