Salomon Sports, a leader in technical design and innovation in mountain sports, is bringing its hit European event series, CITYTRAIL to the United States. The point-to-point and looped urban trail running events are coming to Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Chattanooga in 2014.

CITYTRAIL events are part trail and part pavement running events that unveil opportunities within urban landscapes to offer dynamic terrain challenges typically found in trail running. The courses will include stairs, multi-surface paths and side streets within the cities. Suunto is the official timing partner and will manage the race start and finish times at each event.

“The CITYTRAIL events have taken off in Europe and participants found that the trail running experience within the city limits was liberating and exciting.” says Ashley Williams, vice president of marketing at Amer Sports Americas. “It made their race more fun and dynamic and we are certain that Americans will similarly embrace this great opportunity.”

The inaugural event of the three part series is in Minneapolis on Sunday, May 18. CityTrail 2014 and includes 10-mile and 10-kilometer races. For race information, course maps or to register visit here.

Additional 2014 calendar dates and locations include:

CityTrail 2

• San Francisco – September 27, 2014
• Chattanooga – November 8, 2014

More about the CITY­TRAIL concept:

CITY­TRAIL brings the trail running spirit to people who dream of running in the mountains, but live in the city. CITYTRAIL is a better way to run. By discovering new sites and taking a more unconventional, multi-surfaced route the city can offer as much variety as the mountains.

Salomon used its expertise in creating innovative products for mountain running and developed a line of running products around the CITY­TRAIL concept. The X-Series running shoes help runners feel at home on any surface, from wood chips to pavement to wet roots. Firm cushioning and a smooth ride make them excellent on pavement, while rock protection and stellar grip easily tackle off-road terrain. The X-Series includes three models the X-Scream, X-Tour and X-Wind which are designed for every type of runner, ready for any surface, anytime.

Salomon’s Park running apparel compliments CITYTRAIL as well, combining technical fabrics and features with a relaxed, understated silhouette that is equally at home on the city bike path as it is running a mountain ridgeline. Stylish quick-drying fabrics and flatlock seams provide comfort and breathability that allows you to move freely for any sport.

Additionally, Salomon will be launching a CITYTRAIL app that will feature routes and help runners discover more in their cities which will be run off of Suunto’s Movescount platform and will be available in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play and will be available in mid-June. To find out more about the app please visit here.

Image courtesy Salamon