Articles by UltraRunning Magazine

Katie Schide is the women’s 2024 World UltraRunner of the Year. Schide won both of the world’s most competitive trail races – UTMB and Western States – and set a course record in her win at UTMB. Her winning time at Western States was the second-fastest in race history. She also won the highly competitive Canyons by UTMB 100k. A native of Maine, Schide lives in Isola, Alps-Maritimes, France, with her partner, French ultrarunner Germain Grangier.

Matthieu Bonne is the men’s 2024 World UltraRunner of the Year. Bonne set a new men’s six-day record of 1045.519k (649.655 miles) at the GOMU-EMU 6-day at Balatonfüred, Hungary, breaking the 2005 record held by the legendary Yiannis Kouros. He set a Belgian 24-hour record in Trasna Na Uaireanta in Ireland, posting a total of 275.25k (171.03 miles). In addition to setting world records as an ultrarunner, Bonne is a record-setting endurance cyclist and open-water swimmer, and lives in the town of Bredene on the Belgian coast.

Hayden Hawks is second in the balloting for the men’s World UltraRunner of the Year. The former Southern Utah University track star won Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) 101k in the Alps. This was a highlight in a year that also saw a close third-place finish at Western States 100 and a course-record win at Black Canyon 100k in Arizona. Hawks lives in Canyon City, Utah, with his wife, Ashley, and their two children.

Courtney Dauwalter is second for the women in the World UltraRunner of the Year voting. Dauwalter won five ultras in five different countries on three continents, setting course records at both Hardrock 100 and Mt. Fuji 100. In any other year, this would likely have been more than good enough to earn top honors, but 2024 was an unusual year. There was very little head-to-head competition—of the 11 women who received votes for World UROY, seven of them were undefeated in 2024. Dauwalter lives in Leadville, Colorado, with her husband, Kevin Schmidt.

Jasmin Paris was voted third in the 2024 World UltraRunner of the Year balloting. Paris ran only one race during the year, but it was a doozy. She was the first woman (and only the 20th runner in the event’s 38-year history) to complete all five laps of the Barkley Marathons and finish under the 60-hour cutoff. She finished in a dead sprint with only 99 seconds to spare. Paris is a veterinarian and is a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. She lives in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, with her husband, Konrad Rawlik, and their two children.

Vincent Bouillard is third in the 2024 World UltraRunner of the Year voting for the men. Bouillard won UTMB in a major upset, breaking 20 hours in his first UTMB attempt and only his second 100-miler (he won Kodiak by UTMB in Southern California in 2023). He was also the first unsponsored runner to win UTMB in 20 years. In his only other 2024 race, Bouillard placed fifth at the 94k La Maxi Race. He works full time as a senior manager in product engineering for HOKA and won UTMB wearing a pair of shoes that he helped develop. He lives in Annecy, France, with his wife, Kamilah

Hayden Hawks is the 2024 UltraRunner of the Year for the men. Hawks won the prestigious Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) 101k race on Mont Blanc and also won and set a course record at the highly competitive Black Canyon 100k. Hawks lives in the southern Utah town of Cedar City, with his wife, Ashley, and their two children.

Katie Schide is the 2024 UltraRunner of the Year for the women. Schide won both of the world’s most competitive trail races – UTMB and Western States – and set a course record in her win at UTMB. Her winning time at Western States was the second-fastest in race history. She also won a highly competitive Canyons by UTMB 100k. A native of Maine, Schide lives in Isola, Alps-Maritimes, France, with her partner, French ultrarunner Germain Grangier.

David Roche is second among the men in the 2024 UROY voting. Roche broke Matt Carpenter’s long-standing course record at the Leadville Trail 100 and also won the Javelina Jundred 100-miler as well as the Silver Rush 50. A former environmental attorney, he is now a full-time coach and author. Roche lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Megan, and their two children.

Courtney Dauwalter is second in this year’s UROY voting. A five-time winner of the award, she won all five races she entered in 2024, including setting course records at both Mt. Fuji 100 and Hardrock 100. She has been undefeated in ultras since 2019. The Hopkins, Minnesota, native lives in Leadville, Colorado, with her husband, Kevin Schmidt.

David Sinclair placed 3rd in the 2024 UROY voting. Widely considered a mountain runner, Sinclair posted a spectacular course record at the flat and fast JFK 50. He burnished his mountain credentials by winning both the Broken Arrow Skyrace and the Speedgoat 50k, where he also set a course record. A native of Vermont and a 2:16 marathoner, Sinclair is a ski coach in the Lake Tahoe area.

Rachel Drake is the 3rd-ranked woman for 2024. Her running year was highlighted by a course-record win at the JFK 50, becoming the first woman to break 6 hours in the 62-year history of the race. She also won the Black Canyon 100k and placed 8th at Western States. A native of Minnesota, Drake also finished her medical degree during the year. She and her husband, Tyler Green, and their two-year-old son, Lewis, moved from Portland, Oregon, to Salt Lake City this year, where she is now a medical resident.

Rod Farvard is the 4th-ranked man for 2024. He placed second at Western States, posting the third-best time ever. He also set a course record in winning the Canyons by UTMB 100k. Originally from the San Francisco suburb of Moraga, Farvard now lives in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Emily Hawgood and Megan Eckert tied for 4th place in the women’s voting for 2024, each receiving 195 votes. Hawgood finished fourth at Western States – posting a 38-minute PR in her fourth consecutive top 10 finish. She was also sixth at UTMB. A native of Zimbabwe, Hawgood now lives in Roseville, California.

Megan Eckert and Emily Hawgood tied for 4th place in the women’s voting for 2024, each receiving 195 votes. Eckert had an incredible 10 ultra finishes in 2024, highlighted by the assist at Big’s Backyard, where she posted a women’s world best of 362.5 miles. Showing great versatility, she also won the Angeles Crest 100 and posted 153 miles in 24 hours at Desert Solstice in December. A middle school teacher and cross-country coach, Eckert lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband, Joe.