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The Saturday before Thanksgiving, over 1,000 runners lined up in Boonsboro, Maryland, for the 63rd JFK 50 Mile. Originally a presidential military fitness challenge, JFK is now the most competitive 50-miler on American soil and an annual East Coast staple.

Will Murray was ranked 8th among the men for 2025. Murray had a breakthrough year in 2025, highlighted by his course-record-breaking victory at the Javelina Jundred 100-miler in Arizona, where he finished in 12:10:12. Earlier in the year, he placed second at the Black Canyon 100k in February with a time of 7:26:53, earning a Golden Ticket to the 2025 Western States 100. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in the spring and had to withdraw from Western States. In August, he set a course record at the Grand Traverse Mountain Run 40-miler in Colorado, winning in 5:36:27.

Mathieu Blanchard checks in at #9 for the men in the UROY voting. Blanchard won the Yukon Arctic Ultra, completing the grueling 625k race in just over 7 days and 22 hours. Following this victory in the extreme cold of the Canadian north, he returned to the ultra-trail circuit and finished second at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100k in Wales in May. He also finished second at Ultra-Trail Harricana du Canada 125k in June as well as the Hardrock 100 in July, and won the Barkley Fall Classic 50k in September.

Careth Arnold is the 9th ranked woman for 2025. She became the first American to win TDS at UTMB, completing the challenging 95-mile course through the Italian and French Alps in just under 23 hours. Following her TDS victory, Arnold won the Hurricane 100k in West Virginia just 10 days later. Earlier in the summer, she placed second at the High Lonesome 100 in Colorado and also competed at the Canyons 100k, finishing fifth.

David Sinclair checks in at 10th in the men’s UROY voting. Sinclair had a strong 2025 ultrarunning season with a second-place finish at the prestigious UTMB CCC and also placed second at both the Broken Arrow Skyrace 46k and the JFK 50 Mile. Sinclair also competed at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, finishing 20th in the Short Trail 45k.

Courtney Dauwalter is the 10th ranked woman in the UROY voting for 2025. She won the 74.5-mile Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Italy – perhaps Europe’s second most important ultra after UTMB – finishing in just over 14 hours. She set a course record at Arizona’s Crown King Scramble 50k in March, and attempted the Cocodona 250 in May but dropped out despite leading through 108 miles. Dauwalter then competed at UTMB in August, where she led at the midway point before struggling in the second half, ultimately finishing 10th in a race marked by difficult weather conditions.