Running

Running

The San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, which has its 20th running this weekend, is like a progressive music festival with more than a dozen bands on pop-up stages around town. The only catch is you have to run 13.1 miles to hear them all. But nearly 5,000 people did just that last year - along with another 3,700 who participated in the accompanying 5K and 10K runs - so there must be something about the music that gets legs pumping.

Jornet's adventure, dubbed States of Elevation, involves climbing all the 14,000-foot peaks in the Lower 48 and traveling between them by foot and bicycle. He climbed 56 Colorado mountains in 16 days this month, then bicycled nearly 900 miles to the Eastern Sierra to take on California's highest. In three days starting on Sept. 24, he hit the summits of Norman's 13, setting what is expected to be confirmed as the fastest known time for a supported trek of the high-altitude route.

Settle in, we've got a lot to talk about. It doesn't get much bigger than this past week and weekend. The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, The Bear 100 Mile, and the Mammoth 200 Mile were among the many races, and we've got all the quick-hit highlights here. For deeper race recaps, you can check out our race coverage from earlier in the week: World Mountain Running Championships Uphill - Canfranc, Spain

Ciele Athletics, the performance-driven running brand out of Montreal, has dropped its latest capsule, Nite Rite - a six-piece lineup designed specifically for athletes who train between dusk and dawn. With reflective detailing engineered for maximum visibility, the collection ensures that runners can safely log miles during early-morning sessions, late-night workouts, and the short, dim days of winter. The Nite Rite capsule is a testament to Ciele's mission: marrying performance and style through innovation.

The Puma Velocity Nitro has quietly become one of the most reliable daily trainers in the running world, and with the release of version 4, Puma isn't looking to reinvent the wheel-they're just making it roll smoother. Billed as the most versatile shoe in Puma's line-up, the Velocity Nitro 4 is designed to handle just about anything you throw at it, from easy recovery runs to weekend long efforts and even a bit of uptempo work.

When it comes to running shoe technology, Brooks is normally a follower rather than a trendsetter. Nike, Puma, New Balance, Saucony and even Skechers started using supercritical midsole foams years before Brooks joined in on the fun. Brooks' first innovative shoe was the Aurora-BL concept trainer in 2021 that used DNA Loft V3 (supercritical EVA). The Aurora-BL had a fun, energetic ride unlike any other Brooks trainer. It's still my favourite Brooks running shoe to date.

Early on in a runner's life, conversations proceed like this: "Recently, my training has been compromised, but I have so many lifetime miles in my legs that I should be fine in my upcoming race." Later, these conversations adopt a sinister tone. "Yes, I prepared for this event, but I have so many lifetime miles in my legs that I hope I am fresh enough to keep up with my competitors."

Coming from a mostly skyrunning background, Hillary Gerardi of France arrives at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail excited for the year's technical terrain. In our first interview with her, Hillary talks about growing up in America and finding trail racing once she moved to France, her love of skyrunning, her thoughts on how the course has something for every runner, and what it's like to make a world championships team after more than a decade of racing.

With two podium finishes at the 2023 and 2022 Trail World Championships Long Trail, Italy's Andreas Reiterer arrives at the 2025 race ready to let the pressure sit on the shoulders of others.

After a podium finish at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal and a win at the 2025 Hardrock 100, America's Katie Schide comes to the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail continuing her year of multi-distance racing. In the following interview, Katie talks about her hat choices for iRunFar interviews over the years, recceing the course earlier this year, her transition between the various races she's done this summer, and what she thinks about this race course.

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. When John Pitzel started the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, he knew that it was going to be hot. Tokyo is typically 50 degrees in early March, but on March 2, the temperature hit 68 degrees-perfect weather for a stroll but very warm for a marathon, especially for athletes who had trained through the winter to be there.

Gulls fly around the stadium before the event. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters Christopher Linke of Germany cools down during the men's and women's 35km race walk. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho/Shutterstock Geordie Beamish attempts to avoid Canada's Jean-Simon Desgagnes as he falls during the men's 3000m steeplechase heats. The New Zealander went on to win gold. Photograph: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images Marcos Santos of Angola leaps into the air while warming up for a men's 100m preliminary round heat. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP

"That is the fastest 'half' I've run this year, and I feel there's still a lot more in the body," said the 32-year-old Kilkee engineer, who now lives in Galway. "It's a big confidence boost heading into the Dublin Marathon next month."

The U.S.'s Jim Walmsley arrives at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail after a summer slowed by injury but with a win at OCC just a month before race day. In the following interview, Jim talks about his recovery since OCC, the injury that took him out of the Western States 100 earlier this year, what he thinks about the Trail World Championships course, and his motivations for racing.

It's frustrating at the moment, but when I calm down, I'll probably appreciate it a bit more,

There was heartbreak for Cian McPhillips in the men's 800m at the World Championships in Tokyo on Saturday, the Longford 23-year-old finishing fourth despite producing a massive national record of 1:42.15. It took three Olympic medallists to beat him, with 2024 champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi setting a championship record of 1:41.86, edging Algeria's Djamel Sedjati (1:41.90) and Canada's Marco Arop (1:41.95).

The Saucony Kinvara 16 is an affordable lightweight daily trainer that can be utilized for some speed workouts, daily miles, and possible races. The Kinvara lineup is still a shoe that keeps the traditional feeling alive with its low stack profile and its favorable price tag. Speedwork Daily training Who should buy the Saucony Kinvara 16 ? If you are looking for that traditional daily trainer, which can be difficult these days with all the high stack and soft midsoles, this can be a great option.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran the fastest women's 400 metres in 40 years to claim world championship gold in 47.78 sec on Thursday and complete her transition from the one-lap hurdles in emphatic style. The American stormed through the Tokyo rain to add a first global gold in the flat 400m to the two Olympic and one world titles she won over the hurdles.

"Look, I did all I could. If I failed, that's just how it goes." We often whisper this to soften the sting of defeat. Yet if we want the unvarnished truth about our effort, we need to probe deeper. These four questions help reveal whether we were merely busy or genuinely all-in. Are your goals crystal-clear? If you cannot describe exactly what you want, you cannot judge how hard you tried.

The Nike Vomero Plus is an exceptional maximalist trainer suitable for a variety of distances up to a marathon. It makes running feel effortless and it has a fun, bouncy ride that's reminiscent of the Nike Invincible Run versions 1 and 2. It's my favourite Nike trainer that has launched this year and it has a permanent spot in my rotation.