Top American ultra-athlete, Jim Walmsley, narrowly missed out on a second major road record within a year with a superb 100km run in his home state of Arizona over the weekend, shattering Max King’s USA record in 6 hrs 09 min 26 sec.
Running solo for the final 40km, Walmsley had Japanese ultra-runner Nao Kazami’s 6:09:14 two-year-old world record literally in his sights as he gave it his all along the extended final straight to the finish line, falling agonizingly short at the post.
“It was a fun attempt, oh so close, but I’m very satisfied nonetheless,” Walmsley said. “It was a good improvement from previous tries on the road for me. Conditions were overcast but windy, which made the solo miles challenging, and it was borderline warm for January.”
Almost nine months ago Walmsley, celebrated a world record when he shaved 14 seconds off South African Bruce Fordyce’s long-standing world 50 mile (80 km) road record, clocking 4:50:07 at a special event along the American River in Sacramento, California, to launch Hoka’s new Carbon X shoe.
This year several of the world’s best ultra-runners turned out in Arizona to launch the Hoka Carbon X2 shoe in an elite 100km road race. They faced a range of challenges, but none as significant and dramatic as Walmsley’s.
Americans Hayden Hawks, Tyler Andrews, Rajpaul Pannu and Camille Herron, French star Audrey Tanguy and British ultra-runner Carla Molinaro were some of the leading athletes in action.
Starting conservatively, Walmsley ran in a lead pack of five, but the other four gradually fell behind as Walmsley upped the pace. After 60 km Walmsley was on his own, running solo to the finish.
Californian teacher, Rajpaul Pannu, ran an outstanding race to finish under 6:30 in his first 100k, finishing in 6:28:30 while Kris Brown crossed the line ten minutes later in third.
“It definitely feels like one of the more special runs I’ve had,” Walmsley added. “Really felt like I got everything out of myself today, dug real deep, and fought all the way to the line. It’s a little bittersweet, but definitely rewarded with an American record today, and those don’t come very often.
“I don’t get to do things like this in my home state very often, so it’s extremely positive. A 45-minute PR is a pretty amazing day.
“If there was any room to squeeze some seconds out, it would have been in the first half, assuming I could run an identical second half. Everything compounds very quickly in road ultras. It’s hard to imagine not going back to the distance someday (for another attempt).
“The rest of the year is still very much at the mercy of what is safe to do and situational. My plan A is Comrades Marathon in June, but I’ll have to be opportunistic if that changes.”
Molinaro held the lead in the women’s race for over 70km, with 24hr World Record holder and 2017 Comrades Marathon winner, Herron, close behind. But Herron struggled with a hip injury and withdrew as Tanguy overtook her and shortly after took the lead in her first road 100km.
Tanguy, who together with Walmsley competed in the four-day Golden Trail Championship in the Azores in November, took line honours in an excellent 7:40:36, with fast-finishing American Nicole Minette second just three minutes back.
