Dynafit Expands Role at Oberaudorf Trail Festival With New 100-Kilometer Race

Dynafit is deepening its involvement with the Oberaudorf Trail Festival as the Bavarian event prepares to introduce its first 100-kilometer race from October 1 to 4, 2026.

The third edition of the festival, presented by Dynafit, is expected to attract approximately 1,400 trail runners. With the addition of the OTF 100 [XXL], the event will offer five race distances, ranging from a 12.4-kilometer short course to the new 100-kilometer ultra.

The expansion gives Dynafit a prominent role not only as title sponsor, but also as the starting point for the festival’s headline race. The OTF 100 will begin at the company’s Dynafit Speed Factory in nearby Kiefersfelden at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 2.

The evening start is designed to turn the race into a shared spectacle before runners head into the night. From 7:30 p.m., Dynafit will host a fan zone at its headquarters, with food, music and a DJ creating a festival atmosphere around the start line.

A five-race program for the alpine running community

The new ultra distance becomes the longest event in a program built to accommodate a broad range of trail runners. The 2026 lineup includes:

A children’s and youth race will add another entry point for younger participants. Event listings describe the festival as offering courses from roughly 12 to 100 kilometers, with the races centered around Oberaudorf and its surrounding alpine terrain.

Dynafit’s own 2026 trail-running calendar describes the Oberaudorf event as taking place only a few kilometers from its Speed Factory, giving the company an opportunity to connect its global brand identity with the local trail-running community in its home region. The setting includes views toward the Wilder Kaiser, Sudelfeld and the Chiemgau Alps.

The festival is also listed as an official International Trail Running Association member. Depending on the distance completed, runners can receive ITRA points, adding a competitive incentive to an event that is otherwise built around community participation and a celebratory basecamp atmosphere.

Dynafit turns sponsorship into participation

The brand’s presence will extend beyond banners and start-line branding. Employees Flo Neumaier and Carmen Schmidt, members of Dynafit’s Trailhero Community, are set to compete in the inaugural 100-kilometer race.

Dynafit athletes Hannes Namberger, Suman Kulung, Mikolaj Klimczak and Johannes Dörr are also registered for the longer distances. Other Trailhero Community members and employees are expected to participate across the event’s race program.

That athlete-led approach reflects the way many outdoor brands now activate around major events. Rather than treating sponsorship as a purely promotional relationship, Dynafit is using the festival to demonstrate its connection to the people who design, test and represent its products.

The strategy is particularly relevant for trail running, where credibility is closely tied to participation. Runners often judge brands not simply by their advertising, but by their involvement in local communities, their support for athletes and their understanding of the demands of mountain racing.

More than a race weekend

Although the OTF 100 is the major addition, the festival’s organizers are positioning the Oberaudorf event as a full weekend of mountain-sports programming rather than a single competition.

Alongside the races, the schedule includes talks, youth competitions, a shakeout run and activities for spectators. The festival basecamp is expected to provide food, music and a central meeting point before and after the races.

That mix of competitive racing and social programming is increasingly common in trail running. The format allows elite athletes to share the same setting as first-time participants and families, while giving sponsors opportunities to engage with visitors who may not be racing.

For Dynafit, the model also creates a direct link between product development, athlete performance and consumer experience. The company can showcase its equipment in the same environment where runners are preparing for a 100-kilometer effort, comparing race strategies or recovering after a shorter course.

A demanding new centerpiece

The OTF 100 will add a different character to the festival. With a 9 p.m. start, competitors will face darkness almost immediately, turning navigation, pacing, nutrition and endurance into central challenges. The race will also extend the festival’s activity through the night and into the following day.

Its introduction places Oberaudorf within a growing European trail-running calendar that offers increasingly varied race formats—from short community runs to mountain ultras exceeding 100 kilometers. Dynafit’s 2026 race guide lists the Oberaudorf event alongside other alpine and international competitions, including the Triglav Trail Run, the Ultra Trail du Beaufortain and the Dynafit Taebaek Trail.

The race’s importance, however, is likely to be measured by more than distance. As the festival enters its third edition, the 100-kilometer course gives the event a new flagship challenge while preserving shorter races for recreational runners and newcomers.

For Dynafit, it is an opportunity to make its hometown presence unmistakable: a night-time ultra beginning at its headquarters, athletes and employees on the start list, and a community festival unfolding in the mountains just beyond the factory doors.

The Oberaudorf Trail Festival will take place from October 1 through 4, 2026, with the OTF 100 starting at 9 p.m. on October 2 from the Dynafit Speed Factory in Kiefersfelden