At first, the results of this weekend’s 100-mile ultramarathon in Henderson, Nev., seemed clear. Rajpaul Pannu, a 33-year-old runner sponsored by HOKA, had set a new course record in the 2025 USATF 100-mile Road Championships, breaking the finish line tape with an impressive time of 11:52:46.
He’d even set a new personal best from the previous year, when Pannu also came in first place.
It was only when spectators watched a livestream of the Jackpot Ultras that one of them spotted a problem with Pannu’s shoes: They were too big.
Apparently, Pannu was using the HOKA Skyward X, a trainer with a massive 48mm stack height in the heel. That puts the shoe 8 mm over the USATF competition rules for acceptable running shoes. After initially giving Pannu the win over the weekend, race organizer Aravaipa Running disqualified Pannu’s win, moving his participation to an “open result.”
“We recognize that this is an unfortunate situation, and we acknowledge Rajpaul’s incredible performance,” the group said in an Instagram post. “However, as a USATF National Championship event, we are committed to upholding the standards set forth in the rulebook to ensure fair and consistent competition for all athletes.”
Runner Claims Ignorance
