Hoka Carbon X project 100k WR Attempt Official Thread (Sponsored by HOKA ONE ONE)

always late wrote:

So there is no such thing as a 2 mile world record? What about other governing bodies?

Kinda, it is called the 2 mile world best. It is something that is unofficially official.

Theory:

Shohohe and the other negative trolls on here are getting paid by Hoka to keep this thread going and make the anti-Walmsleys look like idiots.

Congrats to Walmsley on the 50 mile world record. The sun looked brutal.

shohohe wrote:

Wait, now I am confused. It looked like JW finished in 6:55 but the results say 7:05:24. That would be ironical as it is exactly 5 seconds slower than his previous PB. It's probably 6:55 though.

I noticed that glitch in the results too. For a couple of minutes Jim was even listed as winner.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks. wrote:

Theory:

Shohohe and the other negative trolls on here are getting paid by Hoka to keep this thread going and make the anti-Walmsleys look like idiots.

I am neither a troll nor negative towards Jim Walmsley nor paid by HOKA.

I just hate that they even had the 50 mile split. Big hype for the 100K WR attempt and then we end up with kind of meaningless results.

I knew Jim Walmsley was an amazing runner before today. There definitely hasn't been a better US (runnable) ultra guy than him before.

But I really wanted to see what he can do on an internationally contested distances (100 km not 50 miles) to be able to compare him internationally. Outside of the US he was okay so far but has never dominated.

Again, Jim: Please run the 100K Worlds! And Comrades (but I think he is doing that, right?).

That was cool, and it was especially neat that the letsrun Johnsons got involved!

This thread had, as could be expected, a lot of whiny sophomoric trolls, but really not as bad as any of the Semenya threads get. I really don't know if they're Russian trolls or just maleducados, but they seem to be a cost of discussion on letsrun.

It's the equivalent of who is the tallest midget? Or who is the best ladies' man from Letsrun?

Tallest dwarf.. wrote:

It's the equivalent of who is the tallest midget? Or who is the best ladies' man from Letsrun?

Ok to be clear we stop caring about WRs at 26.3 miles, is that accurate?

I heard the Hoka marketing dude on a podcast say everyone was going to be drug tested immediately after the race.

Hoka deserves huge credit for putting on the best race coverage I have seen in a long time. They had great continuous coverage of the runners, knowledgeable announcers and great interviews pre- and post-race. They are a credit to the sport.

shohohe wrote:

Ummmm wrote:

Did you miss the goal of the event? The point was to break records in general. 50 miles, 100 km, 100 km relays. Jim accomplished what they set out to do. It didnt have to be 100 km.

Read the title of this thread. The goal was the 100 km world record.

It was a 100 km race. Jim Walsmley came 4th in 6:55 (or 7:05).

En route to that he broke the 50 mile world's best (not a WR by the way) by 40ish seconds. Which is crazy good and makes me hope he will give the 100 km another shot.

Haha. Because the title of this thread is what dictates what Hoka set out to do. Read the actual article. Hoka set out to break the 50 mile and 100k WRs.

I thought that it was a great idea and well executed! Getting runners from regional local running stores was an awesome way to get a lot of people interested in the Carbon X. They got to participate in the day and try out the Carbon X in a live event. It was a cool event!

I'm guessing JW and the other current top ultra guys would welcome any and all current 2:05 - 2:08 athletes (oh, wait, that's like ONE American) into the ultra realm. They'd like to know just like the rest of us: What could they do? That said, JW, Killian J. et al. can only race those who show up. JW will take the gloves off at a half-mary, but can't get any of these 1:02 half guys to try a 50 or, OMG, a 100? And JW is the one ducking comp? LOL .

Go Longer wrote:

I'm guessing JW and the other current top ultra guys would welcome any and all current 2:05 - 2:08 athletes (oh, wait, that's like ONE American) into the ultra realm. They'd like to know just like the rest of us: What could they do? That said, JW, Killian J. et al. can only race those who show up. JW will take the gloves off at a half-mary, but can't get any of these 1:02 half guys to try a 50 or, OMG, a 100? And JW is the one ducking comp? LOL .

Good post.

You aren't this dumb huh skinny white boi are you?

Recap of race updated with videos and analysis: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/05/hoka-project-carbon-x-jim-walmsley-runs-faster-than-anyone-ever-for-50-miles-yet-world-champ-hideaki-yamauchi-wins-100k/

AP5000 wrote:

It should also be noted the 50 mile record is significantly harder to break than 100k. The 100k record has changed numerous times recently, while Bruce Fordyce's record held since 1983 (I believe). It is by far the greater achievement.

I would put the 100K WR and 50 mi WR in similar esteem. Broadly speaking Don Ritchie in his prime (his 6:10:20 100km) and Bruce Fordyce in his prime (4:50:51 50 miles) were of similar caliber. Don Ritchie's mark was set on the track in 1978, and no one until this past June had ever run faster for the distance. Nao Kazami ran 6:09:14 ran a road record at Lake Saroma, but though the IAAF accepts the course as record quality, ARRS doesn't, and it seems likely that many of the top performances in 2018 were wind aided. Even if you wish to not accept the ARRS argument (though I'd suggest looking at the course, weather patterns that day, the number of athletes who overperformed on that day), the WR has not "changed numerous times recently."

wejo wrote:

I'm curious what I said about kipchoge. It's just way too hot I think for 6 hours.

Even if the ambient temp isn't too bad (though it is), the constant exposure to the sun, especially at that temp, at those speeds, and for that duration I'm sure was a significant factor.

wejo wrote:

But would be interesting to just throw 10 sub 2:08 guys in this with no training and see how it goes. HOKA or some other company could do that for about $100,000. 20k guaranteed and I think some guys would give it a go

I'd rather see 10 sub 2:08 guys *with* training. Presumably that could be accomplished with a budget of 150K. Guaranteed $ would have to be contingent on finishing in under 7:30:00.

uhhh wrote:

Phantasy Star wrote:

lol so this guy "runs" 50 miles but now literally has to walk a bunch for the record to count? what

Yeah... I mean, epic run to get the 50-mile record so major props to Jim. But honestly it's pretty weird. I don't follow ultras at all and thought I was tuning in for a 100km race. This is like Kipchoge setting the 25mi record in a marathon and then walking it in.

No one goes around saying Kipchoge was the first to break 2hrs for 26 miles, even though he did. Great run for Jim, but let's be real. If he sets the 50-mile record and then fades to just miss the 100k record, that's one thing. He's literally walking it in.

Not quite - 50 miles hasn't seen nearly the quantity of racing that 100K has, but it has seen some stiff competition, and for years, London to Brighton in the 60s-80s was the de facto world championship of ultrarunning, and it was generally a tad over 50 miles. It was still a strong mark.