The 2025 IAU 24‑Hour World Championships kicked off at 10 a.m. local time on Friday, October 18, in Albi, France, with 366 athletes from 45 countries stepping onto the 1.5-km loop. In the women’s race, Sarah Webster of Great Britain covered a stunning 278.622 km—surpassing the previous mark of 270.363 km by nearly 8.3 km. She captured the record just over an hour before the finish gun.
Men’s race
In the men’s event, Andrii  Tkachuk of Ukraine dominated with a winning distance of 294.346 km (182.898 miles), finishing nearly nine kilometres ahead of his nearest competitor. The performance fell short of the world record of 319.614 km (198.598 miles) held by Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania, but it secured a powerful victory for Tkachuk, who was third in 2023 with 284.540 km.
Women’s race
Webster ran her first full 24-hour event earlier this year—qualifying with a 243.393 km effort in April. In Albi, she advanced steadily through the field: staying within the top 10 early and moving into the top five around nine hours in, with 108 km under her belt, and then taking the lead at about 17 hours elapsed, as reported by iRunFar. From that point on, she stayed in control, posting strong splits and adding substantial distance after the earlier record had been broken. Behind her, Australia’s Holly Ranson clocked 274.172 km, and Japan’s former record-holder Miho Nakata finished third with 271.987 km, meaning the top three women all bested the previous record.
Canadians in the field
While no Canadians ended up on the overall podium, there was a strong contingent of 10 Canadian athletes who performed well and enjoyed the experience. Ontario’s Viktora Brown broke the national women’s 50-54 age category 24h record, bettering it to 195 km from 192 km. For full results, head here.
