The 36-year-old 50-mile record fell to Jim Walmsley running in a pair of HOKA ONE ONE’s Project Carbon X, a shoe release focused on breaking road running records.
A dozen HOKA athletes, all striding in the same pair of shoes, pounded the pavement Saturday in Folsom, Calif., each of them focused on setting records. Dubbed Project Carbon X, the event was part athletic endeavor — the 100km course received USA Track and Field (USATF) approval and was eligible for IAAF world record status — and part publicity stunt for HOKA’s upcoming racing shoe, the Carbon X.
And while the coveted 100km record eluded the HOKA fleet, 29-year-old American Jim Walmsley managed to take down the 50-mile record set by Bruce Fordyce in 1983. Walmsley eked past Fordyce’s 4-hour, 50-minute, 21-second mark with a new record time of 4 hours, 50 minutes, 7 seconds.
“The first 20 miles felt really flowy, and Tyler pushing the pace helped make it all possible,” Walmsley said, referring to fellow HOKA Project Carbon X runner Tyler Andrews. “I had a little bit of everything out there, a surge, a pickup, definitely some deep digging, and then a little blowup. But it feels super positive overall. I can’t complain; for us, the 50-mile world record was almost as important as the 100K, though I’d like to take a shot at that in the future.”