TRAILFANS 007
Inspirational performances of 2025
Welcome to the Trailfans weekly dispatch. From the French Alps to the northern fells, Cape Town to Colorado — we share the grit, passion, and a touch of madness that make trail running the world’s most human and inspiring sport.
This week we highlight some of the most inspiring trail running performances of 2025 presented by members of our Trailfans Collective including:
Tove Alexandersson
Lucy Gossage
Tom Evans
Ruth Croft
Jim Walmsley
Sarah Perry
Fiona Pascall
Jane Maus
Black Trail Runners
Ludovic Pommeret
Stephanie Case
Josh Wade
Sarah Webster
Read about all of these inspiring efforts below. By no means is it a definite list. If there is someone you think we have missed, we’d love you to send us your favourites which we’ll feature in later newsletters throughout December 2025.
To be as inclusive as possible we asked members of our collective to send in their thoughts on the most inspiring pro and non-pro trail runners of 2025. Let’s dive straight in……..
ROB PROSSER, trail fan and Freetrail Fantasy aficianado. Colorado, USA
Most Impressive Professional Performances of the Year
Tove Alexandersson World Championships Short Trail gold medal performance. This may seem like an obvious one to many trail fans, and it should. Her performance was utterly mind blowing. The level at which she dominated this race was unprecedented. We’ve seen Tove run at a very high level before in sub ultra races during her appearance at the GTWS final in the Azores in 2020, but the sport has advanced since then and grown immensely more competitive.
Start lines are getting denser and denser every year with elite collegiate runners opting to come straight to the trails from college competition. More money means more support which means better runners. In researching the WMTRC short trail field to do a preview show this year, I scrolled over Tove’s name and wondered why her UTMB index could be so high?
She had barely run any trail races since her 2nd place at the WMTRC classic race in Innsbruck 2023. I scrolled to her instagram to make sure she wasn’t injured and was still competing only to see one of her posts mentioning her being the 21 time world champion in orienteering. Another post highlighted how she won gold in the individual skimo competition to go with a silver in the uphill skimo competition at worlds.
Translation:no one has a bigger engine than this athlete and I’d be stupid to doubt her. As soon as I saw those data points I felt like she had to be the favorite to win. But winning wasn’t enough for her, she DOMINATED an extremely competitive field that included the likes of Sara Alonso, Judith Wyder, Maude Mathys, and defending World Champion Clementine Geoffray.
But it wasn’t enough for her to just dominate the female field, she had to run her way up the men’s elite field too. She finished 17th overall in the field, in front of world class trail runners David Sinclair and Eli Hemming, and a mere two minutes off outstanding GTWS runner Daniel Pattis.
She went on to win the women’s race by almost 34 minutes over the next finisher (Sara Alonso) and SINGLEHANDEDLY pull her home country of Sweden to a gold medal thanks to the margin with which she won the race. I could go on but I think you get the point.
Jim Walmsley World Championships Long Trail gold medal performance. I had an extremely difficult time choosing between this performance, Jim’s OCC win, and Caleb Olson’s WSER win with the second fastest run in the history of the race. What ultimately decided the tie breaker for me was the density of competition in each race. Both WSER and OCC went at least 10 deep with heavy hitters but each list faded off a bit after that. Looking at the start list of WMTRC Long Trail was like a who’s who of ultrarunning studs from the past 2-3 years of trail running’s biggest races.
The lineup for the race included no fewer than: the entire top three finishers from the 2024 edition of UTMB, the reigning long trail world champion & european champs silver medalist, a three time skyrunning world champion, two separate CCC champions (one of who holds the CR), a WSER champion and CCC podium finisher, reigning Transvulcania champion and the previous year’s CCC runner up, the reigning long trail silver medalist, AND the 2023 second place finisher at UTMB.
Needless to say, it was stacked to the gills. Despite this, Jim did his usual Jim things and calmly dictated where the race’s moves were made and who made them. He worked with Petter Engdahl early on in the climbs and the two of them moderated the pace on the descents to ensure that the French duo of Benjamin Roubiol and Louison Coiffet stayed honest. This strategy worked wonders for Jim and he was able to extend his lead to ultimately win by over 10 minutes at the end of the 8+ hour race.
Most Impressive Amateur Performances of the Year
David Hedges taking back the Nolan’s 14 FKT from Francois D’haene. Early in the summer we saw Francois D’haene come to the US and target another US FKT in Nolan’s 14. He successfully lowered the time for the supported FKT set by David Hedges in 2023 to 35 hours and 33 minutes from David’s previous record of 39 hours and 6 minutes.
Having just recently set the FKT and knowing the type of support that Francois used in his effort (full backing of Salomon and all of Francois’s sponsors which included a hefty travel budget/crew of French guys decked out in matching Salomon Apparel), I was surprised that David came back after Nolan’s so soon. He nearly encountered trail closures along the route and was working with fewer hours of daylight than Francois did in his effort.
This combined with some early season September storms rolling through added to the challenges of his attempt. It was close but he ended up shaving 10 minutes off of Francois’s time and did so with much less support than Francois had at his disposal.
David has had minor sponsorships in the past but has nowhere near the support of Francois. He really gives his entire being to researching, scouting, and recce-ing lines and routes for each and every FKT he goes after and it was neat to see him take back the record from a legend in our sport so promptly. He also holds the FKT on the iconic WURL (Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup) outside of Salt Lake City.
Jane Maus, Grand Teton Unsupported/Overall Female FKT. Despite all the controversy in the past year over the Michelino Sunseri trail cutting stuff, there have been many notable female performances thrown down on the Grand Teton female side within the past year that haven’t received the attention they deserve. The Grand Teton is an iconic mountain (towering almost 1,000 feet of prominence above its neighbour to the south, the Middle Teton) in North America and one of the most stunning views in the world I have yet to discover.
When I heard Jazmine Lowther set both the supported FKT (which she ran paced by Michelino) in 3:51 and the unsupported FKT in 4:06 I was quite impressed. The previous female FKTs were 4:16 unsupported by Jen Day Denton and 3:51 supported when Kilian and Emelie went up together but used the climbers trail short cut both ways.
A mere 3 days after Jazmine set a new unsupported FKT on the Grand using the modern route (no cutting the switchbacks!) Jane set out to leave her mark on the route. And leave her mark she did, besting all times ever set on the Grand Teton and running a 3:45 in flawless fashion.
Small Caveat: I recognize Jane is sponsored by La Sportiva now but feel that she is still a recent enough sponsored athlete and consider this performance to be worth highlighting nontheless.
FAYE JOHNSON, Ultra Coach, UK (@fayejohnsoncoaching)
Most Impressive Professional Performance of the Year
Ruth Croft’s 2025 UTMB win, becoming the first woman to win the UTMB World Series Finals “Triple Crown”.
2025 UTMB winner
2015 CCC winning the 100km race.
2018 and 2019 OCC winning the 55km race in back-to-back years
Ruth encompasses a great attitude, awareness, adaptability and appreciation for running and this year that lead to the fantastic performance and win at UTMB! The way she worked her way through the pack and ran with absolute class until the end. I put pretty much my whole day on hold to see her put out an absolutely amazing performance!
A runner I hugely admire with her humble nature, resilience and sheer love of the trails and mountains she runs on. A joy to follow and watch and to see her achieve what she has this year was just awesome!
Most Impressive Amateur Performance of the Year
I’d like to give a big shout out to a runner who I coach and have been working with now for just over a year… Karen Cort! (@k_c_court)
Karen came to me off the back of the 13 Valleys 5 Valleys race in 2024… she’d had a great race but was looking for support around training smarter and getting the best out of the time she has to train. Working as a nurse in the NHS time is of the essence as is conserving energy…
Fast forward to Summer ‘25 after a challenge injury setback after the Arc, Karen tackles every S&C, interval and hill session to come back to tackle the Serpent Trail 20km and gain a huge 14 minute PB on 2024 then in September she went out and did it again with an outstanding performance at the 13 Valleys 2 Valleys race in a little over 3 hours!
BEN GILBERT (@bennygram_), Brit running around the Alps
Most Impressive Professional Performances of the Year
Ludovic Pommeret - Hardrock 100. A dominating performance at that age (49) to beat many young guys.
Katarina Hartmuth - win at TOR330 2024 (Tor des Géants) in a course record. Dominating after a lot of set backs.
BEN MOUNCEY, veteran fell runner, SportShoes Trail Lead, Yorkshire UK (@ben_mounsey)
Most Impressive Professional Performances of the Year
It has to be Tove (Alexandersson) doesn’t it? Her performance at the World Champs was just incredible. You know the highest ITRA score and the way she just destroyed that field. When you’ve got Sara Alonso and Naomi Lang coming second and third and they are 33 minutes behind her. Like, what the fcuk. She’s unreal isn’t she.
For the guys, I’d have to give it to Tom Evans for his win at UTMB. But Josh wade comes in a very close second for his 3rd place at UTMB behind Tom. I guess that is a shout out then to Josh.
Ed. there’s definitely an interesting side discussion on the definition as a pro-trail runner these days. We’ll park that for now.
Most Impressive Amateur Performances of the Year
It could be argued that Josh Wade is not a pro. He still does a bit of gardening but let’s be honest, he’s now a pro. I guess how lax do you want to be with that. Technically, he’s not a pro but really he is. If you let me have him, i’ll take Josh.
That aside, Sarah Perry, for doing her backyard thing. I don’t really understand it all but fair play, what an effort. And she got a female world record. Then the same week, Sarah Webster broke the women’s 24-hour world record at the 2025 World 24-Hour World Championship in France. That was some effort too. Now that is definitely a shout out.
SAMMY MNCWABE, South African sports journalist living in the UK Sammy Mncwabe @sammy_mncwabe
Tom Evans - Favourite men’s pro-athlete performance of the year
When Tom Evans crossed the line to win the UTMB Mont-Blanc 100 miler in August, Chamonix welcomed him with deafening cheers and cowbells. For Evans, the win was not only historical as he became the first British man to win this race since Jez Bragg in 2010 but it was redemption following back-to-back DNFs in 2023 and 2024.
“To have a victory at UTMB is a dream come true and I am joining a special and small list of incredible athletes. I’ve had two DNFs in the past two years but this shows that if you put your mind to it then anything in possible,” Evans told reporters at the finish line. For the 33-year-old, preparation for the last race of the World Series included working with a psychologist and data analyst to prep the mind, body and every controllable metric for success.
So with the British flag draped across his shoulders like a cape, his signature military salute, drinking out of a shoe, sweet embraces with his wife Sophie Caldwell and baby Phoebe, Evans provided a fairytale finish under the famed arches and redefined what it takes to conquer the world’s greatest trail race.
Stephanie Case - Favourite women’s pro-athlete performance of the year
There are special occasions when sporting moments transcend and reverberate through society, challenging norms and breaking stereotypes. Images of Stephanie Case breastfeeding her daughter Pepper on her way to winning the 100km (60 miles) Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in May did just that.
Case is a decorated Canadian ultra star, a human rights lawyer and women’s rights advocate who has worked for the UN in conflict zones including Afghanistan, South Sudan and Gaza.
In her first race since 2022, the first-time Mom, was using the race as prep for Hardrock 100 miles in July. The goal was simply to get some miles under her while feeding Pepper at three stops along the route.
“It was so stabilising to know that all of the transformation and trauma I’d gone through trying to get pregnant and finally giving birth, that runner part of me was still there” Case told reporters after her win.
With so few women in trail running still, images of Case breastfeeding at aid stations forced wider conversations about women continuing to participate in sports and pursuing their passions alongside parental responsibilities. By showing up at Ultra-Trail Snowdonia six months post-partum, juggling motherhood alongside a challenging race, she inspired mothers and women everywhere.
Case’s difficult journey into motherhood is beautifully captured in a multi-award winning film, Off Course, and is a reminder to keep ones passions alive in every season of life.
Black Trail Runners – Most inspiring performance of the year by non-pro runners. As a growing sport, trail running’s success depends on how well it can attract and accommodate diverse runners from all walks of life. While efforts to cater for women continue to gain steam through maternity policies and the provisions of sanitary products at races, racial disparity continues to be the elephant in the room.
At this year’s UTMB Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, Black Trail Runners (BTR), a UK campaigning charity that seeks to increase inclusion, participation and representation of Black people and people of colour in trail running; tackled this head on by sending seven women to compete in the 100 miler, CCC, OCC and ETC. For Sabrina Pace-Humphreys, BTR co-founder, UTMB Mont-Blanc was an opportunity to showcase and celebrate a group of women that is heavily underrepresented on the trails.
So when Pace-Humphreys alongside teammates Serena Broadway, Rebecca Devereux, Juliette Denny, Grace Natoli, Nethliee La Croix, and Angela Tomusange showed up at the starting line of their respective races, they carried the hopes and dreams of their communities. For each of the seven women, Chamonix was about more than just racing in the world’s most prestigious trail race week. It was a chance to be the change they wanted to see in the world because representation matters.
LEWIS MOSES, Head Coach Run Through UK (@lewismosescoach)
Most Impressive Professional Performances of the Year
Tove Alexandersson - An unbelievable run at the World Trail Champs and I believe it might be the highest ever ITRA score. I was there to witness it and I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. She wasn’t just tearing up the women’s field, she was tearing up the men’s as well!!
Most Impressive Amateur Performances of the Year
Lucy Gossage’s performance at the Spine Race earlier this year. Very inspiring and raised a huge amount of money for a brilliant cause too 🙌
Read all about it in her own words on her blog page: The Spine, take 2. I thought I’d be racing for closure. It turned out I was racing for me.
Lucy’s outstanding effort was also covered by the BBC under the title ‘I entered brutal 268-mile race to gain closure - and won it’ » HAVE A READ
FRAZER DURRIS, Trailfans Co-founder (@frazerdurris)
Most Impressive Professional Performances of the Year
Fiona Pascall’s 5th place at Western States Endurance Run - this was a fantastic performance that saw the Brit work her way through the field from way outside of the top 10 to 5th place - beating off competition from the world’s best trail runners and a bear attack - proving that she has the ability and endurance to compete at the very top level.
Ludovic Pommeret crushing the elite field at Hardrock 100, winning by circa 1.5 hrs at the age of 49, with some devastating downhill running and showing that (in his case) age is just a number. Ludo followed up his win at Hardrock only 6 weeks later with 6th place at UTMB. Chapeau!
Most Impressive Amateur Performances of the Year
Ben Rothery taking the victory at the (Yorkshire) Three Peaks Race with a fast time of exactly 3 hours (03:00:00) - fighting off challenges from two fine French athletes and Olympic triathlon gold medalist, Alistair Brownlee, plus the best of British fell runners on the day. Ben ended up with a comfortable win by over seven minutes.
SCOTT CUNLIFFE, Trailfans Co-founder (@sekott)
I also have to go with Tove (Alexandersson) for female pro-trail performance of the year. It was mind-boggling to witness her that day. Several hours after her performance, at the award ceremony in Canfranc, she looked as fresh as a daisy and hungry for more miles. My local hosts in Canfranc were not surprised by her win. They had witnessed her smash the same course several weeks before the World Championship were held at the end of September. On that day, Tove had a nasty fall during the race, resulting in stitches from medics at an aid station to a large facial wound that was still visible during the race at the race. Her performance the-ee weeks later, proved Tove is a fearless runner, taking on any terrain, anywhere.
As Tove has unsurprisingly been mentioned several times, i’d like to mention Sara Alonso for her win at Zegama in May 2025. To the delight of her adoring Basque fans, after several bouts of ill health or injury in previous years, Sara finally took the win at Zegama in the Pyrenees. Despite having an unfortunate incident where she was attacked by a cow in training, Sara came home second at OCC by UTMB in August and was second to Tove Alexandersson a the World Champs a month later in Canfranc, Spain.
My choice of the amateur performance of year goes to young British athlete, Jack Sanderson. Jack finished 6th in the under 20 Mountain Classic race at the 2025 World Champs in Canfranc. His effort was instrumental in winning a team silver medal for Great Britain that day. Several weeks after his performance Jack became the English Schools fell champ. He has a very bright future in fell and mountain running.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Amongst the discussions we had this week other names popped up who deserve a special mention:
Sara Alonso - for her win at Zegama
Remi Bonnet - for his comeback uphill win at Worlds followed by his Fully VK Record
Hugh Chatfield - for his breakthrough performance at the World Champs Long Trail, where he was the highest placed Brit in 12th overall
Elsey Davis - for her 400-mile run around Cornwall
Elhousine Elazzaoui - for winning the prologue, the race, and the overall series at the 2025 Golden Trail World Series final at Ledro Sky in Trentino, Italy
Nina Englehard - for wining double gold at the World Champs for the Uphill and Mountain Classic races
Phil Gore - for being the last man standing at the 2025 Big’s Back Yard World Championship, completing 114 laps over 5 days
Abbie Hall - for a career high win at Western States - outstanding resilience coming back from injury
Chris Jones - for his performance at OCC (5th Place) following his win at UTS 50k
Kilian Jornet - for his 1207 km States of Elevation adventure that saw him summit 82 peaks in the USA in 19 days
Dan Lawson - for his fastest known time on the South West Coastal Path (UK) in 9d 13h 40m 23s
Caleb Olson - for his win at Western States
Sarah Perry - for her world record at Big’s Back Yard Ultra World Champs
Francesco Puppi - for his win and course record at Canyons 100 and for his win at CCC
Anastasia Rubtsova - for retaining her Merrell Skyrunner World Series
Frédéric Tranchand - for his victory at the 2025 World Short Trail Championship
Sarah Webster - for her world record at the IAU 24-Hour World Champs
Surely there are lots of runners that were have overlooked. Send us your 2025 favourites…..