Jim Walmsley, winner of last year’s Western States 100 as well as three previous WS 100s, has disappeared from this year’s list of entrants. This presumably means that he is injured, and will not start the famous ultramarathon trail race through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
The 47th official running of the WS 100 is scheduled for 5:00 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday, June 28. Neither Walmsley nor any of his major sponsors, including Hoka and Wahoo Fitness, have made any official announcements. Last year’s fifth place finisher, Hayden Hawks, has also disappeared from the entrant list.
Walmsley is widely regarded as the world’s top 100-mile trail runner. He set the Western States course record in 2019 with his 14:09:28, and last year recorded the second-fastest time (14:13:45) on the historic course that stretches from Olympic Valley, California, to the Placer High School track in Auburn.
Walmsley also holds the course record in many other major trail races. These include the JFK 50 mile, the Bandera 100K, the Lake Sonoma 50, the Tarawera Ultra, and the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). In addition, he qualified for the U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials in 2020, and finished 22nd in 2:15:05.
Walmsley was frustrated in his early attempts to win at UTMB, finishing fifth, and then suffering two DNFs. Rather than giving up at the high, steep, technical European trail races, he met the challenge head on.
In 2021, he moved to the French Alps to learn them better. He was rewarded with a course record of 19:37:43 in the 2023 UTMB.
Last summer, he hoped to complete the rare WS 100-UTMB “double.” However, a knee injury forced him out of UTMB. It may be a continuation of his knee problems that have prompted Walmsley to skip the WS 100 this year.
That said, he looked strong in his major early race of 2025. He won handily in the Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB 120K in late March, defeating major rivals Kilian Jornet and Vincent Bouillard by 28 minutes. Jornet is the world’s most legendary ultra trail runner. Bouillard was the surprise winner at UTMB last August.
Jornet is the only runner to have won WS 100 and UTMB in the same year, a feat he accomplished in 2011. He has not returned to Western States since then, but is on this year’s entry list.
Editor’s Note: Killian Jornet is the only male runner to have won WS 100 and UTMB in the same year. Katie Schide also won both WS 100 and UTMB in the same year in 2024.
In March, when he was beaten by Walmsley in Chianti, Jornet was known to be in sub par shape due to a hip injury and the recent birth of his third child. His recent updates on Strava, where he has 460,000 followers, indicate that he is now training strongly.
The loss of Walmsley and Hayden Hawks puts a serious dent in what was likely to be the most dramatic, closely-watched WS 100 of all time. But Jornet will have company in the co-favorite’s role.
After placing 58th at Western States in 2022, and 12th in 2023, Rod Farvard dared to challenge, and at times lead, Jim Walmsley last June. They exchanged the front position numerous times beyond the 50 mile mark, with Walmsley only pulling ahead in the last 20. Farvard’s second place time, 14:24:15, was the third fastest in Western States history.
While Jornet has the most Strava followers, David Roche is the most popular podcaster among Western States contenders this year. Along with his wife, Megan, also a top ultra runner, Roche hosts the “Some Work, All Play” pod that regularly ranks first or second on the list of top running podcasts in the U.S.
Before last summer, Roche was known primarily for his writing, audio work, and online coaching business. Then he broke a highly-respected course record in winning the Leadville 100–his first 100-mile race–and followed up with another convincing victory in the Javelina 100.
He likes to quote “Hamilton,” the musical: “I’m not throwin’ away my shot.” And also Simone Biles: “F___ around and find out.”
He also appears to consume more fluids, carbs, caffeine, and sodium bicarbonate than just about any other runner out there. Roche believes this strategy is essential to his success at 100-milers.
Vincent Bouillard will also be looking to follow up on his win at last summer’s UTMB.
The women’s field at Western States doesn’t appear as strong as the men’s this year. It’s lacking course record holder, Courtney Dauwalter, and last year’s winner, Katie Schide.
The contenders include women from China, Hungary, Zimbabwe, and U.S. challengers Tara Dower and Riley Brady.
The entire WS 100 will be streamed live and free on the Internet, with expert commentary from Dylan Bowman and Corrine Malcolm. Here’s what last year’s coverage looked like.
