Top 25 most inspirational men ultra runners of 2024

(Photo by Cody Bare)

By Henry Howard

The trail and ultra running scene was packed with memorable moments for male runners in 2024. A once-unthinkable course record at an historic 100-miler was taken down, a shoe designer won a major race, masters athletes demonstrate their prowess and much more.

The athletes who achieved those successes are among those who I’m honoring in my seventh annual most inspirational ultra runners list of the year. Or rather, make that lists.

Like last year, the 2024 list is actually two — one for the most inspirational males and another for the most inspiring females, which you can find here. Nonbinary runners will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

To see previous versions of the list, check out last year’s most inspirational women ultra runners here and the most inspirational on the men’s side at this link. The 2022 compilation here, the 2021 list here, the 2020 version here, this one from 2019 and the first installment in 2018.

And now on to the top 25 most inspirational men ultra runners of 2024 in alphabetical order:

(Photo by Mark B. Griffith)

Greg Bergeron: Imagine learning that in just 16 hours you would be running your dream race, the Western States 100. That’s precisely what happened to Bergeron, who was picked off the wait list after another entrant did not show up at packet pickup. He not only was the last runner selected off the wait list but Bergeron was among the 60 runners who crossed the line in the Golden Hour. Perhaps even more inspiring is his journey to become a runner. “I just didn't want to be fat anymore,” he says in this story about his transformation that began in 1998. “So I used running to get in shape and I ended up losing about 50 pounds over four or five months. And then I started running more and more.”

Matthieu Bonne: The Belgian endurance athlete ran 650.146 miles (1,046.31 kilometers) at the 2024 GOMU-EMU 6-Day World Championships in Hungary to break Yiannis Kouros’s record, which was set nearly 20 years earlier. The event was held on a flat paved surface. Bonne is no stranger to multi-day endurance events. He also ran the Marathon des Sables in 2018, swam the English Channel and excelled in ultra-distance cycling. A quote on his website serves as an inspiration to many a visitor and ultra athletes. “The common path is safest, but the road untraveled is what makes life worth living.”

Vincent Bouillard: It would be a movie if it wasn’t so unbelievable. Bouillard won this year’s UTMB, wearing a pair of Hokas he played a role in developing. And not as a sponsored athlete. Bouillard works full-time for Hoka as a senior manager of product engineering with the innovation team. He must know what he’s doing since he now has the third-fastest time in UTMB history, trailing Jim Walmsley’s record from a year ago, 19:37:43, and Kilian Jornet’s 19:49:30 from 2022.

Teddy Bross: We’ll get to David Roche and his course record at the Leadville 100, where he debuted at the distance. But his pacer, Bross, is also deserving to be on this list. Bross accompanied Roche for the final 38 miles, keeping him on pace and focused while letting him also glow in the spotlight. In an interview shortly after the historic day, Bross shared his story and perspective. “One of the coolest things I witnessed initially with David was his ability to stay calm, composed and collected, even though he was dehydrated.” Bross is also a competitive ultra runner, finishing fourth at Bighorn and sixth at Wasatch during 2024.

Jeff Browning: Age is just a number for Browning — aka Bronco Billy. Few ultra runners in the grand masters category (50 and older) are capable of what Browning can do. While his second-place finish at the Cocodona 250 must have been bittersweet, it was still an incredible performance. Browning started 2024 with a victory at the Coldwater Rumble 100-miler and other notable races included his fourth-place finish at the High Lonesome 100. Another impressive year for a 50something who shared his secret for masters athletes with me.

Jamil Coury: Ultra runner, race director, ambassador for the sport. And now the publisher of Ultrarunning Magazine. Coury is, of course, the driving force behind Aravaipa Running, its races and the modernization of live coverage for our sport. It’s hard to imagine ultra running without Coury’s influence. As a longtime journalist and writer, I am excited to see how Coury shapes the future for Ultrarunning Magazine. And looking ahead to the immediate future, Coury’s 2025 calendar looks epic. He has the Cocodona 250 in May, Western States in late June a return to Hardrock two weeks later.                

Kyle Curtin: One big effort lands Curtin on this annual list, his Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Colorado Trail. The trail, which runs 500 miles from Denver to Durango, travels through some of the most spectacular country in Colorado, through six wilderness areas and eight mountain ranges. There are multiple variations of the Colorado Trail FKT but Curtin set the East to West Collegiate West version in a time of six days, 15 hours and eight minutes, eclipsing the previous mark by more than two days. What also made the effort special is that he raised over $6,000 for Big City Mountaineers, a non-profit group seeking to get youth out into the wilderness. Curtin, who also finished second at the Hellbender 100-miler, is on the starting list to make his Hardrock debut in 2025.

Gene Dykes: There is a good chance that the 76-year-old is the most prolific racer of the year with 43 finishes. And these races are not just your neighborhood 5Ks. Dykes, who raced in three countries, set the age group record for the Boston Marathon, completed three races in Australia and won five national championships. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview him for this story, where I learned about how he get started, his unique approach to training and his success in another sport.

Rod Farvard: I appreciate his post-race blogs as they give the reader a valuable connection with the athlete. The one Farvard wrote after his second-place finish at Western States included this gem, “The number one thing I’ve learned this season is that you cannot wait for the race to come to you.” But before he was able to enter Western, he needed a Golden Ticket. After falling short at Black Canyon, he regrouped and won the Canyons 100K to get in. And he did not let the opportunity go to waste at Western States. His back and forth battle with the legendary Jim Walmsley will be remembered for a long time. They will both return for the 2025 race in a stacked men’s field that also included Hayden Hawks, David Roche and other elites. (And after all, Farvard is “all in” for ultras.)

Hayden Hawks: It’s safe to say that Hawks has fully rebounded from a knee injury several years back. His cumulative performance in 2024 is outstanding, starting with a first-place showing at the Black Canyon 100K, then finishing third at the super competitive Western States and winning CCC in August. His Western States time of 14:24:31 was just 16 seconds behind Rod Farvard and the fourth-fastest in course history. It’s also worth noting that a calf injury after Black Canyon limited his buildup to Western States. It will be interesting to see what a completely healthy Hawks can do at Western States in 2025.

Eli Hemming: While Hemming focused mainly on the sub-ultra distance before this year, his performance indicates we may be seeing something special coming soon. Early in 2024, he took first place at the Black Canyon 60K in February, the Big Alta 50K two weeks later and the Canyons 50K in April. He also became the first American male to win OCC over the summer and faded late in the JFK 50 but still placed a respectable fifth, just over five minutes out of second. He will step up to the 100K distance at Black Canyon in February with a potential Golden Ticket in the waiting.

Jake Jackson: Scrolling through Jackson’s UltraSignup page could give one carpal tunnel syndrome. In 2024, he started out by winning the Coldwater Rumble 100K, then took second in the Black Canyon Ultras 100-Mile Challenge (back-to-back 100K and 60K races) and took fifth in the Jackpot Ultras 100-miler — all of which took place between Jan. 20 and Feb. 16. Jackson’s other finishes included the Cocodona 250, fourth at Javelina Jundred 100K, and top five performances in both the 100-miler and 24-hour events at Desert Solstice. He works full-time but manages to be a shining light on the ultra running community. We chatted a few years — and many miles — ago about his ultra running, positive vibe and more.

Andy Jones-Wilkins: Joyfully and loudly serving as the pre-eminent ambassador of the sport, Jones-Wilkins regularly shows up on podcasts, volunteers at events (ever see a former NFL player directing traffic at the Super Bowl?) and more. While his fastest days are behind him, AJW has resumed ultra running after several hip surgeries. In 2024, he finished at least six ultras, including the Javelina Jundred, his first 100-mile race since Bighorn in 2021. In 2025, he will have his eyes focused on the Cocodona 250, as a tribute to his late friend Rob Martin. You can learn more about the tribute, life in general and ultra running on his Crack a Brew with AJW podcast. The podcast, launched in 2023, quickly became a must-listen for ultra runners of all experience levels.

Kilian Jornet: The GOAT of ultra running regularly does the unthinkable. But this year’s mind-blowing Fastest Known Time (FKT) somehow goes above and beyond his normal achievements. He set the European Alps 82 4000ers FKT, climbing all 82 peaks over 4,000 meters in the European Alps. The route was 1,207 kilometers (750 miles) long and had 75,344 meters (247,000 feet) of elevation gain. How did he get from one mountain to the next? He cycled, because of course he did. The 19-day, 16-hour adventure was 10 days longer than any of his previous 16 FKTs. Oh, he also won two 50Ks, at Zegama and Sierre-Zinal.

Anton Krupicka: On Aug. 31, the popular ultra runner practically sprinted the LA Freeway, a 34-mile traverse of the Continental Divide, setting the male unsupported FKT by more than four hours. His time is also 3 ½ hours faster than the supported record. Three weeks later, Krupicka finished second at the Grindstone 100 in what looks to be only his second 100-miler since 2015. (He took third at the Leadville 100 in 2021.) Who knows what Krupicka has planned for 2025? But we’ll be eagerly awaiting what he has in store, whether that is an epic mountain bike escapade, another mind-blowing FKT or taking a shot at another 100-miler.

Finn Melanson: I found the Single Track podcast soon after he launched it in June 2021 and instantly became a fan. Looking back at our interview soon after the podcast launch, Melanson’s goals were clear. “What goals do you have for Single Track,?” I asked. After a pause and an audible exhale, Melanson then told me, “I would love to do this full time. If we talked six months from today, I would hope this would be my No. 1 thing. I would be completely devoted to being a media outlet in the sport.” I don’t recall whether he hit the six-month goal. But he’s been hitting on all cylinders since then, leading meaningful conversations about the sport, creating a race in his beloved Utah and finding time to fulfill his own running adventures.

Austin Meyer: Sports, storytelling and family are at the core of Meyer, who played soccer growing up and eventually for Stanford University. Now, he juggles a career as a talented documentary filmmaker, his sport of ultra running and more. He also caught my attention because of his values associated with his decision to go vegan. “It was this moment of sitting back and reflecting about where I was at in life,” he told me in an interview for this story. “I think having that space apart from my identity back home made me open to reflecting on my life and seeing how I'm living my life's values from a more objective point of view.”

Rajpaul Pannu: I’ve enjoyed watching Pannu grow each year as an ultra runner since he burst on to the scene several years ago. In past years, he found success largely at the 50K and 50-mile distances with a few strong performances at 100Ks, like his second-place finish at the Hoka Carbon X2 Project. In 2024, however, he moved up in distance without missing a beat. In his first 100-miler in February, he went sub-12 hours to win the Jackpot Ultras USATF National Championships. Other notable finishes were his victory at the 100K Desert Rats and fourth-place finish at the highly competitive Javelina Jundred 100-miler. To understand how far Pannu has come one needs to learn about his journey from overcoming weight and sedentary issues during his teen years. We went into that subject for this story a few years ago.

Adam Peterman: Don’t call it a comeback, as LL Cool J advised. It was encouraging to see Peterman return to competitive ultra running after an injury essentially shut him down for all of 2023, which followed a string of successes a year earlier. In 2024, he finished strong, taking third at both the Broken Arrow 46K and CCC. He seems to have take a less (racing) is more approach since the injury. As he told me in this interview, “I'm definitely going to change some things going forward, and hopefully it leads to a healthier and more consistent version of myself.” Regardless of what other races he adds in 2025, it will be refreshing to see him back on the start line for Western States in June.

Ludovic Pommeret: As winning times in competitive ultra races get faster seemingly each year, it would seem that it is a young person’s game. Don’t count out the almost 50-year-old Pommeret yet. In 2024, he nailed a dominant win and course record at Hardrock and about seven weeks later placed fifth at UTMB. In 2025, he’ll be back at Hardrock, going the other way. Will we see a repeat?

David Roche: What can I say about my coach? His 2024 had more ups and downs than the Leadville 100, where he broke the longstanding course record during his 100-mile debut. But before he succeeded at Leadville, he dealt with a horrifying bike accident that left him bruised but not broken, as well as some social media bullying due to his connection with Spring Energy. Through it all, he chose love, relentless positivity and kindness. And perhaps that’s why the end of the year smiled upon him. And it wasn’t just the victories at Leadville and the Javelina Jundred. It was welcoming a new son, Ollie into the family the day after Christmas. (How Roche got into coaching.)

David Sinclair: It was a record-setting year for Sinclair, as he grabbed the distinctions at the JFK 50-miler and Speedgoat 50K. In November, Sinclair took 10 minutes off the JFK record with a time of 5:08:26. Over the summer Sinclair finished Speedgoat in 4:57:35, breaking the previous course record of 5:04:31 set by Adam Peterman in 2021. Sinclair also took first at Broken Arrow 46K by 10 minutes over the runnerup. It will be interesting to see if Sinclair decides to stay in the 50K/50-mile ultra range or if he transitions to longer, perhaps competitive, ultras in the coming year.

Jim Walmsley: His victory in 14:13:45 at Western States was his fourth win and the second best time on the course. Walmsley also has three of the top six and four of the 10 best finishes ever. Unfortunately, Walmsley did not come out of Western healthy and primed for a legitimate shot at repeating his victory at UTMB, where he ended up being among the notable runners with a DNF. In a year-end post on Instagram, the elite runner acknowledged the injury-plagued year but looked toward a bright future. “Wrap up… this year has definitely had speed bumps, but looking back, it’s been a fun one. Disappointment with injuries and not racing as much as I’d like, but it’s been time to pump the brakes, reset, and refocus. I’m starting to feel better with where things are at body and mind, and I’m trying to keep that momentum rolling forward. Thanks for all the support this year!”

Coree Woltering: You won’t see popular races like Western States or UTMB on Woltering’s 2024 calendar. He picked up a few victories at lower key races but for the most part stayed out of high-profile races. Woltering, an active advocate within the LGBTQ+ community, promotes inclusivity and positive change on the trails. In the past few years, he has also led by example when it comes to sobriety. Distancing himself from alcohol has been transformative.  “I used to not like routine or structure, but I actually enjoy it now. I focus more on consistency in daily life and training — rather than epicness,” he told Outside Online for this story.

Yaboy Scott Jurek: I tend not to follow parody accounts but make an exception for this one. On Instagram, yaboyscottjurek delivers consistently hilarious takes on the sport we all love. His targets have previously included elite athletes, Dylan Bowman, Altra shoes, Hammer Nutrition and others. This one and also this take are among my personal favorites from the past year.

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