The Ultra Minute: If They're Sleeping On You...
Caleb Olson and Abby Hall win Western States 100 — plus more from this week in trail & ultrarunning
Issue 45, sponsored by Open Fuel
If They’re Sleeping On You, Tuck ‘Em In
That’s what Caleb Olson posted on Instagram after winning the 2025 Western States 100 in 14:11:25—the second-fastest time ever run on the course. The caption accompanied a photo of him at the finish line, holding his seven-week-old son, Marshall, to his chest with one arm, and making a “shhh” gesture with the other. A perfect closer to a day built not on bravado, but on quiet conviction.
Western States had been building all year. From Golden Ticket drama to Transgrancanaria, the energy around this year’s race felt heightened, with more elite fields, better livestream coverage, more predictions, more pressure. And no one embodied that pressure more than David Roche, whose “Road to Western States” series put his own sub-14 aspirations—and, unintentionally, the entire field—under a microscope.
Roche did exactly what he said he’d do: took it out hard. And the lead men stayed with him. By Red Star Ridge (mile 15), they were already well under course record pace. The collective message was clear: if you wanted to win this thing in 2025, you’d better be ready to suffer early.
And they did.
Vincent Bouillard, fresh off a podium at Chianti by UTMB, battled stomach issues and eventually dropped. Rod Farvard, last year’s runner-up, was still near his 2024 splits through the first half but ultimately pulled the plug at Quarry Road (mile 91). David Roche ran boldly all the way to Foresthill (mile 62), then called it there. I happened to be parked next to his car and saw it unfold—first the abbreviated stride out of the aid station, then the quiet moment when he returned and chose to stop.
Others didn’t drop, but clearly cracked. Adam Peterman, the 2022 champ, walked nearly the final 45 miles to finish 49th. Seth Ruhling faded late after running near the front most of the day, and still held on for a gritty sixth-place finish just under 15 hours.
Kilian Jornet did the opposite. In his first States appearance in 14 years, he ran a patient race—climbing steadily through the top 10 and storming the final 20 miles to finish third in 14:19:22, an 80-minute PR.
And then there was Olson.
I watched him crest the Escarpment early in the day and told my friends, “He looked so chill.” No strain. Just a calm presence that would carry him the next 97 miles. At Devil’s Thumb (mile 47), he moved into the lead. At Foresthill, he was four minutes up on Chris Myers, who was having the race of his life.
I spent much of the afternoon camped at Foresthill alongside Jim Walmsley, who was out spectating like the rest of us (more on that later). He was chill, but definitely had his eye on Caleb’s splits and when Caleb hit the river ahead of course record pace, he double checked with me to confirm that Caleb was indeed still ahead of record pace.
Ultimately, Jim’s record would hold—barely. But in that moment, you could sense the tension. The reigning champ in the crowd. The new champ on course. It was surreal.
Caleb had been fifth here last year. He’d won Transgrancanaria earlier this year. He wasn’t a dark horse. He was just quiet. Measured. Long-term in both strategy and mindset. I wrote in my pre-race post that Kilian’s superpower might be his long view, the ability to zoom out and make the smartest decision for his future self. But maybe Caleb shares that gift.
This wasn’t a year where the sport leapt forward (no course records fell). But it might be one we remember more. Because amidst the noise, the hype, the heat, and the hype about the heat, Olson offered something rare: restraint.
The course was loud. The competition was loud. The media was loud.
Caleb was not.
He didn’t roar. And he didn’t need to.
He won with quiet conviction, then held his son, raised a finger to his lips, and let the result speak for itself.
Abby Hall, At Last
Abby Hall didn’t race her way into Western States this year. She missed a Golden Ticket at Black Canyon. Missed it again at Chianti. Only when Emkay Sullivan deferred her entry did the spot roll down, and Hall stepped in.
She made good on it.
Hall ran 16:37:16 to win the 2025 Western States 100, becoming the fourth-fastest woman ever on the course, and doing it just two years after shattering her knee on a training run (she shares the details in her post-race interview with iRunFar if you’re curious).
She took the lead early, trading spots with Martyna Młynarczyk and Ida Nilsson through the high country before breaking things open after Devil’s Thumb. From Michigan Bluff on, the race was hers. She hit Foresthill with a 10-minute lead, and while Fu-Zhao Xiang surged late to close the gap to six minutes at the river, Hall never cracked.
Xiang, for her part, continues to make the West look easy. Her 16:47:09 finish was good for second, and her second straight year on the podium. Marianne Hogan went deep into the well to take third in 16:50:58, while Nilsson took fourth in 17:00:48.
It wasn’t the record-smashing day some expected, but it was vintage Western States: hot, gritty, honest. And for Abby Hall—finally—a win that felt inevitable, once it actually happened.
More from Western States
When my buddy Zach and I pulled into Foresthill, we somehow ended up parked right next to Jim Walmsley. Which meant we got to spend a couple hours spectating the race within earshot of the 4-time champ. It was fun just watching him watch—his commentary, his attention, the way he tracked splits and body language in real time. But the moment that stuck with me most was... the shade dance.
As the sun shifted throughout the afternoon, Jim asked if we’d mind rotating our cars with him to keep the tailgates in the shade. We moved them five times. Finally, after the top runners had come through, a better spot opened across the street. Jim took one look, grinned, and said:
“Someone earlier called me a sundial—and I spot an opportunity.”
Then he hopped in and backed across Foresthill Road into the newly shaded space.The whole thing was low-key hilarious. But also, it felt revealing. Jim may have been spectating, but he was still operating like a racer: always reading the terrain, adjusting for conditions, optimizing every detail. At Western States, even his parking strategy is dialed.
We’ve linked to
’s Chasing Trail Substack before, but his latest post—titled simply 14:11—is a must-read.There’s been a bit of a Boulder vs Salt Lake City rivalry cooking up all year, and while Seth Ruhling had one heck of a Western States debut, finishing 6th in 14:59:36, SLC resident, photographer (@shitinthewoods), and friend of Caleb Olson, Mike McMonagle, was quick to point out SLC did it better, in his “Day of the Daddy” Instagram post.
Jeff Mogavero, who finished 4th in 14:30:11, broke Caleb Olson’s record from last year (14:40:12) for fastest Western States debut (also finishing one place higher).
In issue 44, we shared that Anthony Fagundes was selected by NNormal to pace Kilian Jornet at Western States. In a great iRunFar follow-up, Fagundes recaps what it was like to run the final 20 miles with one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Speaking of Kilian, COROS published a full breakdown of his third-place finish, including heart rate zones, segment splits, and pacing strategy.
Rolling Stone covered Ben Gibbard’s finish at Western States—his fifth 100-miler. The Death Cab frontman battled heat stroke near Devil’s Thumb (“I couldn’t see… I was shivering under blankets”) but rallied to finish in just over 27 hours.
65 runners finished in the final hour before the cutoff, including 72-year-old Jan Vleck, who overcame heat exhaustion and river fear to finish in 29:02. He was the oldest finisher this year, and one of six runners age 70+ on the start list.
In a moving gesture at the awards ceremony, Neeraj Egbert, who missed the finish cutoff by seconds, was awarded a 2026 entry thanks to a new partnership between Western States and Man Against Horse. The inaugural “Golden Hour Ticket” was created to honor the first runner who finishes after the 30-hour mark—offering a second chance to someone who embodies the spirit of the race.
My thanks to Open Fuel for supporting The Ultra Minute’s Western States coverage
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Additional Results
At Lavaredo, Ben Dhiman broke the 120K course record in 11:49:16 and shared a detailed recap on his Speedhiman Substack. Courtney Dauwalter won the women’s race in 14:14:40. Francesco Puppi came within two minutes of his sub-4:00 goal in the 50K, winning in 4:02:31. And Toni McCann set a new women’s 50K course record in 4:45:12. When asked in his post-race interview by Meghan Hicks of iRunFar if he’d be back next year, Caleb Olson, winner of this year’s Western States, indicated he wouldn’t, instead saying he’s done it twice in a row and is ready to take on some other longer hundreds. The first race he mentioned? Lavaredo.
At Marathon du Mont Blanc, Davide Magnini win the 42K, finishing in 03:42:55. Joyline Chepngeno edged Judith Wyder and Naomi Lang to win the women’s race in 04:15:20, with just 3.5 minutes separating the top 5. In the 90K, Théo Detienne and Blandine L’Hirondel took the wins in 10:54:13 and 12:31:51, while third place in the men’s race came down to a single second. Jean Philippe Tschumi (3rd in 11:01:12) was walking to the line when Gautier Airiau made a last second surge to the line, resulting in a panicked Jean Phillippe making a last second lunge to secure third:
The GTWS made its first-ever stop in Mexico at the Tepec Trail, where Lauren Gregory earned her first series win in 03:26:28, surging past early leaders Joyce Njeru and Mădălina Florea in the second half. Florea had opened a strong lead before taking two hard falls, including a late ankle sprain, but still managed to finish third. On the men’s side, Elhousine Elazzaoui executed yet another late-race sprint to outkick Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago, winning in 03:00:01 for his third GTWS victory of the season.
At Race the Cog on Mount Washington, Joseph Gray claimed his third straight win in 39:55 (his second best time), while Sarah Burke took the women’s title in 51:00. In the Devil’s Shingle Roundtripper, Johen Deleon stormed to the win in 01:05:25. It’s the latest big moment for Deleon, who was first spotlighted by Freetrail after his breakout second-place finish at A-Basin in 2024 (ahead of Joseph Gray). “During team camp, Jamil [Coury] told me about Race the Cog,” he wrote on Instagram. “Once I heard we could bag Mount Washington and bomb down, I knew I had to check it out.”
Other News & Links
John Kelly shared on Instagram earlier this week that he ended his Appalachian Trail FKT attempt after 1,882 miles, citing what appears to be compartment syndrome in his left ankle. “It’s like my brain sends the signal and nothing happens,” he said. With 315 miles to go and the FKT still within reach, he made the tough call to stop and avoid permanent damage. “The trail will always be there,” he said, shifting focus to recovery, family time, and his still-active fundraiser for Hurricane Helene recovery.
Run Rabbit Run just boosted its top prize to $20,000 each for the men’s and women’s winners, making it the richest ultramarathon in North America. The increase comes via a new partnership with Insight Global and adds fuel to what’s already one of the most competitive (and community-driven) races on the calendar.
Rachel Entrekin is in for the Mammoth 200, setting up a can’t-miss showdown with Tara Dower. “Can’t wait to get dusted on the trails by the almighty @tara.dower,” Entrekin joked on Instagram.
Aimee Jacobs, an Army physical therapist and cancer survivor, launched a fundraiser to support pediatric cancer care as she builds up to Leadville 100 this summer. She also just won the Muleshoe Bend 60K, finishing 4th overall in 07:00:23.
Remi Bonnet shared that he’s dealing with a tibial stress fracture and will be stepping back from racing for a few weeks, and Jack Kuenzle, coach to Western States champ Caleb Olson, revealed he’s dealing with a sacral stress fracture.
François D’Haene launched a Nolan’s 14 attempt today, on July 4. Meanwhile, Kilian Jornet, fresh off his Western States return, hinted that he’s not done here yet: “Something in me wants to explore this even deeper… See you soon.”
That’s a wrap for this week. Huge thanks to my wife for holding it down with our boys while I was at Western States, and to my in-laws for stepping in to help. And to everyone I crossed paths with in Olympic Valley or out on the course—thank you. Your kind words about The Ultra Minute, the shared miles, and spontaneous conversations meant a lot. It was a joy to finally meet so many of you in real life.
Ken
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Excellent recap(s)! Great to say hello in person briefly last Saturday.
Adam Peterman keeping the true spirit of ultra running alive... What a champ!