Some years in running are defined by one or two moments. This one wasn’t.
The strongest performances came in different forms: records that fell by margins no one expected, races that turned into head-to-head battles deep into the final mile, and efforts that stretched across days rather than hours.
The performances below stood out because they changed what was happening around them, whether that meant rewriting record books, forcing rivals into unfamiliar territory, or redefining what a “best effort” looked like on the road, the track, or the trail.
Taken together, they offer a clearer picture of how the sport actually moved forward this year.
Best Men’s Trail Running Performance Of The Year: Kilian Jornet (States Of Elevation)
Kilian Jornet summited all 72 accessible 14,000-foot peaks in the contiguous United States in a single, continuous, human-powered effort over 31 days. Starting with Longs Peak in Colorado on September 3 and finishing on Mount Rainier on October 4, he linked the peaks across Colorado, California, and Washington entirely by foot and bike. Jornet climbed all 56 of Colorado’s fourteeners in 16 days, then cycled to California to complete the Norman’s 13 traverse in the Sierra Nevada, before riding north to Washington for the final ascent. The project covered roughly 3,100 miles and more than 250,000 feet of elevation gain, with no motorized assistance.
Best Women’s Trail Running Performance Of The Year: Ruth Croft (UTMB – 22:56:23)
Ruth Croft won the 2025 UTMB in Chamonix in 22:56:23, becoming the first New Zealander to win the race and the first woman to complete the full set of UTMB World Series Finals victories. Racing through a tough night of rain, snow, and freezing temperatures, Croft took control after the Grand Col Ferret climb, moving into the lead by Champex-Lac at 128 kilometers and steadily extending her advantage from there. She finished more than 30 minutes ahead of Camille Bruyas, with Courtney Dauwalter dropping back after leading earlier in the race. The win completed her sweep of UTMB, CCC, and OCC titles, following previous victories at CCC in 2015 and OCC in 2018 and 2019, and came one year after she finished second in her UTMB debut.
Best Men’s Marathon Performance Of The Year: Sabastian Sawe (Berlin Marathon – 2:02:16)
Sabastian Sawe won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:16, the fastest men’s marathon time of the year, on a day when unusually warm conditions slowed performances across the field. He went out aggressively from the start, passing 5K in 14:09, 10K in 28:26, and halfway in 60:16, putting him ahead of Kelvin Kiptum’s split from his 2:00:35 world record in Chicago. Sawe stayed on world-record pace through much of the first 30 kilometers before fading slightly as temperatures rose, slipping off record tempo but maintaining a clear lead. He crossed the line well ahead of the field, with Akira Akasaki second in 2:06:15, and his time stood as the quickest men’s marathon performance of 2025 despite the conditions.
Best Women’s Marathon Performance Of The Year: Joyciline Jepkosgei (Valencia Marathon – 2:14:00)
Joyciline Jepkosgei won the 2025 Valencia Marathon in 2:14:00, setting a new course record by nearly one minute and improving her personal best by close to two and a half minutes. The race stayed tightly packed early, with a large lead group still together through 10K before the field gradually thinned. Jepkosgei and Peres Jepchirchir separated from the rest by 25K and ran well ahead of course-record pace through the middle stages. The decisive move came late, when Jepkosgei began to open a small but steady gap that Jepchirchir could not close.
Best Men’s Track Performance Of The Year: Grant Fisher (5000m – Boston – 12:44.09)
Grant Fisher set a new indoor world record in the 5,000 meters at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational, running 12:44.09 to break Kenenisa Bekele’s 21-year-old mark by more than five seconds. The performance came less than a week after Fisher broke the indoor 3,000-meter world record at the Millrose Games. He ran much of the race alone on a 200-meter track, maintaining consistent splits throughout and holding pace despite the lack of competition in the latter stages. The time was also faster than Fisher’s own American outdoor 5,000-meter record, making it one of the most significant distance performances of the indoor season.
Best Women’s Track Performance Of The Year: Beatrice Chebet (5000m – Eugene – 13:58.06)
Beatrice Chebet ran 13:58.06 in the women’s 5,000 meters at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, becoming the first woman in history to break 14 minutes on the track. The time lowered Gudaf Tsegay’s previous world record of 14:00.21 and came less than a month after Chebet ran 14:03.69 in Rome, then the second-fastest performance ever. She took control of the race with several laps remaining and maintained pace through the finish, separating herself from the field. The run followed her recent world records on the road over 5K and on the track over 10,000 meters in 2024.
Best Rivalry Of The Year: Hellen Obiri (NYC – 2:19:51) and Sharon Lokedi (Boston – 2:17:22)
Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri produced the most compelling women’s marathon rivalry of the year by pushing each other to course-record performances at both Boston and New York. At the Boston Marathon in April, the two ran together for nearly 25 miles, passing halfway in a startling 1:08 before Lokedi finally broke free on Boylston Street, closing with a 5:04 mile to win in 2:17:22 and shatter the course record by more than two minutes, with Obiri also finishing under the previous mark. Seven months later, the script flipped in New York. Lokedi and Obiri were again inseparable deep into the race before Obiri made her move late, throwing down a 4:58 mile to pull away and win in 2:19:51, breaking the women’s course record that had stood since 2003. Lokedi finished just 16 seconds back. Between the two races, they traded wins, course records, and decisive late moves, turning Boston and New York into back-to-back duels rather than isolated victories and making their rivalry the clearest through-line of the women’s marathon season.
Most Exciting Performance Of The Year: Benson Kipruto (NYC – 2:08:09)
Benson Kipruto delivered the most dramatic men’s marathon finish of the year by winning the 2025 New York City Marathon by just 0.03 seconds. Locked in a tactical battle with fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso, the two traded surges repeatedly over the final miles before entering Central Park still inseparable. Kipruto made his decisive move inside the final kilometer, briefly opening daylight, but Mutiso clawed his way back in the closing meters, forcing Kipruto to lean at the finish line to secure the win in 2:08:09. The margin was the closest in New York City Marathon history, turning a traditionally tactical course into a rare photo finish and capping one of the most intense head-to-head finishes the race has ever seen.
Honourable Mentions:
- Tigst Assefa Shatters Women’s-Only World Record at the 2025 London Marathon
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Basically Just Broke The 400m World Record
- Caleb Olson Runs Second-Fastest Time Ever at Western States 100
Best Running Performance Of The Year: Jacob Kiplimo (Barcelona Half Marathon – 56:42)
Jacob Kiplimo ran 56:42 at the Barcelona Half Marathon, breaking the men’s world record by 48 seconds and becoming the first athlete to run under 57 minutes for the distance. The race was not widely billed as a record attempt beforehand, but from early on it was clear he was running at an unusual pace. He passed 5K in 13:34, stayed ahead of world record pace through 10K, and reached 15K in 40:07, a world-best split. His pace remained steady through the final kilometers, with no visible slowdown. Kiplimo finished alone, well clear of the field, with Geoffrey Kamworor second in 58:44 and Samuel Mailu third in 59:40. The scale of the improvement was rare for a world record at this level, where marks are typically lowered by only a few seconds.
