Performance footwear brand Altra has announced its latest road and trail athlete roster for the upcoming summer and autumn/fall race season. The deep bench of running talent spans track, marathon, ultramarathon and fastest known time (FKT) disciplines.
As part of the roster announcement, Altra has partnered with apparel brand SOAR to provide new road and trail athlete racing kits. The exclusive collection includes apparel and accessories such as tops, bottoms, windbreakers, gloves, hats and socks. The gear is designed specifically for the team athletes and will not be sold or distributed to the public.
Notable new additions to the road and track lineup include Nell Rojas, a two-time top American female finisher at the Boston Marathon and founder of RISE Coaching. The brand has also secured its first name, image and likeness (NIL) agreement by signing Bethany Michalak, an NC State sophomore and member of the 2025 NCAA D1 championship team.
They join existing athletes such as Frank Lara, a 2:09 marathoner who was the top American at the 2024 New York City Marathon, and Olympian Alysia Montaño, founder of the For All Mothers+ non-profit. Hannah Steelman, an NC State alumna specialising in 1500m to 5K distances, also joins the team for the 2026 season.
On the trail side, new signings include Robyn Lesh, who secured victories in 2026 at the Tarawera T50 and Big Alta 100K, and Jacob Banta, who earned a Golden Ticket entry to the Western States 100 at Tarawera T100 this February.
The trail roster retains several high-profile endurance athletes, including Tara Dower, who set the overall Appalachian Trail FKT in 2024 and Long Trail FKT in 2025. Careth Arnold, the first American to win the UTMB TDS race in 2025, also returns alongside Lindsay Allison, the 2025 UTMB South America Major champion.
Other long-term and returning trail athletes include Amanda Basham, a back-to-back Broken Arrow Triple Crown winner; Kyle Curtin, the Colorado Trail overall FKT holder; and JP Giblin, the Leadville 100 and Leadville Leadman champion. Canadian 50K record holder Cal Neff remains Altra’s longest-tenured athlete on the squad, alongside veteran competitors Kyle Pietari, Justin Grunewald and two-time USATF 100-mile champion Nicole Bitter.
