Paulson Shatters 100-Mile World Record
Ashley Paulson set a new women's 100-mile ultramarathon world record, running 12:19:34 at the Jackpot 100 Mile. The 44-year-old averaged a blistering 7:21 per mile pace at the USATF 100 Mile Championships, breaking the previous record by over 30 minutes. The performance is being lauded as one of the greatest in ultrarunning history.
- The record Paulson broke was set just over three months prior by Irish runner Caitriona Jennings, who ran 12:37:04 in November 2025. - The Jackpot 100 Mile course consists of runners completing a 1.19-mile loop around a pond in a Henderson, Nevada park approximately 84 times. - Paulson began the race at a blistering pace, running the first 20 miles at a 7:00-per-mile average to build a substantial time cushion over the previous record. - This victory was a return to form for Paulson at this specific event; after winning the Jackpot 100 in 2024, she did not finish the race in 2025. - Paulson also holds the women's course record at the Badwater 135, a notoriously difficult ultramarathon through Death Valley, which she won outright in 2023. - In addition to being a world record attempt, the race also served as the USATF 100 Mile National Championships. - Paulson finished second overall in the entire field, more than two hours ahead of the next female competitor. - During a prior career as a professional triathlete, Paulson served a six-month doping sanction in 2015 and 2016 for a positive test for ostarine.
