Western States 2025: Date, start time and how to follow live as Kilian Jornet heads STELLAR field | Race Previews

Analysis

There is no getting away from the fact that we are missing both defending champions with Jim Walmsley and Katie Schide not competing this year, and the fields aren’t quite as incredible as they looked at the start of the year.

Jornet will clearly take some beating in the men’s race. The Spaniard won this event back in 2011 and is still at the top of his game having not finished outside the top two in any of his last three UTMB races.

All eyes will be on how he performs, especially now that three of his biggest potential rivals have withdrawn. Four-time winner Walmsley, the course record holder and last year’s champion, is a big miss.

But Hayden Hawks and John Rea will also no longer be competing, so the competition will be led by the likes of 2022 champion Adam Peterman and last year’s runner-up Rod Farvard, who pushed Walmsley all the way.

Vincent Bouillard, who had two UTMB race wins last year, could also be in the mix along with David Roche, who won two fast 100-milers last year. A coach to the stars who hadn’t run a 100-miler himself until relatively recently, Roche and has since set some astonishing records.

Dan Jones and Caleb Olson also ran well last year and could mount a challenge.

Dauwalter and Schide are out on their own at the top of the women’s ultrarunning tree so a shame neither takes part.

Schide won here last year and Dauwalter, who is racing Lavaredo by UTMB instead the day before, is the course record holder.

In their absence, the race is wide open and could provide plenty of excitement.

China’s Fu-Zhao Xiang will be looking to go one better than her second-placed finish last year, while Eszter Csillag of Hungary and Emily Hawgood of Zimbabwe, who came third and fourth respectively, are also back for more.

Heather Jackson, a former pro triathlete, is one to watch. She was seventh last year, won the Javelina 100-miler in 2023, and comes here having won Unbound XL, gravel racing’s biggest event, just a month before.

Last year’s winner at Javelina was non-binary runner Riley Brady, who also won the Black Canyon 100k earlier this year, and could challenge the frontrunners.

Tara Dower is another fascinating contender. She set an incredible fastest known time (female or male) for the Appalachian Trail last year and won two hundred-milers in a row in 2023.

Kiwi Caitlin Fielder will make her 100-mile debut, but has won three of her last four races over 50-100km and could be a wild card pick to do well.