Legends of Western States could be found on all sections of the course this year, cementing the belief that while some things change, a true love for this race will always remain in the hearts of those connected to it.
The heat reared its ugly head again this year and scrambled the elite field to take down some, while others made their move. The women’s elite field saw Abby Hall fly through Foresthill (mile 62) in first, approximately 10 minutes in front of second place, Ida Nilsson. Just 10 minutes later, Fuzhao Xiang, Marianne Hogan, Hannah Allgood, Hau Ha, Caitlin Fielder and Emily Hawgood were all together, fighting for position before heading down Cal Street and back onto the trail. Fiona Pascall, Shea Aquilano and Keely Henninger were right on their heels.
On the men’s side, Caleb Olson cruised into Foresthill at 1:32 p.m., with Chris Myers not far behind, arriving at 1:36 p.m. The rest of the men’s elite pack, including Jeff Mogavero and Kilian Jornet both arrived at 1:45 p.m. with Seth Ruhling, Daniel Jones, Rod Farvard and Hans Troyer all following within the next 10 minutes. With the temperatures reaching the mid-90s at mile 62, runners were prioritizing cooling off with their crews and picking up pacers for the remaining 38 miles. All of the top 10 runners in both the men’s and women’s races looked strong as they ran through the gauntlet of crews and spectators along Foresthill Road.
While most eyes kept a close watch on the elite field throughout the day, many spectators also had their favorite runners set on ultralive.net for those five 70+ year-old male runners, 80-year-old Nick Bassett and 65-year-old Diane Grim. With former Western States champ Jim Howard (age 70), former Western States sub-24-hour finisher Ed Willson (age 71), UTMB founder Michel Poletti (age 70), 2024 Cocodona finisher Michael Koppy (age 74) and Cascade Crest finisher Jan Vleck (age 72), the odds of a finish were in their favor.
This year’s race was once again broadcast across the globe via the livestream produced by the Mountain Outpost team. However, if you were in attendance, the magic at the start all the way up to mile 4 at the escarpment was palpable. Runners were being filmed at 5 a.m. when the starting shotgun blast rang through the air. They quickly climbed up the gravel road leading to high camp at 8,200 feet and then onto the trail leading to the escarpment where they encountered another funnel of spectators who were loud enough to be heard from the tram station at the lodge below.
The Western States community came out in full force for the 2025 event and made the race a magical experience for the 369 runners who toed the line (only two runners remained on the waitlist after the cutoff on Thursday before the race). With approximately 1,500 volunteers who spanned the course from the start line to the 20 aid stations to the finish line and beyond, they could be seen assisting with ice and food prep, setting up aid stations, providing medical care, directing traffic, sweeping the course, cooking food at the finish line and so much more. The community is truly the heart of what makes this event such a legendary race, and it’s amazing to watch and be a part of.
Finish line spectators waited patiently early in the evening, with legends like Doug Latimer and Scott Jurek in attendance, as Caleb Olson made his way up to Robie Point (mile 99) and through the neighborhoods of Auburn before hitting the track to win in 14:11:25 – the second-fastest time in the race’s history. Chris Myers followed in second with a time of 14:17:39. Kilian Jornet returned to beat his previous winning time in 2011 by over an hour in 14:19:27 for a third-place finish.
In the women’s race, Abby Hall finished first with a time of 16:37:16, the fourth-fastest time in Western States history and 11th overall. Fuzhao Yiang was second in a time of 16:47:09, and Marianne Hogan was close behind, finishing third in 16:50:58 for a battle to the finish.
The Golden Hour of the race brought relief with Tatsuro Aoyama from Japan finishing in 29:57:48 for the final official finish. While there was some heartbreak with others who reached the finish line after the 30-hour cutoff, a crowd full of spectators cheered them on for completing the 100-mile journey from Olympic Valley to the Placer High track in Auburn. Congratulations to all the runners who crossed the finish line this year.