More like he let them go because they were going a bit fast for him on the faster gradual downhills where he still isn't quite as economical. He was listening to his body, running his own pace, which makes sense considering how far out it was when they got the gap. Don't think it was a strategic thing thinking they would bonk ahead.
The shoes have given the ultra runners so much energy that they are not bonking out as much anymore? Or do you think it’s something else? The shoes made over 1 hour difference for an older and slower Kilian. The Kilian of 2010s was far stronger and fitter than the one we know today. Heck that version of Kilian was beating Marco Gasperi the Italian mountain climbing genius of the 2010s and Marco is done after 2-3 seasons of elite ultra.
that is certainly a big factor along with the fast aid station transitions.
Besting Jim Walmsley’s record or a sub 14 hour finish will be tough nuts to crack.
Killian Jornet is an amazing endurance athlete.
Any woman who can place in the top ten of this race is an exceptional athlete.
Next year’s race should be a just as competitive or better.
Abby Hall is a better trail runner than Ryan Hall.
Winning WS100 can’t be done by promoting yourself on YouTube.
I agree though Jim will be the one to beat his own record as he alluded to how much time he loses as his aid station stops need to be faster.
Given the warmer weather conditions, Caleb's time is actually probably a better performance than Jim's CR (which he got within 2-min of?).
Maybe the cooling suit/shirt helped? Jim's record is certainly very beatable by several of those 29 year old guys any given year now. And a sub 14-hr is definitely possible if it wasn't warmer than average temps.
It’s weird how the race allows the elites to basically dress themselves in ice at EVERY aid station. Like yeah, ok… with unlimited resources the temperature barely matters at this point. Idk imo what a waste - everyone gets a bandana of ice and that’s it.
No way, listen to the interviews leading up to the race. WSER had 80 POUNDS of ice per runner! I was there in person at Foresthill and the track and it’s easily one of the best supplied races I have ever seen. Both Foresthill & Placer High had FREE FOOD for EVERYONE. Not just runners and crew but literally everyone there was invited to get burgers, quesadillas, snack and beverages. They had QR codes hanging around that you could scan and donate to their organization.
I understand how it is possible logistically to have that much ice out there. It’s just weird tho - and incredibly harsh on the environment… something they claim to care about.
I tuned into some of the coverage and I’d never heard that M2, F4 terminology before. I guess it is more efficient that saying second place male, but it reminded me of snowboarding coverage with hip names for everything.
15 years of knowledge about training and nutrition definitely did lower everyone’s time VS 2011 though.
The spirit of the sport has also changed. 8 years ago Kilian was downing tequila shots at aide stations during Hard Rock. I cannot imagine one of the old timers, like Anton Krupicka, spending hours in the sauna or doing lots of track workouts. Everyone is taking the sport more seriously in general, and that means rapid improvements.
Well, why would Anton do that? There were literally years he sustained injury while still being a high profile "athlete", he only runs 1 big race/year now (crosses fingers), he can't run > 30 miles in any given week, but he made a career out of that, and now he has locked in another running-adjacent career with his longtime sponsor. Brotha won the lottery, while everyone is doing Z2 workouts on funky treadmills and carbo loading looking like a bunch of nerds.
It’s weird how the race allows the elites to basically dress themselves in ice at EVERY aid station. Like yeah, ok… with unlimited resources the temperature barely matters at this point. Idk imo what a waste - everyone gets a bandana of ice and that’s it.
does it matter?
I know Kilian is not normal, but he took on minimal ice and still ran under 14:20.
For better or for worse, I think she just loves him unconditionally and genuinely believes that he's the GOAT. If nothing else, I respect how ride-or-die she is.
I just watched a post race interview of kilian ( in french. Search youtube chchane"course epique" if interested)
He says he didn't really suffer from the heat and is happy with both his preparation and cooling strategy.
Personnal opinion: at some point if you don't really suffer from the heat, carrying more ice is just additional weight, so if one small ice bandana is enough for him, then it's enough for him and more wouldn't be better.
I agree though Jim will be the one to beat his own record as he alluded to how much time he loses as his aid station stops need to be faster.
He said in a recent interview that his moving time in 2024 was under 14h so yeah it'll come down to aid stations for him. An exceptionally cool day would help, too. Hope he comes back next year I'd love to see it.