| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Ultramarathon |
Andy Jones-Wilkins (born 1968) is an elite ultra runner and educator. He began running ultramarathons in 1996 and 100-mile ultras in 2000, and became known for frequently finishing among the top few, without ever winning a race. [1] This included, in 2005, coming in 2nd overall in the Western States 100 Mile, the Angeles Crest 100 Mile, and the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, though he won the Where's Waldo 100k. [1] This changed in 2007, when he took first place in both the Vermont 100 Mile [2] and the Grand Teton 100 Mile, [3] also setting a new course record in the Grand Teton 100 Mile.
Better known by his nickname, "AJW", he is a member of the Patagonia Ultrarunning Team. Jones-Wilkins is best known as being a seven-times consecutive Western States Top-Ten Finisher (2004–2011). He lives in Pennsylvania, where he is currently working in education. Mr Jones-Wilkins is also a columnist for the Ultramarathon running website, iRunFar.com, penning the weekly column, "AJW's Taproom" and frequent contributor as East Coast Executive Producer of Trail Runner Nation podcast. He is also occasional guest of the "Mountain Outpost" news series by the nickname "Jizzle whizzle (from the Beast Coast)" balancing the news cast by providing more East Coast related information.
Mr Jones-Wilkins is Married to Shelly Jones-Wilkins, and has three sons; Carson, Logan, and Tully Jones-Wilkins.
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An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
Trail running is a type of running that takes place on outdoor trails, often in mountainous terrain, and often includes significant ascents and descents. Trail running is overseen by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and includes longer races.
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
Ann Trason is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She set 20 world records during her career. Her world record of 5:40:18 at the 50 mile distance, set in 1991, was unbeaten until 2015. As of her induction into the Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in 2020, she was considered by many to be the most successful female ultrarunner of all time.
Scott Gordon Jurek is an American ultramarathoner, author, and public speaker. Throughout his running career, Jurek was one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Spartathlon, and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999–2005). In 2010, at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, Jurek won a silver medal behind Shingo Inoue and set a new US record for distance run in 24 hours with 165.7 miles. In 2015, Jurek set the Fastest Known Time running record for the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail.
The Leadville Trail 100 Run is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climbs and descends 15,600 feet (4,800 m), with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,620 feet. In most years, fewer than half the starters complete the race within the 30-hour time limit.
Tim Twietmeyer is an Auburn, California-based ultramarathon runner and an engineering manager at Hewlett Packard, in Roseville in the U.S. state of California. Twietmeyer is also a mountain biker, road cyclist, and retired almost-scratch golfer and swimmer. He is best known for his five victories and unprecedented 25 sub-24 hour finishes at the 100-mile (160 km) Western States Endurance Run.
Nikki Kimball is an American distance runner specializing in the Ultramarathon. She ran her first 100-mile race at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2004, and was the female winner. She was the winning female at Western States again in 2006 and 2007, becoming only the third woman to win Western States three times. In 2014, she won the Marathon Des Sables multi-stage endurance race on her first attempt. Prior to running, her main sport was cross-country skiing. She was crewed at the 2007 Western States by U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana, where Kimball lives. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.
Hal Koerner is an American distance runner specializing in ultramarathon running. He is the owner of a specialty running store, Rogue Valley Runners, located in the mountainous Southern Oregon town of Ashland. He is one of the subjects of JB Benna's feature-length documentary "Unbreakable: The Western States 100".
Amy Palmiero-Winters is a below-knee amputee who currently holds eleven world records in various events. In 2010, she was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States and the ESPN ESPY Award as the top female athlete with a disability in the world.
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner and scientist born on December 25, 1981 in Norman, Oklahoma. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Ultramarathon runners of all time.
Harvey Sweetland Lewis is an American ultrarunner.
Kristin "Krissy" Moehl is an American ultramarathon athlete who specializes in trail running. In 2005, Moehl became the youngest woman to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which included a gold medal at the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Alissa St Laurent is a Canadian ultramarathon runner. She began her ultra career in 2013 and has competed for the Canadian National team in 100km World Championships and the 2015 IAU Trail World Championships. She holds numerous course records, including those for the Sinister 7 100-mile and the Lost Soul 100-km ultramarathons. She received national attention after becoming the first female to win the 125-km Canadian Death Race outright in 2015 and her later comments in the media encouraging more women to take up competitive sports such as ultrarunning.
Tom Green is an ultra-runner and the first man to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. He earned this distinction when there were only five 100-mile trail races in the United States.
Junko Kazukawa is a Japanese-born ultrarunner who currently lives in Denver, Colorado, U.S. A two-time breast-cancer survivor, Kazukawa competes in marathon, ultramarathon and cycling events. She was the first person to complete the Leadville series and the Ultrarunning Grand Slam in a single year.
Gerald Tabios is a Filipino long-distance runner and Ultramarathon runner. Among his most notable races in the United States is the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is an annual race that stretches 135 miles through Death Valley, California in July and ends after a steep climb of Mount Whitney. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, where temperatures often reach 130 °F, is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Tabios is a 7-time Badwater 135 finisher.
Jim Walmsley is an American long-distance runner. An ultra-trail specialist, his wins include the JFK 50 Mile in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lake Sonoma 50 in 2016 and 2018, the Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2017, and the Western States 100 in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He holds several course records, including the Western States 100, set in 2018 and further improved by 21 minutes in 2019. In 2023, he became the first American man to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
Javelina Jundred is a 100 mile (160 km) ultramarathon held at McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Founded in 2002, it is one of the most popular ultramarathons in the United States, with over 850 runners as of 2023. The course also hosts shorter distances including a 100 kilometres (62 mi) and a 31 kilometres (19 mi) race. The race is named for the javelina.
Ruth Charlotte Croft is a New Zealand ultramarathon and trail runner. Croft was the silver medalist at the 2019 Trail World Championships. Her victories at major international races include the Tarawera Ultramarathon, Western States, and Ultra Trail Cape Town.