WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the May 2025 edition of Sub Hub Headlines!

Excitedly yours, Dani and EmKay

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🌟 April was a wild month of trail racing! We saw the start of the Golden Trail World Series, plenty more Skyrunner races and American classics. If you missed April’s newsletter, don’t worry, you can catch up here!

✨ PSA: If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Instagram—don’t miss out!

Sub Hub Stories: Sara Alonso – The Spanish Sensation Claims Her 2nd GTWS Win at Kobe Trail 2025! By Dani Moreno

We asked recent Golden Trail World Series Kobe Trail winner Sara Alonso a few questions following her victory and about the upcoming World Trail Championships in Spain later this year. She was traveling between races—Kobe and the Great Wall of China GTWS, where she finished an incredibly strong 4th place—so we’ve transcribed her voice notes into the text below.

If you don’t already follow her on Instagram and her new YouTube Channel.

First off, congratulations on your win at Kobe! How are you feeling—physically and mentally—after kicking off the season with such a strong performance?
Sara: "Thank you so much! I’m really happy to start this season with a win. After three years, being back at the top of a Golden Trail Series podium feels incredible. The last time I was there was with you, Dani, and Caitlin Fielder at Mont Blanc Marathon, so coming back to win again is super special!"

Looking ahead to the second GTWS race this weekend at the Great Wall, what are you most excited or curious about heading into this course?
Sara: "Mentally, I felt strong heading into Kobe, and I was ready to race for the win. I knew that if they (the women’s field) started strong, I was going to start strong too. I was determined to follow them to the finish, and eventually, I passed them before the line. That was a great feeling—knowing I’m at the level I need to be. Physically, I felt strong too. Before the season, I had a great half marathon on the road, so I knew I was in good shape. My interval workouts were faster and stronger than ever, and that gave me confidence. Now, three days post-race, I’m already recovering well, even though the race was really painful. I’m excited for the Great Wall race, but it’s hot here, and the stairs are tough. I’ve been here for two days, and it’s hot all the time, but I’m still excited to see how my performance goes.”

What are your biggest goals for the 2025 season—both within GTWS and beyond?
Sara: "This year, my most important race within the Golden Trail World Series is Zegama, but I’m also focused on the rest of the series. After Zegama, my other big goal is the marathon distance at the World Championships in Canfranc, and of course, OCC again."

As a Spanish athlete, what does it mean to you to have Spain hosting this year’s World Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos?
Sara: "Being a Spanish athlete, it’s a huge opportunity. Canfranc is only two hours from my home, so I can train there. The federation will provide a lot of support and training camps to help us prepare well, which is great for Spanish runners. If we do well there, it will get a lot of media attention."

Do you plan to go for a spot on the Spanish national team? If so, which event are you targeting—short trail, classic mountain, or another discipline?
Sara: "Yes, I plan to go for the marathon distance. I’ll race the three GTWS races—Kobe, China, and Zegama—and then OCC and the World Champ final. It’s going to be a huge challenge, especially over the summer, so I’ll need a break after Zegama. Some women will choose to focus on OCC, and others will go for Canfranc— not everyone will do both, so it will be interesting to see how the competition shapes up."

What excites you most about the Canfranc course and the competition it will bring?
Sara: "The Canfranc course is very challenging, with significant elevation gains and losses, it’s really not that runnable, which is something I prefer when it’s a bit more runnable. The race will likely take around six hours to complete, so it will definitely be a tough one. In terms of competition, I think the level will be high, but not everyone will be there. Some people may choose the marathon at UTMB (MCC) or only OCC instead, and others will focus on the short trail event at the World Championships. It’s going to be interesting to see who chooses which event, but the competition will be fierce regardless."

Results Recap

April 5th
🇪🇸Calamorro Skyrace

Women

1. Patricia Pineda - 3:01:51

2. Denisa Dragomir* - 3:02:43

3. Elisa Desco - 3:05:13

Men

1. Luca Del Pero - 2:24:19 (Course Record)

2. Roberto Delorenzi - 2:26:01

3. Nicolas Molina - 2:26:56

April 11th
🌲Gorge Waterfalls 30K

Women

1. Anna Gibson - 2:14:43 (Course Record)

2. Camila Noe - 2:22:32

3. Kristen Schindler - 2:30:20

Men

1. Nico Lightbody - 2:08:02

2. Joshua Taylor - 2:16:52

3. David McKay - 2:17:42

April 13th
🌲Gorge Waterfalls 50k

Women

1. Sarah Allaben - 4:38:44

2. Taylor Bacon - 4:46:25

3. Kristina Randrup - 4:52:46

Men

1. Josh Potvin - 3:49:30

2. Liam Meirow - 3:52:40

3. Adam Loomis - 4:07:38

April 12th
🐀Desert Rats by UTMB 48K

Women

1. Allison Baca - 3:57:03

2. Ashley Brasovan - 4:10:39

3. Sophie Linn - 4:24:13

Men

1. Brian Whitfield - 3:35:46

2. Grant Colligan - 3:49:12

3. Austin Anderson - 3:59:44

April 13th
🐀Desert Rats by UTMB 21K

Women

1. Tabor Hemming - 1:36:16

2. Janelle Lincks - 1:39:20

3. Sydney Petersen - 1:40:29

Men

1. Eli Hemming - 1:19:46

2. Taylor Stack - 1:22:33

3. Coleman Cragun - 1:23:28

April 12th
🇺🇸Mad City Ultras 50K (USATF Road 50K Championships)

Women

1. Courtney Olsen - 3:16:44

2. Sophie Seward - 3:17:34

3. Lindsay Prescott - 3:20:16

Men

1. Charlie Lawrence - 2:49:01

2. Jeffrey Seelaus - 2:53:37

3. Adam Vadeboncoeur - 2:53:50

April 12th
🍷Lake Sonoma Marathon

Women

1. Lindsay Allison - 3:46:03

2. Selena Langner - 4:01:41

3. Nicole Valentine - 4:05:21

Men

1. Daniel Jones - 3:02:57 (Course Record)

2. Ryan Becker - 3:04:40

3. Sven Koch - 3:06:24

April 12
🏔Merrell Andes Mountain Skyrace

Women

1. Blanca Llumiquinga - 6:07:17

2. Anastasia Rubstova - 6:09:41

3. Rosalia Zegarta - 6:36:28

Men

1. Damien Humbert - 5:11:06

2. Jose Manuel Quispe - 5:11:08

3. Joe Pumacayo - 5:12:40

April 19th
🇯🇵Kobe Trail - GTWS

Women

1. Sara Alonso - 2:53:57

2. Madalina Florea - 2:59:46

3. Malen Osa - 3:02:10

Men

1. Patrick Kipngeno - 2:29:46

2. Philemon Kiriago - 2:31:53

3. Bogdan Damian - 2:31:56

April 20th
🇫🇷Skyrace des Matheysins

Women

1. Lucille Germain - 2:51:20

2. Julie Roux - 2:59:39

3. Marta Martinez - 3:02:04

Men

1. Alex Oberbacher - 2:25:50

2. Roberto Delorenzi - 2:27:20

3. Jan Torrella - 2:27:28

April 26th
🍃The Canyons 50K by UTMB

Women

1. Hannah Allgood - 3:57:12

2. Tabor Hemming - 4:00:23

3. Kim Schreiber - 4:05:35

Men

1. Seth Ruhling - 3:24:34 (Course Record)

2. Matt Daniels - 3:27:19

3. Finnian Jacobson-Schulte - 3:31:54
   

April 26th
🍃The Canyons 25K by UTMB

Women

1. Anika Kimme - 1:55:59

2. Taylor Nowlin - 2:05:53

3. Zoey Crosby - 2:11:53

Men

1. Dan Curts - 1:33:13

2. Eddie Owens - 1:35:06

3. Adrian Macdonald - 1:39:57

April 26th
🇨🇳Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race - GTWS

Women

1. Caroline Kimutai - 2:39:14

2. Joyline Chepngeno - 2:41:26

3. Madalina Florea - 2:43:15

Men

1. Patrick Kipngeno - 2:13:05

2. Philemon Kiriago - 2:13:48

3. Joey Hadorn - 2:14:03
   

April 26th
🇲🇾Kailas Penang Skyrace

Women

1. Iris Pessey - 4:48:03

2. Simone Brick - 4:56:48

3. Dulamsuren Myagmar - 5:01:24

Men

1. Marcos Villamuera - 3:45:22

2. Luvsansharav Natsagdorj - 4:00:24

3. Milton Amat - 4:03:21

*indicates an athlete who has previously served a doping ban

Current Series Rankings

🏔Golden Trail World Series Top 10 - after the first two events of the series, Kobe Trail and JSL Great Wall Race, these are the current rankings.

🏔Skyrunner World Series Ranking - Still a handful of ties after another month of racing, but the Skyrunner rankings will be changing often with a race almost every weekend!

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Sub-Ultra Athletes of the Month

At the start of 2024, we set out to highlight the best in Sub-Ultra trail running—not just at year’s end, but all year long. Through our Athlete of the Month series, we celebrated standout performances, rising stars, and unforgettable moments that shaped the sport. Now, in 2025, we’re keeping the momentum going and adding something new: Special Mentions: athletes who may not be in the monthly spotlight but still deserve a serious shoutout.

The year-end Top 10? That’s still happening. But until then, we’re here to celebrate the athletes who keep pushing the limits of what’s possible one performance at a time.

Caroline Kimutai

Caroline Kimutai is the newest Milimani Runner to make her name in the trail world. Her debut race in the Golden Trail World Series - and as far as we can tell her debut in competitive running of any sort - she comes out and beats fellow teammate and 2024 standout Joyline Chepngeno. Chepngeno won Sierre Zinal in her debut trail race, so this is an incredible sign for the beginning of Caroline’s career. Caroline took the lead in the Great Wall race 40 minutes into the run and continued to dominate the field through the finish line. It will be exciting to see which races she chooses to line up for in the remainder of the season.

Honorable Mentions:  Madalina Florea (top 3 and both GTWS races), Tabor Hemming (1st - Big Alta 50k), Hannah Allgood (1st - The Canyons 50k), Sara Alonso (1st - Kobe Trail)

Patrick Kipngeno

If you have been following along to the Sub Hub over the last year, then this will come as no surprise to you. Patrick showed us he is one of the best trail runners in the world in last year’s Golden Trail World Series and with a lack of Elhousine in the picture - Patrick is showing off! Last year Patrick started his season off with back to back wins at Kobe Trail and Four Sisters China and this year he decided to do it again. His teammate Philemon was hot on his heels in both races, but Patrick continues to be the dominant Team run2gether athlete when it comes to more undulating and technical terrain. We will likely see Patrick in the next GTWS races as well as defending his two time vertical world champion title at the World Mountain and Trail Championships in Spain later this year.

Honorable Mentions: Seth Ruhling (1st - The Canyons 50K), Dan Jones (1st and CR - Lake Sonoma Marathon), Philemon Kiriago (2nd at both of the GTWS races)

USA Championship and Selection Races

All USATF Championships and Team USA selection races we will be following this year, and you should too.😉

Looking Forward

After an incredibly busy May in the US, May brings a bit of a break in the short trail scene. Across the pond, GTWS and Skyrunner continue to rack up points in their season with another back to back weekend from GTWS and continuous weekends from Skyrunner. May will hopefully start to give us a better idea of what the fall season may look like for many athletes. Below are some of the top races we are looking forward to.

Golden Trail World Series:

• Il Golfo dell Isola — May 17th | Noli, Italy

  Following the same course as the 2023 GTWS Final, this technical flower format race in Italy is sure to invite even more athletes into the series. The 26K race has 1400M (4600ft) of elevation gain and will likely see more European athletes than the first two races of the series. Will the Kenyans continue to stand on top, or will another Sara Alonso victory come to fruition?

• Zegama-Aizkorri — May 25 | Zegama, Spain

  If you don’t already know, now you know - ZEGAMA IS ZEGAMA! We were worried that this iconic race wouldn’t show up on the GTWS circuit this year, but it’s still here! The marathon distance is sure to be even more of a challenge for athletes that are doubling back from the weekend before.

Skyrunner World Series:

• Ueda SkyRace – May 4th | Ueda, Japan
  This Japanese Skyrace looks relentless! With 3000 meters of climbing in only 24KMs and an elevation plot that is constantly changing this is sure to be a long and dynamic day.

• Corendon Tahtali Run to Sky – May 10th | Kemer, Turkey
  Quite possibly the first and only all uphill Skyrace is happening in Turkey this year. A 27KM point to point with 2600 meters of climbing is sure to bring out a much different podium than many of the other races.

• Monte Zerbion – May 17th | Chatillon, Italy
  A race put together by three former Skyrunning champions takes runners to the top of Madonna della Zerbion.

• Hochkonigman Skyrace – May 31st | Maria Alm, Austria
  Hochkonigman continues to be a staple of the Skyrunner World Series. Last year the weather was less than ideal with a late spring snow, providing an additional obstacle for the athletes racing.

Other races happening in May:

• Transvulcania Marathon, Half Marathon and VK— May 10 | La Palma Island, Spain

• Tiger Claw Ascent and 50K — May 10-11 | Issaquah, WA 

• Hoka Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB (Oceania Major) — May 15-18 | Katoomba, Australia