Without taking Vietnam Mountain Marathon into account — due to a major course change in 2025 — a total of 18 records have been broken. Even with some route adjustments caused by external circumstances, the number of records set this season is something unheard of in most World Trail Majors races
Both the high level of competitiveness — driven by better training, planning, nutrition, and equipment — and the inclusion of these races in a global circuit are seen as the main reasons behind this significant increase in performance
Trail running is progressing at a speed that is surprising even the experts in this sport. Better preparation, better choice of calendar, and better equipment are resulting in greater competitiveness, incredible pace, and spectacular sporting performances. 2025 is seeing countless World Trail Majors records being broken in a year that is exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts.
It is true that in trail running, changing conditions mean that records must always be taken with a pinch of salt, as must small changes to the route. But it is also clear that a level of perfection in preparation and knowledge is being reached that helps to improve performance. That said, the World Trail Majors season is proving exciting, and the two remaining races, the Grampians Peaks Trail 100 Miler and the RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town, promise to be two very interesting events and a perfect reflection of the evolution in this sport.
We share some thoughts from coaches, race directors, and runners on why times are getting faster.
Why are times getting faster?
For Robbie Britton, Head of Endurance at Centurion Running and coach to some of the world’s top runners, one reason records fell at South Downs Way 100 was the level of competition: “There has been an increase in competition at the front end due to being part of the World Trail Majors, although we still have the records held by Brits… so far.”
One of the runners Robbie coaches is Hayden Hawks, who shared: “There are a lot of reasons why times are getting faster at races like Black Canyon Ultras and every other race and it is exciting! More competition, better nutrition, better footwear and gear, more innovation from brands, more brand support, more access to training resources and training/racing tips, better cooling techniques, and much more! This shows that our sport is growing and getting more professional and that is exciting to me.”
For Robyn Lesh who ran Black Canyon Ultras, there are two key reasons for faster times: “Firstly: fuelling, for sure in racing, but also in training, which theoretically enables faster recovery and a higher training intensity week on week. Secondly, specifically for the women, we are all raising the bar for each other! A few women are breaking the boundaries and we are learning we can too.”
The organizers perspective
Races sometimes must adapt to the environmental impact or changes in terrain, such as in the cases of MIUT with fires or Hong Kong with landslides. Hong Kong 100 Ultra Marathon, co-race director Steve Brammar attributed the falling records to perfect conditions and great performances in 2025. “Some slight course changes may have helped too,” he added. “Our course records fell this year in the 100km due to the level of athletes running the race. Runmaya Budha took the women’s record, while JianJian Yang took the men’s.”
Live streaming of races has allowed us to see some very interesting battles in events such as Black Canyon Ultras, with its consistently high level of fast American runners; The North Face Transgrancanaria, where Caleb Olson served as the “pacemaker” for Jonathan Albon and Josh Wade; and the increasingly competitive Swiss Canyon Trail by Kailas Fuga, which has become a 100 km “sprint.”
There is another factor besides nutrition, lightweight packs, or carbon plated shoes. Competing against the best runners on a high-level competitive series. The World Trail Majors factor certainly played a key part in attracting runners to races, The level of competition has increased in some of the races, as can be seen recently in Vietnam Mountain Marathon. In the 100km, “we had a great battle in the men’s race, with Ngo Van Chinh taking the record. Chinh is a local runner from Sapa who knows the trails well and he had prepared extremely diligently,” commented race director David Lloyd. “On the women’s side, we expected the record to fall with the participation of Wenfei Xie who set the record and is now also in provisional third place for the overall World Trail Majors Series leaderboard.”
18 records have been broken so far! These included Seth Ruhling beating Hayden Hawks’ record by 5 minutes in the Black Canyons Ultras; Jennifer Lichter beating The North Face Transgracanaria Short Series record by 8 minutes and Francesco Puppi beating the record too by 2 minutes; and Mark Darbyshire and Lucy Gossage both beating the South Downs Way 100 record by 20 minutes, among others.
What can we expect at the end of the season?
Two fabulous races, for sure. Caleb Olson, winner of The North Face Transgrancanaria, along with Man Yee Cheung, winner at Fuji, will be at Grampians Peaks Trail. Unfortunately Maryline Nakache would not attend as she broke an arm few weeks ago.
And for the final event in South Africa, RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town, Sunmaya Budha, Rammaya Budha and Joaquín López are expected to participate, all of whom are winners of World Trail Majors’ races this year and are preparing for their second race with full dedication. There is also €82,500 to be distributed among the best.
Would anyone be surprised if records were broken? The final races of the World Trail Majors are going to be exciting.
World Trail Majors’ provisional rankings
Provisional rankings (10/12): https://worldtrailmajors.com/ranking-2025/
About World Trail Majors
Established in 2024, World Trail Majors is a non-profit association formed by twelve independent trail running races with the aim of promoting the sport in a diverse, sustainable, and respectful way that aims to safeguard the original spirit of Trail/Ultra running. The association is formed by Hong Kong 100, Black Canyon Ultras, The North Face Transgrancanaria, Mt. FUJI 100, MIUT – Madeira Island Ultra-Trail, Swiss Canyon Trail by Fuga Trail, South Downs Way 100, Quebec Mega Trail, Grand Raid des Pyrenees, Vietnam Mountain Marathon presented by Kailas Fuga, Grampians Peaks Trail 100 Miler, and RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town.