Ten questions from the 2025 Western States race

By Henry Howard

Another epic Western States is in the books and it did not disappoint whatsoever. So many story lines before the big day, and now there are many more.

Here are my top 10 questions following the 2025 Western States:

1. Was Caleb Olson overlooked in pre-race hype? While the talented runner was mentioned in some pre-race previews and predictions, much of the attention was placed on others in the highly touted men’s field. Olson, of course, won the 2025 Western States 100 in 14:11:25, the second fastest time in race history. He improved on his 14:40, fifth-place finish the previous year, and now has two of the fastest 13 times in race history.

2. What would have been? Abby Hall won the 2025 Western States 100 in 16:37:16, the fourth-fastest in race history. Hall was ascending the field of ultra runners in 2022 when she placed second at Transgrancanaria and Transvulcania, and third at CCC. Then she broke her leg in June 2023 and faced a long recovery. Just getting into the race took a little good fortune. Hall initially missed a Golden Ticket at Black Canyon but got in thanks to EmKay Sullivan’s pregnancy deferral. With Hall a force to be reckoned with, just think what might have been had she not lost so much time with a broken leg.

3. What’s next for Jim Walmsley and Hayden Hawks? Walmsley, the course record holder and four-time winner, and Hawks, a two-time podium finisher, both withdrew before the race due to injury. We’re only midway through the calendar year with plenty of opportunities for elites to jump into races. Here’s wishing them a speedy recovery so they can speed around another race course soon.

4.  Is the new generation here? Led by Olson, eight of the top 10 men are age 31 and under. They are Olson (first, age 29), runner-up Chris Myers (second, 29), Jeff Mogavero (fourth, 31), Seth Ruling (sixth, 30), Ryan Montgomery (seventh, 31), Hans Troyer (eighth, 25), Peter Frano (ninth, 29) and Kai Hiroki (tenth, 30). Compare that to last year when just four of the top 10 men were 31 and under, including Olson and Myers. Conversely, on the women’s side only 10th-place finisher Emily Hawgood (age 30) fits that criteria.

5. Is there any doubt Kilian is the GOAT? Kilian Jornet, who won in 2011, returned with high expectations and delivered with a podium spot. Even more impressive was his finishing time of 14:19:22, far better than his 15:34:24 when he was 14 years younger at age 23.

6. What did we learn about advanced heat training? Two of the biggest proponents of heat training, David Roche and Rod Farvard, were among the favorites but dropped out. Their approaches to heat training were well documented, including my interview with Farvard where he touched on his approach. There are too many variables to conclude anything about any correlation, so let’s see where further experimentation and science takes us.

7. What’s next for heat training gear? Olson, who battled through the heat, wore a heat-mapping prototype shirt from Nike. Other runners used ice bandanas to cool themselves as they departed aid stations. I’m sure there will be rapidly moving developments in cutting-edge gear that will help runners of all experience levels battle hot conditions. 

8. Is any runner more consistent than Emily Hawgood? She placed 10th in 18:11:05, her fifth top 10 run at Western States in as many years. Her previous times and places, starting in 2021: 19:13:55 (seventh), 18:16:02 (fifth), 17:26:22 (fifth) and 16:48:43 (fourth).

9. What’s next in the nutrition game? Elite runners have been pushing the limits of carbs, averaging 100 or more grams per hour. As competitors have increased their consumption levels, times across the board have fallen, paving the way for course records and other achievements. At some point, the advances in carb intake will max out. Once that does, what’s next for fueling strategy for boosting performance?  

10. Is there anything better than the Golden Hour? No. This year, Tatsuro Aoyama, a 52-year-old from Tokyo, was the final finisher of Western States in 29:57:48. Huge congratulations to Aoyama and all 285 finishers of this year’s race!

I can’t wait until the last weekend in June next year! See you at States? I hope so but first I need to get this year’s qualifier next month at the Burning River 100.