Honorees for the Hall of Champions, Women’s Leadership Award and Award of Excellence will be recognized at the Industry Conference presented by haku in St. Louis, Mo.
(Oct. 1, 2025) – Nominations are now being accepted for Running USA’s 2026 Industry Awards, which will be presented at the upcoming Industry Conference presented by haku in Louisville. The event will be held Feb. 1-3, 2026 at the Union Station Hotel.
Find the nomination form here (submissions are due Friday, Nov. 14), and read on for more details:
The 2026 awards are:
The Running USA Hall of Champions will welcome its 22nd inductee class. The Hall of Champions recognizes leaders who have helped make running the incredible industry it is today. Nominate a Hall of Champions prospect.
The Running USA Women’s Leadership Award honors a woman who has been a leader, innovator and serves the sport with distinction. Nominate a Women’s Leadership prospect.
The Award of Excellence, first presented in 2022, will recognize outstanding contributions, initiative, leadership or innovation in the running industry. Honorees can be individuals or a group, program or organization and should be demonstrably driving positive change in the industry. Nominate a potential Award of Excellence honoree.
Background on the awards, as well as past recipients, can be found here.
Please note: Running USA hopes to celebrate honorees in person at the event, so please consider nominating those who will be attending the conference. All nominations are welcome and will be given equal consideration by the selection committee.
Not registered for the 2026 Industry Conference presented by haku yet? Sign up today, and contact membership@runningusa.org for custom discount codes if you are an active Running USA member.
About the Industry Conference
Since its origins as a small gathering of Running USA’s founders in Southern California in 2004, the Running USA Industry Conference presented by haku is the best-attended, most esteemed gathering of running industry professionals from around the world. Moving locations each year, the conference has been held in Los Angeles, San Diego, Savannah, Houston, San Antonio, Denver, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, Orlando, Louisville and heads to St. Louis, MO for the 2026 event
About Running USA
Running USA is a non-profit that serves as the leading trade organization for the running industry in North America and hosts the nation’s preeminent industry conference annually. Through education, research, best practices and data, Running USA is committed to supporting and facilitating growth, diversification and excitement in running communities everywhere. We promote networking and idea-sharing between event organizers, sponsors, vendors and athletes. Running USA is a member of a global alliance of organizations focused on the betterment of the global running community including the Running Industry Alliance and European Athletics. For more information, visit runningusa.org.