Jim Walmsley needs no introduction. But for the uninitiated, let’s do one anyway. The American ultra runner has won some of the , including Western States on four occasions and the UTMB in 2023.
He holds men’s course records for both and held the fastest time for a 50-mile run in history between 2019 and 2023, plus more besides. As well as these stratospheric highs, he’s also experienced some crushing lows. In 2016, he was all set to win his first 100-miler at Western States, breaking the course record into the bargain, only to take a wrong turn.
The next year, he DNFed in the blistering heat. However, these experiences have only made him stronger in the long run (no pun intended). His motivation and drive are such that he relocated to the Alps with his wife, Jessica Brazeau, just to prime himself to achieve his obsession of winning the UTMB.
He thrives on “isolating other runners”, getting to be one-on-one with competitors and then finding that extra edge that takes him to victory. In this feature, one of our trail running experts looks at Walmsley’s incredible career and the moments that have shaped him into the all-conquering champion he is today. Walmsley was born in Phoenix, Arizona on January 17, 1990.
His talent for running was obvious during his teens. At the age of 17, he won every race on his way to becoming Arizona’s cross country state champion. He attended the Air Force Academy between 2008 and 2012, graduated, but was then discharged and relocated .