The Ultra Minute: Puppi's Masterclass at Canyons
Hawgood wins a thriller, Cocodona looms, Team USA is set, and Łukasz Wróbel runs for five straight days for a new backyard record
Issue 39
We have a lot to cover this week, but before we get into it I have a quick announcement:
TUM is now reader supported! Here’s why and what that means:
When I launched The Ultra Minute, I had no idea if anyone would find it useful. I just knew I was spending too much time scrolling Instagram trying to keep up with the sport, so I figured I’d try consolidating the important bits and publishing it in a weekly newsletter. Scratch my own itch sort of thing.
Nine months later, over 1,000 of you read it each week (!).
TUM has always aimed to do one thing well:
Make you a sharper, more informed fan—in one quick weekly read.
TUM now takes a fair bit of time (writing, editing, tracking down quotes, sorting signal from noise across podcasts, race recaps, YouTube, and, yes, Instagram). I love doing it. But for it to be sustainable long-term, and justify to my family why I spend so much time on this, I do need it to generate meaningful income.
So, I’m introducing a paid option.
If TUM helps you stay informed on the sport (or saves you from doom-scrolling) I’d be honored if you’d support it:
What that support enables:
Your paid subscription helps keep the main newsletter free for everyone. It will also eventually enable me to do more, like travel to races, chase bigger stories, and experiment with new formats. I’ll also likely bring on a small number of clearly labeled brand partners too, but only from companies I already use and genuinely recommend (think nutrition, gear, that sort of thing). Supporter revenue will help keep those minimal and thoughtful, but I want you to know they’re likely coming.
Whether or not you go paid, I’m incredibly grateful you’re here. Thank you for reading, and for being part of TUM from the start.
– Ken
Now, let’s get to it:
Puppi Crushes Record, Hawgood Outduels Hogan at Canyons 100K
Last Saturday, I scrambled, texting friends and connections on-site to piece together updates from the Canyons 100K. I was fortunately able to cobble together a fairly real-time perspective, but most fans weren't as fortunate. With no livestream at this high-profile, UTMB-branded Golden Ticket showdown, spectators were left reliant on spotty live tracking and sporadic Instagram updates. Freetrail did an admirable job under tough circumstances, especially Dylan Bowman’s camera-runner footage, but ultimately, fans deserved more, no fault to Freetrail.
Last week I wrote, “And if you’re near Auburn? Go spectate. This is going to be one of the best races no one sees.” Unfortunately, that turned out even truer than expected.
On the men’s side, Italy’s Francesco Puppi put on an absolute clinic as he obliterated the course record, finishing in an astonishing 08:04:36. That’s 40 minutes faster than Rod Farvard’s celebrated mark from last year, and might I remind you, Rod went on to challenge Jim Walmsley toe to toe for much of Western States. That has me wondering just how fast Western will run this year, and just what Puppi might be able to do if he were in the race (but more on that in a bit).
Puppi sent over a thoughtful voice message after the race with his signature insight and humility, telling me he didn’t initially intend to lead when he did: “I found myself in front simply because other athletes slowed, and I was just keeping the pace.” He said things got quite painful between Cal 2 and Driver’s Flat, describing the suffering as “almost unbearable,” and shared that he’d been receiving incorrect information at aid stations that his lead was only two minutes. “I was pushing and worrying—maybe I wasn't running as fast as I thought I was,” Puppi told me. Once corrected and told he actually held a comfortable eight-minute lead, he was able to relax a bit and control the race, ultimately extending his margin to a jaw-dropping 22 minutes at the end. He credited his efficiency during the early fast pace (around 5:30–5:40 per mile) as a key factor: “Compared to a lot of other athletes, I believe I spent less energy at that pace, which I think was an advantage later on.”
One of the bigger moments of the race was Puppi turning down his Golden Ticket after winning. It wasn’t a surprise as he’d made his intentions clear beforehand. “It’s not that I’m not ready. I could be. But it’s not something I want to do right now,” he told us. “While I like Western States and want to do it one day, there is so much more to the sport. Coming from Europe, I know what else is out there.” Puppi now shifts focus to CCC and the World Trail Championships.
While it’s fun to imagine what Puppi might be able to do at Western States, I’m just as excited to see him race CCC and Worlds. Plus, this way we can all enjoy the continued anticipation of the moment he decides he is ready to run Western.
Behind Puppi, Hans Troyer delivered one of the day's most emotional performances. Troyer, who we profiled earlier this year, endured a tumultuous 2024 marked by a severe rhabdo-induced two-week hospitalization following Black Canyon 100K and then a flu-forced DNS at Black Canyon 2025. With that as the backdrop, I asked Hans where his mind was just before the start:
“I remember thinking just a few minutes before the gun went off that this has been one of the coolest stretches of my life and regardless of the result today I’m incredibly thankful for that journey, but dang would it be cool if I can make something happen.”
And make something happen he did. Executing flawlessly, Troyer notched second place and a long-awaited Golden Ticket. “All the big moments and struggles from the last year hit me,” he said. “I was overwhelmed with emotion at the finish line.”
Third-place finisher Hannes Namberger secured the second men’s ticket. Despite being better known for steep, technical terrain, Namberger pushed hard on the faster, runnable course, admitting post-race on Instagram, “Halfway through, my thighs were completely tight, simply not used to running that fast for that long. I fought my way through—it was an indescribable feeling.”
Just behind Namberger, Jeff Mogavero crossed the line in fourth but didn’t need a Golden Ticket, as he’d already secured his Western States spot at Javelina last fall. That meant fifth-place finisher Ryan Montgomery was next in line and officially earned the third and final men’s ticket after Puppi declined his. Montgomery ran a strong negative split, steadily moving up through the field in the second half. In an Instagram post, he said that around Mile 24 he told himself, “You have to commit now if you want a Golden Ticket,” and spent the rest of the race doing exactly that. At the finish, unaware of the exact standings, he was overcome when asked if he wanted to return to Western States: “I didn’t realize I had it until the finish line—which explains the very raw emotions.”
The women’s race was a fierce duel between Emily Hawgood and Marianne Hogan, with Hawgood ultimately seizing control at Driver’s Flat. “Marianne got just two seconds behind me there,” Hawgood told us. “Being able to stay ahead and open that gap will stick in my memory forever.” Hogan, who’d skipped Tarawera earlier this year to recover fully, showed impressive strength in securing second. Reflecting on her battle with Hawgood, Hogan told us, “I was incredibly happy to have Emily pushing the pace and felt like we both had a good time in the process.”
Keely Henninger’s third-place performance was equally remarkable. I learned while watching Freetrail’s post-race show that she had med school exams Friday and arrived late, before waking up early to get to the start line only to miss the shuttle. While this sounded chaotic to me (and the bar is quite high as a dad of 3 boys under the age 4), in her voice message to us, she seemed completely unfazed: “Even though I could have let it get the best of me, I try not to put any pressure on the things I can’t control.” She then shared how the Director of Transportation ended up giving her a ride, and was apparently a lovely guy.
The other key intel I picked up from Corrine Malcolm during Freetrail’s post-race show was that upon arriving at Robie Point, trailing Erin Clark by three minutes, Henninger told herself, “If this was Western States, I’d give it everything to try to catch third.” She took us back to that moment:
“So I just told myself, all right, let's just run the whole thing and practice this like it’s Western States. I definitely was able to close even though I was tired—and I know I'll be able to lean on that.”
Henninger also recounted a powerful moment at mile 47: “I was pretty tired, and my husband just looked at me and said, ‘But you can still push.’ It was a breakthrough moment as I realized I could push even though I was feeling bad, and found strength I didn’t know I had.”
Erin Clark secured the final women's Golden Ticket after her battle with Keely Henninger. Clark shared with us her perspective of that late-race moment when she lost third: "I was definitely cracking pretty hard, especially on the climbs. When I turned around and saw Keely running behind me, I swore! I knew based on how I felt—I was toast." Despite getting passed, Clark was proud of her aggressive approach: "I went for it, even if I ran out of gas a bit early." She vividly recalled cresting Driver's Flat, "Seeing my family and friends screaming for me was the highlight. I knew I was leaving it all out there." Now headed to Western States, Clark reflected, "I feel like a totally different, much smarter athlete compared to my first WS in 2021, but also still that same starry-eyed kid."
Notably absent from the top of the standings was defending champion Rod Farvard, who entered as a favorite but struggled significantly from early on. In his post-race blog, Farvard revealed he faced severe breathing difficulties (he speculated due to allergies but isn’t yet sure) that limited his ability to compete. Despite contemplating dropping, Farvard soldiered on, finishing ninth. “I was wheezing on every climb and I could tell my chest was getting worse and just straight up sore,” Farvard wrote. “At Foresthill, I couldn’t answer anything my crew was asking—I just knew I had to get out of there before I gave myself a chance to drop.”
While Farvard’s performance wasn’t what he envisioned, he remains optimistic for Western States, concluding his blog with silver linings and noting he now feels less pressure going into states.
Golden Ticket Recipients:
Men: Hans Troyer, Hannes Namberger, Ryan Montgomery (via Puppi’s declined ticket)
Women: Marianne Hogan, Keely Henninger, Erin Clark (Emily Hawgood already in)
Don’t Miss:
Rod Farvard’s detailed post-race blog
Fourth placed man, Jeff Mogavero’s post-race blog
Two Miles with Francesco Puppi on Cal Street - Puppi’s footwork is mesmerizing.
Two Miles with Emily Hawgood & Marianne Hogan at Drivers Flat - an epic battle, masterfully captured by Freetrail host and stud camera runner, Dylan Bowman
Canyons 100k & 50k Recap Show & Podium Interviews - I would have loved to write about the 50k here too, but alas, not enough time this week. Freetrail’s recap show, which starts with a recap of the 50k, is a good starting point.
Rest Day - Another video from our friends at Freetrail. The first half of this is Dylan and Corrine recapping Canyons. Don’t miss it.
Additional Results
Łukasz Wróbel set a new backyard ultra world record at Legends Backyard Belgium, running 116 yards in 116 hours—a staggering 777.8 km (483 mi). He outlasted Belgium’s Jan Vandekerckhove, who made it to 115 hours and 771 km. Their five-day duel obliterated the previous record of 110 yards and locked both runners into the field for Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships this October. See Canadian Trail Running for more.
Katie Schide dominated the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 115K in Portugal, clocking 14:20 in stormy, muddy conditions, which was good for 7th overall and over 2.5 hours ahead of second place.
Joaquin Lopez backed up his breakout UTMB podium with a win at Mt. Fuji 100—digging “deeper than ever before” to claim his first World Trail Majors victory.
Caroline Kimutai dominated her Golden Trail Series debut at the Jinshanling Great Wall Trail, breaking away after the second aid station and leading a 1–2 finish for Milimani Runners with Joyline Chepngeno. On the men’s side, Patrick Kipngeno made it two-for-two in Asia, extending his GTWS lead. Sara Alonso, last week’s round 1 winner and our cover athlete, finished 4th in China and now sits atop the overall standings.
Ben Dhiman took the win at the Grand Raid Ventoux by UTMB 100K, pulling away late after battling cramps and trading the lead with Baptiste Chassagne. “The body was tired but the mind was not,” he wrote in a post-race recap, detailing his push to the finish and lessons from an intentionally undercooked training block.
Allison Baca set an unsupported FKT on the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in 7:31:15, besting the previous record by about 35 minutes.
Sierra DeGroff threw down a huge 100K PR (8:18) to win Lake Waramaug 100K, breaking a course record that had stood since 1979. She was second overall, and now eyes a Western States / Badwater 135 double. Dark horse contender?
David Roche quietly raced the Cheyenne Mountain Trail 50K in Colorado Springs, winning by 40 minutes in 3:42:43, the third-fastest time in course history.
Cocodona 250 Kicks Off Monday
It’s that time already, y’all! The fifth edition of the Cocodona 250 begins Monday, May 5. If you’re not familiar, it’s a 250+ mile point-to-point route that traverses Arizona from Black Canyon City, north to downtown Flagstaff, with over 40,000 feet of climbing, and passing through several towns along the way.
What started as a wild vision from Jamil Coury to link up Arizona’s historic towns and iconic trail systems has grown into one of the most ambitious and recognizable ultras in the country. For me personally, as a fan, it’s right up there with Western States and UTMB. Courtney Dauwalter headlines this year’s race, and it’s fair to wonder if she’ll contend for the overall win.
For a deep preview that goes into changes to this year’s course, athletes to watch, and predictions, check out Singletrack Podcast’s Cocodona Preview episode. I listened to most of it on one of my stroller sesh runs earlier this week, and it got me properly excited. Here are a few of the mental notes I made while listening:
Most of the race’s climbing comes early and crew access is sparse until mile 70.
Key sections between Sedona and Flagstaff are now pacerless, including a new exposed climb and a long 16-mile solo stretch late in the race.
Runners will now climb and descend Mt. Elden (which comes at the very end of the race) in reverse from previous years, climbing a gradual route and descending the steep south face into Flagstaff. This has the potential to shake things up right at the end if there’s a close battle.
A rare cool front for the first two days, seems like it should lower finishing times.
In addition to seeing if Courtney can win overall, I’m interested to see if Jeff Garmire, who is planning an Appalachian Trail FKT later this year (and whose book I’m currently reading) can duke it out up at the pointy end. I chatted with him earlier this year and he told me, sort of jokingly, sort of serious, that he was going to win it. That’s stuck in my head, and given his prowess on the FKT scene (i.e. taking the JMT from 2022 Cocodona winner Joe McConaughy), I can see it happening.
How to Follow
Mountain Outpost is going big: Jamil Coury tweeted that they’ll have livestream coverage for all 125 hours of the race, with only ~10 hours spread between nights 1 and 2 where they’ll just have a static cam (i.e. no commentary). The contrast between this effort and UTMB’s at Canyons last weekend is notable by this wee little newsletter writer.
Preview Show: Today at 5:00pm PDT / 8:00pm EDT
Livestream Day 1, Stream 1: Monday, May 5 at 4:30am PDT / 7:30am EDT
More to get you ready for Cocodona
Course Map - I love maps and this is a great one. Zoom in, pan around, and make yourself familiar with the course.
Aravaipa’s Cocodona YouTube Playlist - Aravaipa, the race organization that puts on Cocodona, has been interviewing entrants to this year’s race for the last several months and posting to this playlist. It also has some videos from previous years, so if you want to just see this year’s videos keep an eye on the year in the video titles.
The Chase - Feature-length film documenting last year’s men’s race. I watched with my wife earlier this week and loved it. If you haven’t seen it, watch this weekend before the race start on Monday.
The Ultra Addict - Get pumped to see if Courtney can win overall with this documentary of Courtney’s 205-mile Tahoe run from 2018. Mentioned by Leah in the Singletrack Preview episode.
2025 USATF Long Trail Team Announced
USATF has announced its 12-athlete Long Trail Team for this September’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc, Spain. A selection committee of athletes and MUT board members chose eight runners by resume, with four more earning auto-spots at Gorge Waterfalls 100K.
Women:
Katie Schide, Jennifer Lichter, Allison Baca, Emily Schmitz, Shea Aquilano, Klaire Rhodes
Men:
Jim Walmsley, Caleb Olson, Zach Miller, Eric LiPuma, Adam Peterman, Tracen Knopp
Full story on ATRA and if you prefer video, Tom Hooper went on the Singletrack Podcast to make the announcement and talk more about it.
Other News & Links
Trail Runner posted a great cheat sheet on Instagram of every athlete with a Golden Ticket to the 2025 Western States 100. With just 8 weeks to go, it’s the perfect refresher.
Toni McCann announced on Instagram that she’s joined Näak as her nutrition sponsor, praising the brand’s commitment to sustainability and athlete support.
Barrett Gray shared that she’s been diagnosed with a sacral stress fracture, which is her first major injury in 13 years of running.
Lydia Oldham is attempting an FKT across Portugal and into Spain (400 miles in 6 days, averaging nearly 70 miles a day). I learned of this effort via fellow Substacker, , who’s pacing her, and says the effort “lives somewhere between remarkable endurance and spiritual pilgrimage.” She’s on day 3 at time of writing and is posting daily updates on her Instagram.
Coree Woltering announced he’s stepping into a dual role as both athlete and Trail Team Manager for Merrell. We’ve seen a few other similar announcements this season (think Corrine Malcolm at HOKA or Anton Krupicka at La Sportiva), so there might be a bit of a growing trend of hybrid roles in the sport.
Aspen Backcountry is back after a one-year hiatus, now under Aravaipa Running. The August 2 race features a new 50K route, plus marathon and “heavy half” options. Race website
Reads of the Week
In an exclusive interview for Trailmix, sat down (in a Parisian bar no less) with Scott Mellin, Global Chief Brand Officer at Salomon, to unpack the brand’s sweeping vision for the future of trail running. From slashing its athlete roster to 40, to building a broadcast-ready race model, to hiring INEOS’s former performance lead, Salomon isn’t just adapting to the sport’s evolution, it’s engineering it. The full post is worth the read.
reflects on 10 years of evolving fueling strategies, from under-eating at Speedgoat to dialing in 90g/hr at Gorge Waterfalls. It’s part personal story, part practical fueling guide, and a helpful window into how the high-carb revolution is playing out on the ground.
I missed this last week: profiled and her decade-long journey to toe the line at Hardrock 100, a race she’s spent years chasing, volunteering for, and writing about. Read it here.
Ever wonder why so many ultrarunners seem to hit their peak in their late 30s or even 40s? This piece from digs into the ability to perform well under fatigue, and how years of experience, not just fitness, shape success in long ultras. Feels especially timely as Courtney Dauwalter, who turned 40 a couple months ago, lines up for her first go at the Cocodona 250 in a few days.
Alright y’all, that’s it for this week! Special thanks to Jacob Banta for the cover photo, and to all the athletes who shared time with me this week to reply so thoughtfully to my questions. Thank you!
See y’all on the Cocodona livestream,
Ken
Thanks again for your early support of The Ultra Minute. If you enjoy it (and can afford it), consider becoming a paid supporter:
Thank you for your in-depth content Ken! The effort you put into this newsletter is very visible considering the amount of length and detail you put into each one. I hope that your move towards a subscription-based model gives you the satisfaction and returns that you desire (and definitely need!)
Also, thanks for the shout out for my latest article. I'm very happy to see that people enjoyed reading it and that you considered it worthy for sharing 😎
I just started listening to Singletrack's podcast on Cocodona so thanks for the highlights. I have been following Cocodona since the 1st or 2nd year and just love the race - I have visited and hiked many area of Arizona (Sedona is my favorite). With Courtney in the mix now, it really changes the multi-day race landscape - now it is more like a 250 mile race and less of a multi-day hike. Will she beat them all?