The Ultra Minute: Walmsley's Statement Piece at Chianti
Jornet and Bouillard battle for tickets, Hemmings sweep Big Alta, Barkley content you don't want to miss, Des at Tunnel Hill, and more from this week in trail and ultrarunning
Issue 35
Walmsley Makes a Statement, Jornet and Bouillard Secure Golden Tickets at Muddy Chianti Battle
“The last 10 days, my sleep has averaged like two hours per night," Kilian Jornet said in a pre-race interview, referring to the birth of his third child. “The challenge will be seeing if I’ve recovered from the past two weeks full of emotion—and, yeah, not much sleep.”
On Saturday, the muddy vineyards of Tuscany became an unlikely battleground for ultrarunning's elite, drawing the last three UTMB champions: Jim Walmsley (2023), Vincent Bouillard (2024), and Kilian (2022). With four Golden Tickets to Western States available, the stakes were high for Kilian and Bouillard, who both sought entry. Walmsley, already secure as the defending champion, raced without ticket pressure.
Free of that burden, Walmsley delivered a masterclass despite the challenging, slippery conditions. He quickly set the tone, drifting effortlessly ahead 40km in. "I didn't make an intentional move; I was just running what felt comfortable," Walmsley later explained in a post-race interview. But comfort for Walmsley spelled pain for everyone else—he finished in 9:59:48, nearly half an hour clear of Kilian and Bouillard.
The battle behind him was fierce. Kilian, visibly limping from a nagging TFL injury, which apparently affects stability and leg movement (I had to google this), engaged in a relentless cat-and-mouse game with Bouillard. "We must've passed each other 80 to 100 times," Kilian laughed in his post-race comments. "Vincent threw some solid attacks in the last 5K."
But Kilian knew exactly what he was doing. “When I started feeling pain in my leg, I thought, ‘Okay, don’t do anything stupid.’ Take it easy and make sure to secure the ticket,” he shared in his post-race interview. He did just that, edging Bouillard by just 30 seconds with a finishing time of 10:27:27.
Bouillard couldn't hide his excitement about battling two legends. "Ten years ago, if you'd told me I'd be racing with Kilian and Jim, I'd never have believed you," he beamed in the post-race interview. He noted the additional pressure he feels now as a professional athlete, no longer an unknown, but still seemed genuinely delighted by the experience. Kilian, sitting beside him during the interview, playfully grabbed the mic at one point, exclaiming, "He was putting in like 10 big attacks! I was like, ugh, fucking hell!"
Not long after crossing the finish line, Walmsley appeared to flash a sign that looked like "1M," possibly referencing his Western States bib (M1). While we can only speculate on his intention, I’m choosing to interpret it as a playful declaration: Walmsley is king, and anyone hoping to win at Western States is going to have to dethrone him.
This might be a bit of a stretch on my part, but strategically speaking, Walmsley, with his dominant performance, has perhaps shown at least some of his hand, giving competitors a clearer target to chase. Kilian, however, did just enough, intentionally or not, leaving his true potential a bit of an unknown. I’m curious to hear your take—let me know in the comments.
On the women's side, the UK's Fiona Pascall took a commanding win in 12:34:59, securing her own Golden Ticket. She pulled away decisively in the second half, finishing nearly 20 minutes ahead of Johanna Antila (12:53:22), who eagerly confirmed she’ll accept her ticket. Spain’s Azara Garcia De Los Salmones rounded out the podium in third. American Abby Hall, a pre-race favorite for a Golden Ticket, finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a ticket again after placing fifth at Black Canyon just six weeks prior.
More from Chianti
You can watch the full livestream from the 120k here or if you’re short on time the 5 minute recap is here. And here are quick links to the post-race interviews with Jim, Killian, and Vincent, which were instrumental in putting this piece together and are definitely worth a watch (I couldn’t stop smiling seeing how happy they all seemed, especially Vincent).
In the Chianti Ultra Trail 73K, France's Germain Grangier took the men's race in 6:11:26, narrowly edging out Italy's Davide Cheraz (6:13:00) and fellow Frenchman Dimitri Morel-Jean (6:18:00). On the women's side, Great Britain's Gemma Hillier-Moses won in 7:02:09, closely followed by Germany's Rosanna Buchauer (7:04:27), with American Emily Schmitz (7:27:58) completing the podium.
The Chianti Marathon Trail 46K saw from Italy claim the men's title, while Switzerland’s Judith Wyder dominated the women's race.
In the speedy Chianti Half Trail 20K, Elhousine Elazzaoui secured the win in the men's field, and Sophie Maschi took home the women's title.
Hemmings Sweep Big Alta 50k, David Roche's Western States Hopes Take a Hit
In just its second year, California's Big Alta 50k saw blazing times, new course records, and some compelling storylines. Leading the charge—and making it a family affair—were husband-and-wife duo Eli Hemming and Tabor Hemming, who swept the men's and women's races, respectively.
Eli Hemming crushed the men's field with a commanding performance, finishing in a course-record time of 3:19:30. He left little doubt, pulling clear after the midway point and holding a comfortable seven-minute margin over runner-up Eddie Owens (3:26:36), who himself had quite an impressive debut at the distance. Canadian Rémi Leroux rounded out the men's podium in third (3:28:30), signaling a strong comeback after battling injury through a harsh Quebec winter.
Tabor Hemming, stepping up from her win in last year's 28k to the 50k, controlled the women's race nearly from the start, crossing the line in 4:04:58—another new course record. Behind her, a hard-fought battle saw Lindsay Allison (4:11:02) edge past Erin Moyer (4:13:00) in the closing miles to secure second.
One of the weekend's big surprises was the DNF of pre-race contender David Roche, who rolled an ankle around the halfway mark while trying to keep pace with Eli Hemming. Roche, who has openly targeted a Western States win, wore his heart on his sleeve post-race, acknowledging that the injury—and perhaps his aggressive race strategy—puts those ambitions in question. In an introspective Instagram post, Roche conceded, “I'm almost certainly not going to win [Western States],” emphasizing instead a desire to celebrate the process and continue to show up and compete with heart. While you'd have to say his stock has dipped, we wouldn't count him out either. Roche’s vulnerability and transparency, in an arena where feedback (both supportive and critical) flows freely, also deserves recognition.
More from Big Alta
In the Big Alta 28k, veteran Andy Wacker rolled back the years, taking the win in dominant fashion with a blazing 01:47:15 finish—setting a new course record. Darren Thomas repeated his runner-up performance from last year with an impressive 01:55:09, followed by Johen Deleon rounding out the podium in 02:00:16.
On the women's side of the 28k, Ruby Lindquist decisively claimed victory, crossing the line in 02:18:32. More than eight minutes behind her was Sylvie Abel in second (02:26:34), holding off a strong challenge from Julia Schultz, who finished third in 02:27:23.
, who took second in the 28k, shared a fun recap of his weekend on his Substack, complete with pre-race trash talk, bouncing back from an injury scare, bombing steep descents, and chasing after Andy Wacker.
Watch Freetrail's official highlight video from Big Alta here.
Additional Results
Courtney Dauwalter dominated the Crown King Scramble 50K, setting a new women's course record of 4:19:49 and finishing second overall. Dauwalter used the race as preparation for her upcoming Cocodona 250. Catch the finish-line footage and her post-race thoughts here.
In his ultra debut, Eric Blake won the Crown King Scramble 50K outright in 4:12:09. Blake left nothing on the table as he outpaced Dauwalter to the overall win, and his all-out finish is an instant classic:
Big names threw down at the Behind the Rocks 50k in Moab, Utah, with Matt Daniels setting a blistering course record (3:29:27). Anthony Costales returned to racing after battling a knee injury to take a solid second (3:44:34). There was apparently also a tie for third, with Bryan Kerl and Adam Merry crossing the line together (3:51:31). On the women's side, Mckendree Hickory (4:42:29) edged out Corinne Shalvoy (4:47:58) in a tight battle, with Mara Scallon completing the podium.
Coree Woltering took second place at the Southern States 200—a last-minute decision as he prepares for Cocodona 250—with James Ebert earning the overall win and Ashlie Ithurburn finishing third overall and first among women.
Cole Crosby and Kaylee Frederick won the Badwater Cape Fear 51.4 miler.
Latest from Barkley
We reported last week that the Barkley Marathons had its revenge this year, with no finishers and only John Kelly managing a Fun Run. In the week since there’s been some content rolling out, so I’ve rounded up what caught my eye.
Max King tore his meniscus just two hours into his Barkley debut, becoming the first runner tapped out after valiantly trying—and failing—to pop it back in himself. He shared on Instagram, "It’s a huge disappointment that leaves me with a lot of unfinished business. I’ll be back."
Three-time Barkley finisher John Kelly shared vivid details in multiple posts on his Instagram about his harrowing three-loop (“Fun Run”) effort, describing the race’s increased difficulty, his hydration issues, wildlife encounters (including a charging raccoon), and the near-total implosion of his gear on the frantic final descent.
Singletrack released three must-watch Barkley videos: one about the brutally difficult 2025 edition, a feature-length documentary about Jasmin Paris’ historic 2024 performance called The Finisher (I watched this one around 3am one night this week while holding my newborn son and loved it) plus a follow-up interview with Gary Robbins offering deeper insights into Paris’ dramatic final 2024 loop.
Other News & Links
Florea Madalina signed with Scott Running, after teasing her upcoming sponsor in the weeks leading up. (Instagram)
Des Linden is registered for the USATF 50 Mile Championships at Tunnel Hill. Des hinted last year at a potential move to trail ultras after some extended trail running in New Zealand, so we’ve had our eye out for any updates, and you can bet I’m in Des’ DMs trying to learn more (key word: trying). (Credit: Fast Women)
Sad news: Alex Pashley, two-time Hardrock finisher (2017, 2022) and Global Snow Sports Marketing Manager at The North Face, tragically passed away in an avalanche alongside two other veteran snowboarders. (Vancouver Sun)
Tyler Andrews announced on Substack his upcoming attempt at the fastest ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen, targeting a longstanding record in May 2025.
Podcast & YouTube Highlights
"King of Moab," a new documentary about Max Jolliffe's victory at the 2024 Moab 240, is now live on YouTube.
Hilary Yang shares the latest episode in her ongoing Road to Hardrock 100 series, this time exploring gear and nutrition during a long training run in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Beth McKenzie updates us on her Western States saga in her latest YouTube video. Despite a hopeful invitation to appeal her eligibility for the race, the WSER board ultimately declined to reverse their zero-tolerance doping policy.
The latest episode of Take Off Your Shoes features a conversation with ultrarunner Emily Hawgood,.
The Women of Distance Podcast welcomed Georgia Porter, who last year set a new female FKT on the Arizona Trail—817 miles in 16 days, 22 hours, and 6 minutes.
Jeff Pelletier interviews filmmaker Drew Darby, known for his work on recent running documentaries, including The Finisher—Singletrack’s film about Jasmin Paris’s historic Barkley finish. I recently chatted with Drew after learning he also lives in Austin, and had fun reminiscing about the years I lived in a similar area of town.
Finally, episode 2 of the "David Poach" parody series has dropped.
Read of the Week
Sticking with the Barkley theme from earlier, I really enjoyed "Meet Your Heroes: A Walk with Lazarus Lake," by
, a brief but thoughtful reflection on Barkley Marathons creator Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell. Last year, at 69 years old, Laz attempted a walk across America, and Hannah joined him briefly as he passed through northern Virginia. Her vivid storytelling and photography beautifully capture Laz.
Alright y’all, that's all I've got for this week. Thanks to everyone who reached out with congratulations on the birth of our third kiddo! As you might imagine, it's been a bit of a blur around here the past week as my family has settled into what Emily Forsberg recently called the "baby bubble," but we’re starting to find our groove. The third time around feels completely different from the first. Outside of minimal (and very broken!) sleep—which, admittedly, is a big deal—it’s starting to feel almost like business as usual here.
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Ken
P.S. I'd love your feedback. If you have a minute, let me know your favorite thing about The Ultra Minute—it helps me keep improving the newsletter. Just hit reply if you're reading this in your inbox, or email me at ultraminute@substack.com. Thanks, y’all!
To clarify the Behind the Rocks 50K results—it wasn't a true tie for third, with Bryan and Adam crossing the line together. I chatted with Bryan afterward. He was having a fantastic race but then went off course—but the segment he accidentally ran was arguably harder—so he blew his second-place position, and then there was confusion about where he ranked. I'm not certain where he was in relation to Adam, but the RD made a call to call it a tie (I'm not sure why and don't know the details).
...and favourite bit of Ultra Minute for me is the vid recommendations (but it's all great!)