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The Long Trail is the race everyone circles on the World Championships calendar. Eighty-one kilometers, more than 5,000 meters of climbing, and a course that climbs straight out of Canfranc into the teeth of the Pyrenees. It’s long enough to break bodies, technical enough to punish lapses, and high enough to test lungs even before the racing starts.
On Saturday, the Pyrenees gave us what we expected. Katie Schide and Jim Walmsley—two Americans who have made winning look routine—stood on top at the end. Both claimed individual golds in commanding fashion. And while the team medals told a different story, it was still a day that may stand as one of the best in U.S. trail running history.
Schide: A Career of Consistency, Another Statement
Katie Schide’s resume over the last two years looks almost fictional. A win at Western States in 2024. A course-record victory at UTMB later that summer. A crushing margin at Hardrock 100 this July. She followed that by finishing runner-up at Sierre-Zinal, a short-course classic, just three weeks later. It’s not just the wins, but the range.
The Long Trail at Worlds sat neatly in the middle of that range—81 kilometers, shorter than her 100-mile dominance, longer than her August detour into a sub-three-hour mountain race. From the gun, she made it hers.
By 15k she already had close to a five-minute cushion. By halfway, it was 20 minutes. And by the time she crested Peyrenère at 59k, the lead had grown beyond 30. She never faltered. She never looked back. She finished alone, smiling, and untouchable in 9:57:59, under the predicted 10-hour benchmark and nearly 25 minutes clear of the next woman.
Behind her, Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha ran the race of her life, pulling away from Italy’s Fabiola Conti over the final 20 kilometers to take silver in 10:23:03. Conti held on for bronze in 10:35:51. Canada’s Jazmine Lowther delivered one of the day’s great comebacks, climbing from 29th at 15k to finish fourth in 10:45:18. Rosa Lara of Spain rounded out the top five.
In the team standings, Italy’s women took gold, with the United States second and France third. Schide’s brilliance carried the Americans onto the podium, but once again Worlds proved that three across the line matter more than one at the front.
Walmsley: Another Gear, Another Gold
Jim Walmsley has built a career on audacity—racing at the front, dictating pace, and daring others to follow. On Saturday, he played his hand the same way, and once again, nobody could match him when it counted.
The early kilometers saw him trading strides with France’s Benjamin Roubiol and Louison Coiffet, and Sweden’s Petter Engdahl. By 30k, the lead group had narrowed to Walmsley, Roubiol, and Coiffet. Engdahl slipped back, and Italy’s Cristian Minoggio began to climb through the field.
The key move came in the long, isolated stretch between Col d’Ayous at 47k and Peyrenère at 59k. Walmsley surged. Coiffet held within a minute, but Roubiol slid more than six minutes adrift. By Candanchú at 65k, Walmsley’s gap had doubled, and from there he simply ran away. He broke the tape in 8:35:11, nearly 11 minutes clear of the chasers.
Behind him, Roubiol regrouped, linking back up with Coiffet. The French pair ran in tandem to the finish, crossing together in 8:46:05 and splitting the silver. Minoggio continued his consistent rise to finish fourth in 8:57:16, while Slovakia’s Peter Fraňo rounded out the top five in 9:01:37.
Adam Peterman gave the U.S. a second top-10 finish, closing in eighth at 9:18:36. Francesco Puppi of Italy, winner of CCC just weeks earlier, climbed from 49th to finish ninth. France’s Vincent Bouillard, the 2024 UTMB champion, was tenth.
For the men’s team medals, France’s depth told the story. With Roubiol and Coiffet both on the podium and Bouillard and Chassagne close behind, they secured gold. The U.S. men, lifted by Walmsley and Peterman, claimed silver. Italy, led by Minoggio, earned bronze.
A Landmark Day for the U.S.
The headlines will read the same on both sides: Americans Katie Schide and Jim Walmsley are the Long Trail World Champions. That hasn’t happened before—a sweep for the U.S. in the longest race of the Championships.
But the bigger picture is more nuanced. France still walked away with both men’s and women’s team golds. Italy’s women were strong enough across three finishers to beat the Americans even on a day when Schide was untouchable. The U.S. teams took silver, a step forward but also a reminder: stars alone can’t win at Worlds.
Even so, it was a day to remember. Schide made dominance look routine. Walmsley raced with his trademark aggression, then delivered on it. And for U.S. trail running, two gold medals at the centerpiece of the Championships mark a milestone that will stand for a long time.
