An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres. The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running.
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.
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.
Sara Hall is a professional American distance runner for ASICS. 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 ever to 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.
Ellie Greenwood is a British and Canadian ultramarathon runner. She is a four-time 100km World Champion, winning both individual and team titles in 2010 and 2014. She won the 90 km Comrades Marathon in South Africa in 2014, becoming the first British woman to win the race. Greenwood is also a former champion and course record holder for the Canadian Death Race, Western States 100, and the JFK 50 Mile Run.
Sage Clifton Read Canaday is an American long-distance runner and ultramarathoner.
Ruth Chepng'etich is a Kenyan road runner who is the current women's world record holder in the marathon, with a time of 2:09:56 set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Chepng'etich is the 2019 world champion in the marathon, and is a three time winner of the Chicago Marathon, having won in 2021, 2022 and 2024, where she set the world record. She is the first woman to break the 2:11 and 2:10 barriers in the marathon, and also holds the third-fastest mark of all time for the half marathon, at 1 hour 4 minutes and 2 seconds.
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.
Jacky Hunt-Broersma is an American amputee ultramarathon runner who was born and raised in South Africa. Hunt-Broersma lost her leg to Ewing sarcoma in 2001 when she was 26 years old. She started running in 2016. She quickly progressed from running 5 km races to running ultramarathons.
Keira D'Amato is an American distance runner. She is the American half marathon record holder with a time of 1:06:39 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.
