Vincent Bouillard Wins His First Western States 100—and Obliterates the Course Record By More Than 23 Minutes
Vincent Bouillard was the surprise winner of the Western States 100 on Saturday, winning the 53rd edition of the iconic ultramarathon in a stunning course-record time of 13:46:15.
The 32-year-old Frenchman shattered Jim Walmsley’s 2019 course record (14:09:28) by more than 23 minutes, becoming the fastest runner ever to complete the historic 100.2-mile journey from Olympic Valley, California, to the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Auburn in under 14 hours.
In the women’s race, Jennifer Lichter, 30, of Missoula, Montana, was equally impressive, winning in a course-record 15:28:05.
Although Bouillard wasn’t talked about as a leading contender heading into the race, his victory added another milestone to an already impressive résumé. After emerging as one of trail running’s brightest stars with his breakthrough Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) victory in Chamonix, France, in 2024, he rebounded from last year’s disappointment at Western States with a patient, calculated effort that showcased both his physical strength and tactical maturity.
Bouillard, who is coached by American coach Mario Fraioli, became just the seventh runner in history to win both UTMB and Western States. His course record led a remarkable men’s race in which the top four finishers all eclipsed the previous course record, highlighting the extraordinary depth of this year’s elite field.
The race also hinted at what could be a changing of the guard in men’s ultrarunning. Three of the sport’s most accomplished stars—Jim Walmsley, 36, a four-time winner and former course-record holder, Kilian Jornet, 38, the 2011 winner who was third last year, and Hayden Hawks, 35, a two-time podium finisher—were all among the leaders early on, but each saw their races end prematurely with DNFs (Jornet at mile 38, Walmsley and Hawks at mile 62), leaving the door open for new contenders to seize the spotlight.
“I think it's going to take some time to really register,” Bouillard said after the race. “Competition is such a thing that it can go in many different ways. I’m lucky that it went well for me today. There are so many other strong competitors today, including unfortunately some that had to drop out. I’m bummed for Jim that he couldn’t give us a true fight because he deserved better than that. And same for Kilian, too.”
Rather than forcing the pace from the 5 a.m. starting gun at the base of the Palisades Tahoe ski area, Bouillard ran a disciplined race through the cold and windy high country terrain, staying comfortably within the early lead group that included Jornet, Walmsley, and 26-year-old Hans Troyer as the course crested the 8,750-foot summit of Emigrant Pass.
Bouillard gradually moved closer to the front as the race entered the canyons near the 40-mile mark in the late morning hours, but Troyer was still pushing the pace at the front well ahead of course-record pace. Bouillard continued to surge throughout the afternoon, maintaining a consistent pace over the demanding terrain and moderate heat while never showing signs of fading even as Troyer eventually joined the ranks of those who dropped out.
Bouillard didn’t take the lead until he passed through the 90.5-mile Quarry Road aid station. Through the final miles along the American River and into Auburn, it became clear he wasn’t just racing for the win—he was chasing history.
“I still don’t have a ton of experience running 100-milers. I’m still figuring that out, but I wanted to try and be a little more conservative,” Bouillard said. “Despite the fact this race always runs faster and faster and the competition is always more fierce, it’s still a 100 miles. I wanted to really keep that ingrained in my head, and keep pushing the brakes a little bit and save my legs so I could be OK with not feeling my best and to save my legs for the more runnable sections at the end.”
The win comes less than seven months after Bouillard and his wife, Camila, welcomed their daughter, Nola, into the world.
Among the breakout performances was Italy’s Francesco Puppi, whose Western States debut exceeded even lofty expectations. After earning his golden ticket with an impressive victory at CCC 100K in Chamonix, France, last August, Puppi carried that confidence into the sport’s biggest stage.
The 2017 mountain running world champion over the 32K distance took the lead several times on Saturday, but didn’t have enough left in the tank to battle Bouillard over the final miles. Still, his finish reinforced his status as one of trail running’s biggest international stars.
American Ryan Montgomery also continued his rapid ascent with another standout performance. After breaking through with seventh-place finishes in 2023 and 2025, he returned noticeably stronger and more confident, running aggressively near the front for much of the day before securing a career-best third-place finish in 13:53:55. The 32-year-old New Hampshire-based ultrarunner started strong and moved up all afternoon to secure his first podium finish in a time that was nearly two hours faster than his previous best.
“I knew that I wanted to have a good day ,and I definitely feel like I got it. I feel so happy right now,” Montgomery said. “I knew that it was going to be a course-record day today, and I think what I’ve learned about Western States is that when you lose contact, it’s almost impossible to reel people in, especially when you lose that pack. So my strategy was just to run aggressively from the beginning, but also like to be a little bit smart. And I felt like what felt natural for me was to be like in a chase pack. I don’t think I could have executed it better than I did.”
Bouillard’s 31-year-old countryman Thomas Cardin of Cognin, France, finished fourth in 14:07:58, while American Zach Miller placed fifth in his Western States debut in 14:20:09.
Brian Metzler is a Boulder, Colorado, writer and editor whose work has appeared in Runner’s World, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Outside, Trail Runner, The Chicago Tribune, and Red Bulletin. He’s a former walk-on college middle-distance runner who has transitioned to trail running and pack burro racing in Colorado.