ITRA (International Trail Running Association) Performance IndexIt aggregates athletes' performances across various trail running events and is one of the authoritative metrics for assessing a trail runner's competitive level.
As of April 15, according to the latest ITRA performance score rankings, we've compiled the top 20 Chinese trail runners — men and women — in the standings. Let's take a look at who made the list?
We'll also provide an in-depth analysis of the top 20 athletes' sponsorships, age distribution, and how they compare with the world's leading trail-running nations.
First, let's look at China's top 20 men:
Among China's top 20 men, 14 have scores above 900, ranking only behind the USA worldwide and ahead of traditional trail running powerhouses France, Italy and Spain.
Although there are many with 900 points, the highest score by Meng Guangfu still trails the international elite's 940+ points by some margin, though he already ranks firmly among the world's best.
By age, the vast majority of athletes are in their 23–34 prime years; only Deng Guomin and Gu Rongchao are in the 35–39 bracket, yet they remain at the peak of their careers. U23 athlete Fan Banglin is a future star. Batemengkai is the oldest, a testament to still going strong with age.
Now let's look at the top 20 Chinese women:
There is no doubt that Yao Miao and Xiang Fuzhao form the "twin towers" of Chinese women's trail running; both have proven themselves in top international competitions.They are the only two Chinese women to have scored over 800 points. Compared with other strong running nations—5 from the United States, 2 from Spain, 2 from France, and 1 from Italy—China is not behind, but it lacks a "third woman."
Apart from those two, seven other athletes have more than 750 points, indicating that the "middle tier" of Chinese women's trail running is taking shape, but its depth still needs to be strengthened.
In terms of age structure, although the 23–34 age group holds the advantage, the 35–39 age group is still very strong. U23 athlete Ren Ti carries the hope for the future.
Having reviewed the top 20 lists for men and women, next we'll look at the sponsorship situation of these 40 athletes, which offers a glimpse into the strategic positioning of the major brands.
First is KAILAS FUGA — its growth has been explosive. There are 6 men in total, making up nearly one-third of the top 20, and occupying 5 of the top 11: Yang Jianjian, Luo Canhua, Guan Yousheng, Zhao Jiaju, and Wang Ruqin. On the women's side there are 5 athletes: Li Ying, Jiang Wenli, Xiong Binbin, Fan Kaili, and Zhao Fufen.(There's a special case here: Wang Ruqin and Fan Kaili belong to the Ichallengelab club and are not directly signed to KAILAS FUGA)
A signing scale of this magnitude gives KAILAS FUGA the deepest domestic trail running "talent pool", ensuring the brand has its own faces on podiums across all levels of competition.
Next, take a look at traditional powerhouse Salomon, which counts Fan Banglin, Shen Jiasheng, Zhang Huohua, and on the women's side Chi Lingjie and Tang Jingyan among its roster.Salomon is more inclined to unearth and develop young prospects, and its international trail running system also provides Chinese athletes with a pathway to the world stage.
HOKA The roster is small but select. On the men’s side, top-ranked Meng Guangfu and joint-fifth Duoji are also China’s leading male long-distance runners. On the women’s side, fifth-ranked Li Anna and joint-tenth Lei Yan each have strengths in their respective events.
adidas's two athletes, Luo Tao and Chen Lin, are very representative — one of China's leading male short-distance runners and a top female long-distance runner.
After signing Yao Miao, ACG has gained significant clout; Ren Ti can also be considered a rising star, and their eye for talent has consistently been of a high standard.
Outopia as an emerging domestic brand, has accompaniedTan Guidu's growth into a 900-point elite, while Dong Minfei's performance has also been steadily improving.
Brands such as 安踏/安踏冠军、拓路者、李宁、CRAFT、UTO are participating in the competition in various ways, and the market is showing a flourishing, diversified landscape.
With a single-event 925-point performance at Gaoligong, Gu Rongchao has climbed into the top 16 of the list; however, he is also the only male athlete in the top 20 without a sponsorship deal. With major brands now competing to sign elites, which sports brand will pick him up?
After ending her partnership with adidas, Zheng Wenrong is currently a free agent. In recent races she has been competing in Anta Champion, so there may be a possibility of further cooperation between the two.
Zheng Bingling took second place in the 50 km category at the Moganshan Trail Race by UTMB. Although she was wearing HOKA, she said in interviews that brands are already in contact and a deal will be finalized soon.
Of the 40, only 3 remain unsigned, indicating that very few top athletes are truly "unattached". This indirectly reflects that the commercialization of China's trail running scene is already quite mature, and outstanding athletes can generally secure brand support.
We compared China's data with the top-20 data from four traditional trail running powerhouses — the United States, France, Italy, and Spain — and found some interesting observations.
Men: world-class depth, but short on championship-level starsChampion-level
China has 14 men scoring above 900, second only to the United States' 20, and on par with France (13) and Italy (12), far ahead of Spain (8). This shows that China’s men's trail running talent pool and overall competitiveness have reached world-class levels.
However, the top score of 928 points is noticeably lower than the United States (958), Italy (945), and Spain (944).
This 20–30 point gap reflects a difference in the ability to contend for overall titles at marquee races such as UTMB and the Western States 100. Simply put: we can consistently produce world top-10 and top-20 athletes,but we currently lack a 'game-changing' athlete like Kilian Jornet or Jim Walmsley.
Women: Top talents are competitive, but depth is somewhat lacking
Yao Miao and Xiang Fuzhao would be top-level athletes in any country. But the problem is: there are only those two athletes with more than 800 points, while the United States has as many as five. What’s more concerning is that China’s No.3 (787 points) is 24 points behind No.2 (811 points), and No.10 (750 points) is 37 points behind No.3.
That means in world-class events that test team strength, such as the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, the bench depth of Chinese women’s trail running is clearly insufficient.
ITRA performance scores reflect an athlete's competitive level — the higher the score, the greater the chance of attracting brand attention. Exactly how many points are needed to secure sponsorship from a major brand isn't defined, but there is a useful reference.
According to ITRA performance score tiers, a woman scoring above 700 points is considered elite; reaching that score essentially means you're eligible for equipment sponsorship and some race support. If you exceed 800 points, that basicallybecomes the kind of athlete top brands fight over, and signing fees reach the seven-figure range.
For men, above 825 points is considered elite, and above 900 points marks the 'breakout point' for a male athlete's commercial value.
Of course, that doesn't mean athletes who haven't reached 700 for women or 825 for men are automatically excluded from sponsorship. Beyond race results, an athlete's personal brand and social media influence can overcome the pure points threshold. Take Huang Xuemei as an example: as a standout among recreational runners, her commercial value far exceeds that of athletes in the same points bracket.
With more and more talented athletes entering the trail running scene — for example, Yang Chunlong, who posted a single-race score of 919 in his first professional trail race — the ceiling for what they can achieve is wide open. So I'm very much looking forward to seeing how China's top 20 men and women in trail running will change by the end of the year.
Overall, Chinese trail running is in the best period in its history; we are already qualified to go head-to-head with the world's leading nations. What comes next is turning those head-to-head matchups into wins.
