News
September 18, 2026
RECCO reflectors help make safety part of race week culture, as adidas INFINITE TRAILS wraps in Austria’s Gastein Valley and sells out next year’s event.
RECCO, a global search and rescue technology, is celebrating a successful debut of a meaningful partnership with adidas INFINITE TRAILS, the international trail running festival held in Austria’s Gastein Valley. This year’s event brought together 1,600 runners from 59 nations, with RECCO reflectors as required safety gear for the event’s team competition and longer individual distances (30K, 45K and 60K).
The partnership will continue at next year’s event. Registration for adidas INFINITE TRAILS 2027 opened shortly after the race and sold out in just three hours and 25 minutes — a sign of the momentum behind both the race and the culture growing around it.
The atmosphere throughout this year’s race week was incredibly positive, and the mountain safety message was embraced organically by the running community.
Much of that adoption at this event is credited to adidas INFINITE TRAILS Race Director Mike Hamel, who is an advocate for the integration of safety components, and who introduced RECCO reflectors as part of the event’s core safety requirements this year.
“Our goal is not just to put on a race, but to get every single runner across the finish line safe, healthy, happy and with a sense of achievement,” says Mike Hamel. “That’s why adidas INFINITE TRAILS is taking a pioneering role by making the RECCO reflector a mandatory piece of gear. Partnering with RECCO allows us to do more than treat this technology as an emergency tool; we actively leverage it as a communication medium to raise awareness for mountain safety and build habits that can save lives. Through this partnership and educational series like our INFINITE TALK podcast, which sheds light on the crucial work of mountain rescue services, we want to give our runners an authentic understanding of alpine rescue operations and empower them to stay safe out on the trail.”
Fredrik Steinwall, CEO of RECCO, said partnerships like this one help continue to grow awareness of what RECCO technology is, and the role it can play — along with other tools — in increasing safety in remote and rugged places.
"Mountain safety is a shared responsibility,” Steinwall said. “Tools that help make people more searchable can make a meaningful difference. By building knowledge, raising awareness and giving runners the right tools, we can help create a safer environment for everyone — in training and in competition. We’re proud to continue working with a partner who shares that (same) commitment to mountain safety.”
The RECCO rescue network continues to expand globally, with the system now used by search-and-rescue organizations in more than 900 locations across 32 countries. The RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector can search up to a square kilometer in six minutes under optimal conditions, helping rescue teams respond quicker across large and remote mountain terrain.
