Caleb Olson and Abby Hall won the 2025 Western States 100 in 14:11 and 16:37 after second-half duels with Chris Myers and Ida Nilsson (Sweden), respectively. Olson’s time was the race’s second-fastest ever and Hall’s win came two years after a devastating broken leg.
Olson ran into the men’s lead on the climb to Devil’s Thumb at mile 48 and threatened the course record all the way to the finish. He missed the record by two minutes and just barely held off Chris Myers over the race’s second half. Myers was second in 14:17.
Caleb Olson winning the 2025 Western States 100. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Hall got out fast and gained the women’s lead near mile 55. Her win came after recovery from a broken leg in 2023, and she won by just 10 minutes over a fast-closing Fu-Zhao Xiang (pre-race interview) of China.
Olson, Myers, Hall, and Xiang were part of a group of 369 runners who started the 52nd Western States 100. The race started at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Saturday, June 29, and ran for 100.2 miles through the Sierra Nevada from Olympic Valley to Auburn, California, with a finish on the Placer High School track. Finishers overcame some 18,000 feet of climbing and 23,000 feet of descent in temperatures that reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Abby Hall taking the women’s title at the 2025 Western States 100. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2025 Western States 100 Men’s Race
Defending champion Jim Walmsley and 2024 third-placer Hayden Hawks were sidelined due to injury, but the race was still among the most competitive in its long history, and among the most competitive 100 milers worldwide this year too. Last year’s runner-up Rod Farvard (pre-race interview) was back to improve on his 14:14 third-fastest ever run. The 2022 winner Adam Peterman (pre-race interview) was again on the start line, and 2011 winner Kilian Jornet (pre-race interview) of Spain and Leadville 100 Mile course record-holder David Roche (pre-race interview) were also among the favorites.
This day belonged to Caleb Olson, though. Olson, who just became a new dad, was fifth here in 2024 in 14:40 and that was the fastest Western States debut in history. He won Transgrancanaria earlier this year in Spain too.
Roche led a group of at least 15 to the course high point at mile 3.5, and they were already almost a minute faster than Farvard’s leading split from 2024. The first 12 were all still within 34 seconds of each other at Red Star Ridge (mile 15), and they’d jumped even more time ahead of last year’s splits. Farvard was at the front of the group here in 2:21 and was seven minutes faster than record pace. Jeff Mogavero and Olson were immediately behind Farvard, and Myers was officially in fourth and just eight seconds back. The rest of the top men included Roche and Jornet, 2024 UTMB winner Vincent Bouillard (pre-race interview) of France, the 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile winner Dan Green, and Golden Ticket winners Seth Ruhling and Hans Troyer.
Hans Troyer crossing the American River later in the race. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Farvard wanted to win and he and Mogavero broke the group up on a big downhill to mile 24.5’s Duncan Canyon. Farvard and Mogavero were nearly together in 3:24 and the next eight runners — Bouillard, Olson, Roche, Myers, Ruhling, Troyer, Jornet, and Peterman — were basically together and a minute behind the front two.
Ruhling jumped from the chase group to the lead group on the climb to Robinson Flat (mile 30). He was there with Olson and Farvard, and Myers and Jornet were seconds behind. It was now a group of eight that were within a minute of each other. Dan Jones (pre-race interview) had moved up into ninth, his first time in the top 10 on the day, and he was 90 seconds back of the lead. Mogavero though had fallen off the lead and was now 10th, and Bouillard was bumped back to 11th, before later dropping from the race.
Seth Ruhling and Rod Farvard leading a train of men into Robinson Flat at mile 30. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Temperatures were already up to 75 degrees Fahrenheit as Myers, Ruhling, and Olson continued to lead at Dusty Corners (mile 38). Troyer was 30 seconds behind in fourth, and Roche was fifth and another 45 seconds behind. Behind the front five, a chase group of four with Jornet, Peterman, Farvard, and Jones was about 90 seconds behind in sixth through ninth place.
After a quick descent out of Dusty Corners, Myers hit mile 43’s Last Chance in 5:47 alone in the lead. He was a minute ahead of second-place Olson and it was the largest lead of the race to this point. After Olson, the next seven runners were all roughly in a group three minutes off the lead.
Olson regained Myers on the climb up to Devil’s Thumb at mile 48 in 6:32. Jornet, Roche, and Peterman came in third, fourth, and fifth and were still over three minutes back of Olson and Myers. Jones had moved up to sixth, six minutes behind Olson. Troyer, Mogavero, Ruhling, and Farvard rounded out the top 10.
New Zealand’s Dan Jones once again taking care of business in the Western States heat. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Frontrunners Myers and Olson remained in the lead at El Dorado Creek at mile 53 in 7:08 and scored a bigger break. They were now eight minutes in front of everyone else. Mogavero had moved up four spots and was with Roche in third and fourth. Jornet, Jones, and Peterman were fifth, sixth, and seventh, and nine minutes back of the leaders. Ruhling, Farvard, and Troyer were eighth, ninth, and 10th.
Olson used the earlier Devil’s Thumb climb to pull even with Myers, and then broke free of him on the climb to Michigan Bluff (mile 56). Olson led Myers by two minutes here. Jornet did some work on the climb too to move up two spots to get to third, but he was still almost eight minutes back of Olson. Mogavero was now two minutes behind Jornet, and Roche was 90 seconds behind Mogavero in fifth. The gap between first-place Olson and 10th-place Troyer was up to 19 minutes.
Jeff Mogavero climbing well on his way to Michigan Bluff. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
At Foresthill (mile 62), a celebratory milestone on the course full of spectators, Olson came in at 8:32. He was 34 minutes faster here than he was in 2024. Myers was second and four minutes behind Olson. Mogavero and Jornet were 13 minutes back of Olson, and Ruhling was another three minutes back of Mogavero and Jornet. As much of a party as Foresthill is, it’s also where the race’s attrition starts to show. The dangerous combination of quad-wrecking downhills, heat, and competition saw Roche lose three spots from mile 56 to mile 62 to fall to eighth and then drop out shortly after, and Peterman fell outside the top 10.
Olson and Myers were still one-two at mile 66 with Olson three minutes in front. Mogavero and Jornet were still 10 minutes back of Myers, and Ruhling was fifth but another three minutes behind Jornet. Jones and Farvard were sixth and seventh and despite running in seventh, Farvard was only four minutes slower than in 2024 when leading the race. Troyer was eighth but 11 minutes behind Farvard, and Ryan Montgomery charged up into ninth. He was already two spots better than he was four miles earlier at Foresthill.
It was Olson and Myers at the front the rest of the way. Olson led Myers by two minutes at mile 73, and Mogavero and Jornet were 13 and 14 minutes back of Myers in third and fourth. Olson pushed it to a five-minute lead after the climb to Green Gate (mile 80) and he was nine minutes ahead of Walmsley’s course record pace. Jornet and Mogavero were battling for third and making up time on Olson and Myers too.
Chris Myers having a good laugh in second place at the Rucky Chucky river crossing. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
At Quarry Road (mile 91), Olson split 13:18 to Myers’s 13:24 and he was hanging onto Walmsley’s record pace. Jornet continued to eat into the lead and he was third here in 13:30. Farvard, who had led the race early on, dropped here.
The order of the top three stuck the rest of the way, and Olson just missed the course record. After leading for all of the race’s second half, Caleb Olson won in 14:11 and just missed the 14:09 course record. Olson’s finish was the race’s second fastest ever.
Chris Myers chased the lead for some 52 miles and was second in 14:17. It was the race’s fourth-fastest finish ever. Jornet closed incredibly well to finish third in 14:19. He was third in 2010 too as a 22 year old, and this finish was improbably 85 minutes faster than his own 2011 winning time.
Jeff Mogavero fell off Jornet’s podium pace but was fourth in 14:30. He broke Olson’s year-old record for the fastest first-time Western States. Dan Jones jumped Ruhling for fifth between mile 85 and 91 and held that spot to the finish in 14:36. It was Jones’ third-straight top-five finish. Seth Ruhling slowed over the final 15 miles and finished in 14:59.
Kilian Jornet climbing through the heat of the day in Michigan Bluff. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Ryan Montgomery, who’d moved up the field in the race’s late stages, finished seventh in 15:54. Hans Troyer took eighth in 16:06 after a consistent run, and late additions to the top 1-, Peter Fraňo (Slovakia) and Hiroki Kai (Japan), were next in 16:10 and 16:22.
Ryan Montgomery crossing the American River on his way to a seventh-place finish. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2025 Western States 100 Men’s Results
- Caleb Olson (Nike) – 14:11:25
- Chris Myers (Brooks) – 14:17:39
- Kilian Jornet (NNormal) – 14:19:22 (pre-race interview)
- Jeff Mogavero (On) – 14:30:11
- Dan Jones (adidas Terrex) – 14:36:17 (pre-race interview)
- Seth Ruhling (The North Face) – 14:59:36
- Ryan Montgomery (Janji) – 15:54:29
- Hans Troyer (Altra) – 16:06:52
- Peter Fraňo (Scarpa) – 16:10:44
- Hiroki Kai – 16:22:46
Ryan Montgomery identifies as non-binary and competes in the men’s race.
2025 Western States 100 Women’s Race
In 2024, China’s Fu-Zhao Xiang (pre-race interview), Hungary’s Eszter Csillag (pre-race interview), and Zimbabwe’s Emily Hawgood (pre-race interview) ran the race’s third-, fourth-, and seventh-fastest times ever as the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers. Absent defending champion Katie Schide, those three were favored in the women’s race.
It was Abby Hall, though, who positioned herself near the lead early and ran the race’s climbs better than anyone else toward a near-perfect day. Hall had a standout 2022 that saw her finish second at Transgrancanaria and Transvulcania, and she was third at CCC that same year, but then she broke her leg in June 2023. After a long recovery from that injury, she earned her way into Western States with a fifth-place run at this year’s Black Canyon 100k.
Abby Hall crossing the American River in the lead. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Unlike the men, the women didn’t start out at under course-record pace, but Hall stretched the group on the opening climb. She ran through a tunnel of fans at the 3.5-mile high point in first in 43:54. Sixth and seventh the last two years, Ida Nilsson (Sweden) came next and Martyna Młynarczyk (Poland), Riley Brady (pre-race interview), and others were all within a minute of the leader Hall. Młynarczyk, a triathlete-turned-trail runner who was second at last year’s CCC, was a surprise at the front of the race. Conversely, Tara Dower (pre-race interview) was expected to challenge for the win but was hampered by a pre-race cold and was back in 16th and never entered the top 10.
It was Nilsson and Hall at the front of the race through mile 15 at Red Star Ridge. Nilsson split 2:40, 28 seconds in front of Hall. Młynarczyk was 38 seconds behind Hall, and Csillag and Canada’s Marianne Hogan (pre-race interview) were fourth and fifth. Heather Jackson, Hannah Allgood, Xiang, Hậu Hà (Vietnam), and Hawgood were at the back of the top 10. Pre-race favorites Brady and Dower were both outside the top 10.
Fu-Zhao Xiang on her way to finishing second at Western States for the second year in a row. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
At mile 24.5’s Duncan Canyon, Hall pulled even with Nilsson to lead, and Młynarczyk had closed to within seconds of the leaders. Those breakaway lead three were nearly three minutes in front of fourth-place Csillag. Rosanna Buchauer (Germany), the 2024 Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120k winner, was the race’s first major drop when she exited the contest at mile 24.
Hall and Młynarczyk outclimbed Nilsson to Robinson Flat (mile 30), with Hall just in front of Młynarczyk and Nilsson was 90 seconds behind in third. The rest of the top 10 stayed intact with Csillag, Hogan, Allgood, Jackson, Xiang, and Hà all there, and Shea Aquilano moved into the top 10 for the first time ahead of Hawgood.
Marianne Hogan striding out in the high country. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Młynarczyk was the race leader at Miller’s Defeat (mile 34), running 5:27 and coming through 31 seconds in front of second-place Hall. Nilsson was 20 seconds behind Hall in third as the front three were only 61 seconds apart, and those front three had put a gap on everyone else. Fourth-place Csillag was now over six minutes behind Nilsson and fifth- and sixth-place Hogan and Allgood were another three minutes behind Csillag.
Nilsson bridged up to Młynarczyk in the five-mile downhill from Miller’s Defeat to Dusty Corners at mile 38, making up a minute as the two both came in at 5:54. Hall was just a little behind in third but the lead three were essentially together. Csillag was still stalking the group in fourth, bettering her own splits from 2024, but had lost more time on the lead three. She was now over nine minutes behind the front three and was about to be overtaken by Hogan.
Ida Nilsson crossing the American River at mile 78. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
At Devil’s Thumb (mile 48), Młynarczyk and Hall were over three minutes ahead of third-place Nilsson. It was another big gap to fourth with Hogan nine minutes behind Nilsson. Allgood and Xiang overtook Csillag for fifth and sixth as Csillag started to slow with injury and eventually dropped from the race. Hà, Jackson, and Hawgood were eighth, ninth, and 10th.
Młynarczyk was alone at the front at El Dorado Creek (mile 53) in 8:15 but she’d never raced longer than 100k and maybe she’d gone too fast too early. Hall was two minutes behind in second, and Nilsson was still third but now four minutes behind Hall. Hogan, Xiang, Allgood, Hà, Hawgood, Fiona Pascall (U.K.), and Jackson were all in the top 10.
Emily Hawgood, Fiona Pascall, and Shea Aquilano running into Robinson Flat. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Hall flew through Michigan Bluff in the lead at 8:58 and that was over 10 minutes in front of now second-place Nilsson. Xiang, who closed well in 2024, jumped clear up to third and was only six minutes back of Nilsson. Allgood and Hogan were fourth and fifth and Młynarczyk got into the aid station sixth but was in trouble. Hà and Hawgood were into aid seventh and eighth, and Pascall and Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) were ninth and 10th, but everyone would get out ahead of Młynarczyk. Jackson, and Csillag, both top 10 last year, and early leader Młynarczyk all dropped from the race here.
Hall came into Foresthill (mile 62) in 9:58 and Nilsson was still 10 minutes back, but she ran the next several miles to the American River faster than Hall. At mile 66, Nilsson had cut the gap to just seven minutes, and then it was only five minutes at mile 71 and then only four minutes at mile 78. Xiang had also made up time and was only 10 minutes behind Hall at mile 78, but pre-race favorite Brady dropped from the race at Foresthill.
Hậu Hà running strong in the early going. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
After losing time from Foresthill to the American River at mile 78 to her chasers, Hall pushed the two-mile climb out of the river to Green Gate (mile 80). She rebuilt an eight-minute lead on Nilsson. Not only did Nilsson lose time against Hall, and then Xiang also passed her near mile 85 to secure second place.
After leading for almost all of the race’s second half, Abby Hall finished first in 16:37. It was the race’s fourth-fastest finish ever and it was a big step up from Hall’s 14th-place run in 22:11 from 2021. Fu-Zhao Xiang was second for the second-straight year. She finished in 16:47 and while she didn’t match last year’s 16:20 run, this year’s finish ranks as the race’s seventh-fastest finish ever.
Hannah Allgood running early in the high country. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
After earlier challenging Hall for the lead, Nilsson fell behind Hogan in the final 10 miles. Marianne Hogan was just over three minutes behind Xiang at the finish in 16:50 to take third. It was Hogan’s second third-place finish, adding to a 2022 podium run. Ida Nilsson finished fourth in 17:00. Although the time didn’t quite match last year’s masters record-setting time, she improved two spots.
Fiona Pascall made a very late pass of Hậu Hà and the two finished fifth and sixth in 17:21 and 17:23. Pascall was the fourth international runner in the first five and in all, international runners took seven of the top 10 finishes.
Caitlin Fielder making her way across the American River. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Hannah Allgood took seventh in 17:39 and Caitlin Fielder took eighth in 17:47. After moving into the top 10 late race, Keely Henninger finished ninth in 17:57.
After roughly maintaining her position all day, Emily Hawgood closed out the top 10 in 18:11, her fifth top-10 finish in as many years.
Keely Henninger about to close her way into the women’s top 10. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2025 Western States 100 Women’s Results
- Abby Hall (adidas Terrex) – 16:37:16
- Fu-Zhao Xiang (Hoka) – 16:47:09 (pre-race interview)
- Marianne Hogan (Salomon) – 16:50:58 (pre-race interview)
- Ida Nilsson (Craft) – 17:00:48
- Fiona Pascall (Salomon) – 17:21:52
- Hậu Hà (Kailas Fuga) – 17:23:47
- Hannah Allgood (adidas Terrex) – 17:39:02
- Caitlin Fielder (adidas Terrex) – 17:47:26
- Keely Henninger – 17:57:24
- Emily Hawgood (adidas Terrex) – 18:11:05 (pre-race interview)
Emily Hawgood enjoying a cool off in the American River. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Coverage Thanks
Thanks so much to the following individuals who helped iRunFar cover this race: Robbie Harms, Ellie Greenwood, Marissa Harris, Casey Wyatt, Grace Lattyak, Jo Ohm, Paula Leuzzi, Emma Grupe, Luke Grupe, Deanna Ertola, Anthony Rietl, Paulina Popovskaia, Nikki Buurma, Ryan Anderson, Peyton Bilo, Lance Cooper, Matt Settle, Ginger Marcelino, and Jordan Tager.
