An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) to over 200 miles (320 km). 50k and 100k are both World Athletics record distances, but some 100 miles (160 km) races are among the oldest and most prestigious events, especially in North America.
Deena Michelle Kastor is an American long-distance runner. She was a holder of American records in the marathon (2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. She is also an eight-time national champion in cross country.
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race. The 2007 race included the first-ever satellite running of the event, run simultaneously in Fallujah, Iraq.
Michael Wardian is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. He won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championships and the 2011 US 50 mile championship. In 2008, he won the U.S. National 100 km championship. Wardian also is the 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner, and won the National Marathon in Washington, D.C., three consecutive years (2006–2008), and in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He ran in Maldives Addu marathon on June 29, 2018, and got first place and MVR12000. In 2020, Wardian won the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, running nearly 263 miles over the course of 63 hours without sleeping in a repetitive neighborhood loop in Arlington, VA to follow social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sara Hall is a professional American distance runner. She won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico representing the United States. Hall’s personal best time for the marathon is 2:20:32 set at the Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona on December 22, 2020, making her the third-fastest American woman in history. She is the second-fastest American woman to ever run the half marathon, running 1:07:15 on January 16, 2022–an American record at the time.
Yuki Kawauchi is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese citizen and third overall. He was known as the "citizen runner" given that he used to work full-time for the government of Saitama Prefecture and trained in his time off with his own expenses without any sponsorship. Kawauchi won the 2018 Boston Marathon. In 2020, he left his job in local government and became a full-time professional runner.
Ruth Chepng'etich, often spelt Ruth Chepngetich, is a Kenyan road racing athlete, who competes in the marathon and other long distance events. She was the 2019 Marathon World champion in hot and humid conditions. Chepng'etich twice won the Chicago Marathon, in 2021 and 2022. Her personal best in the marathon sits second on the world all-time list. She holds the third-fastest mark of all time for the half marathon.
The 10-mile run is a long-distance running event over a distance of ten miles (16.1 kilometres). It can be held on a road course or on a running track. Also referred to as a 10-miler or 10 miles run, it is a relatively common distance in countries that use the mile as a unit of measure. Ten miles is roughly an intermediate distance between the 10K run and the half marathon (21.1 km). The level of endurance required to run the distance means it attracts more seasoned runners than shorter events and usually requires a period of preparation for first-time attempts.
Jake Smith is a British long-distance runner. In 2020, he competed in the men's race at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships held in Gdynia, Poland.
Keira D'Amato is an American distance runner. She is the American half marathon record holder with a time of 1:06:37 at the 2023 Gold Coast Half marathon on July 1, 2023. She held the American women's record in the marathon with her time of 2:19:12 at the 2022 Houston Marathon, until Emily Sisson set a new record time on October 9, 2022. She is the world best holder for the women's-only 10-mile distance and a three-time USA Track & Field national champion.
The Marathon Project was an elite-only marathon held on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Chandler, Arizona. December 2020. It was created by Northern Arizona Elite coach Ben Rosario together with Josh Cox and Matt Helbig to provide a race after many of the World Marathon Majors were cancelled due to COVID-19.
The following tables show the list of world records in athletics progression in the 50K run, as recognised by World Athletics. The 50K run was introduced as a world record event in July 2021 during the federation's Council meeting in Tokyo.
The 2022 Berlin Marathon was the 48th edition of the annual marathon race in Berlin, which took place on Sunday, 25 September 2022. An Elite Platinum Label marathon, it was the first of four World Marathon Majors events to be held over the span of six weeks. 45,527 runners with 34,879 finishers from 157 countries have taken part in the event.
The Breaking Barriers 50km is an annual road-based ultramarathon hosted by Gqeberha, South Africa, since 2021. The ultramarathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. As of the 2023 race, a new 50K world record has been set every year the race has been held.
