Jim Walmsley (born January 17, 1990) is an American

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

runner. An ultra-trail specialist, his wins include the

JFK 50 Mile The JFK 50 Mile or the JFK 50 Mile Memorial is an ultramarathon that takes place annually in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The first race was held on 30 March 1963, one of numerous races that year. After the Kennedy assassination, ma ...

in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lake Sonoma 50 in 2016 and 2018, the

Tarawera Ultramarathon Tarawera Ultramarathon is a trail running event which includes a 21km, 50km, 102km and a 100-mile ultramarathon trail race, with the inaugural even held in 2009, it is part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour. It is held annually in February and takes pl ...

in 2017, and the

Western States 100 The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. The race starts ...

in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He holds several course records and

fastest known time A fastest known time (FKT) is the speed record for a running or hiking route. Unlike most endurance sports competitions such as marathon world records, FKTs are self-organized and done alone or in small groups. FKTs are most popular on long trails ...

s, including the Western States 100, set in 2018 and further improved by 21 minutes in 2019. Sponsored by

Hoka One One Hoka One One (stylized as HOKA) is an athletic shoe company originating in Annecy, France that designs and markets running shoes. The brand first gained attention in the running industry by producing shoes with oversized outsoles, dubbed "maximal ...

, Walmsley was named UltraRunner of the Year for four years in a row - 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In addition, he qualified and ran in the 2020 Olympic trials in the marathon with his 2019 qualifying performance at the Houston half-marathon. While competing in the Hoka One One Project Carbon X 100K Challenge on May 5, 2019 he set a new world best for the 50 mile distance, completing it in 4:50:07 (besting Bruce Fordyce's previous 36-year old record by 14 seconds). Walmsley won the

World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships (from 2004 up to 2014 the name was World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge), is an annual international mountain running competition organised by the World Mountain Running Association ( ...

in 2019.World Athletics: Walmsley and Simion take Long Course Titles at World Mountain Running Championships.
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Career

High school

Walmsley attended Horizon High School in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. In his senior year in 2007, he became Arizona's Division 5A-II cross country state champion, winning every race he ran in, and was named Runner of the Year. He finished 23rd in the national championships that year.

College

He considered attending

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, Georgetown,

Iona College Iona University is a private Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochelle and a campus of in Bronxville, ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

, eventually choosing the latter. During his 4 years there, from 2008 to 2012, he ran cross country and also took part in the

5000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

, and

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. In 2012, as the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the cross country and long-distance running teams, his best times were 4:04 for the mile, 13:52 for 5000m, 29:08 for 10000m and 8:41 for the 3000m steeplechase.

Achievements

Records

References

External links

Jim Walmsley Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walmsley, Jim 1990 births Living people American male long-distance runners American male ultramarathon runners Track and field athletes from Arizona World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships winners Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Sportspeople from Scottsdale, Arizona