Hall and Sorokin Win Ultrarunning Awards
The International Association of Ultrarunners announced Sara Hall and Aleksandr Sorokin as the 2025 Athletes of the Year, recognizing their achievements in the world's longest and toughest races. The awards honor the top performers across various ultramarathon distances and terrains from the previous competitive season.
- This marks the fourth time Lithuania's Aleksandr Sorokin has been named the IAU Athlete of the Year, having previously won in 2019, 2021, and 2022. - Sorokin holds the world record for the greatest distance run in 24 hours, covering an astounding 319.614 kilometers (198.6 miles). - His record-breaking achievements also include setting the world's fastest time for the 100-kilometer distance at 6 hours, 5 minutes, and 35 seconds. - Sorokin, a former competitive kayaker, only began running at age 31 to get back in shape and has since become one of the most dominant ultrarunners in the world. - Sara Hall has demonstrated remarkable longevity and success as a masters athlete, setting a new U.S. masters record at the 2024 Valencia Marathon with a time of 2:23:45. - Hall holds the American record in the half marathon, which she set in Houston with a time of 1:07:15, and her personal best in the marathon is 2:20:32, the third-fastest in American history. - A mainstay in elite American distance running for over two decades, Hall has competed in eight consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials, spanning events from the 1500 meters to the marathon.
