One ticket covered three days
The US Trail Running Conference runs November 5 to 7, 2026 at Music City Center in Nashville. Full three-day registration was $350.
The price covered every panel, session and workshop on the programme. It also covered lunch on each of the three days, snacks and beverages through the day, the evening mixers with sponsors and exhibitors, a swag bag, the optional group runs, and a curated networking app from Endurance HQ.
For a team, the lunch line is the practical one. Eight people eating on site for three days on a single invoice removes three days of per-diem reconciliation.
The programme the ticket buys
Doors open 9 a.m. Thursday with registration and welcome coffee. The first panel covers public lands and trail access at 10:45 a.m., followed by a networking lunch and the expo at 11:45. Sponsorship and medical panels run from 1 p.m., and the welcome mixer starts at 4 p.m.
Friday opens with a 7 a.m. group run from Music City Center. The Lazarus Lake keynote sits at 10:15 a.m. Dual-track breakouts run at 11 a.m., lunch and the expo at noon, breakouts and the Run in Beauty screening at 1:30 p.m., Trailside Chats at 3 p.m. and the Lazarus Lake documentary at 5:15 p.m.
Saturday starts with a 7 a.m. group run. The inclusion panel is at 10:15 a.m., the State of the Sport address at 11:15, lunch at noon and the Craig Thornley and Sally McRae keynote at 1:30 p.m. The schedule grid puts closing remarks at 2:15 p.m. and the Nashville page states the close at 3 p.m.
The audience is race directors first: independent directors, series operators and event teams. Brands, retailers, media and runners also attend. The conference was founded by Terry Chiplin and now runs under UltraSignup, with Marathon Printing as presenting partner.
Registration closed on October 22
The UltraSignup event page reads "Registration Closed Thu. Oct 22, 2026 @ 11:59 PM". A team without registrations cannot enter the conference this year.
Dirt Circus, the free UltraSignup community run that closes the week, still takes entries. It starts at 8 a.m. on Sunday, November 8 at Vaughn's Creek Cross Country Course, 7199 TN-100 in Warner Parks, and registration stays open until 8 a.m. on the day.
The room block and its hold date
The block sits at Tru by Hilton Nashville Downtown Convention Center, a quarter mile from the venue door and about five minutes on foot. The rate is $209 a night with breakfast included and a fitness centre on site. The organiser's hold ran to October 21, 2026 or until the block sold out. Call 629-255-0303 and ask for the UltraSignup block by name.
Eight people in four rooms across the three conference nights come to 12 room nights. A Sunday stay for Dirt Circus makes it 16. Four rooms a night sits below the 10-room band most hotels publish for group rates. bookMyTeam states that most hotels offer group rates at 10 or more rooms per night and that some discount from five rooms depending on season and availability. A team of that size can send the count through the RFP route or ask the property what it still holds at $209.
Parking and the airport
Music City Center runs a three-level covered garage at 701 Demonbreun Street with 1,800 spaces. Primary access sits at 7th Avenue and Demonbreun Street, with auxiliary access along 6th Avenue. Rates run $15 for up to five hours, $20 for five to nine hours, $25 for nine to 12 hours, $30 for 12 to 18 hours and $45 overnight. The ticket carries no in-and-out privilege and the garage bars trailer parking.
Nashville International sits about eight miles from downtown and about fifteen minutes by car off-peak. The conference page states a car is not needed, since the venue, the block and Broadway all sit within walking distance.
What to confirm before booking
The refund ladder is steep. Cancellation 180 or more days out returns 100 per cent less processing fees, 90 to 179 days returns 75 per cent, 60 to 89 days returns 50 per cent and 59 days or fewer returns nothing. November 5 sits inside the 59-day window, so a registration placed this week carried no refund.
Four questions decide the stay. Whether the property still holds rooms at $209 after the October 21 hold. Whether the team's existing registrations sit on one invoice. Whether the team wants a fourth night for Dirt Circus. Whether anyone in the group wants the Saturday morning run before the 10:15 a.m. panel.
