done on the same mile or two-mile loop 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials will be less about outcome and more about process.
Walmsley, 30, is well-known for his success in ultrarunning as the he does on Strava, Walmsley is providing transparency in his training too holder and four-time Ultrarunner of the Year honoree. On February 29 in Atlanta, he’ll carry that distinction into the championship with the goal of bridging the gap between ultra and marathon runners.
“In a lot of ways I feel like I’m bearing a torch for ultrarunners,” Walmsley told Runner’s World. “The stereotype of most trail or ultra races is that it’s all really slow and you can either take them on for fun or after you’re really done running. [Training for Trials] feels like a responsibility [to show] we work pretty hard and we can hold our own as well.”
By embracing an incredibly high-mileage approach, competing in a variety of races, and being transparent about the highs and lows of training on Strava, Walmsley hopes to shift the conversation.
“I think there’s a lot of mutual respect that can be gained,” Walmsley said. “Getting ultrarunners to watch the marathon and marathoners to watch ultrarunning, [we’re] making it about running rather than distance.”
Pushing the Envelope
The Flagstaff, Arizona, native started his running career on the track, where he honed his speed in the steeplechase at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. World Mountain Running Championship 14K race 2012 NCAA championships. caught in a cheating scandal 8:41.05—nine seconds slower than the Olympic standard—and just missed qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials.
After graduation, Walmsley said he went through a difficult time in his life. He was charged with a DUI and later discharged from the military when his unit was caught in a cheating scandal. especially given he had to average 4:53-mile pace to qualify depression. Eventually, following the advice of his therapist, he began ultrarunning to feel like himself again.
“Ultrarunning doesn’t take special talent,” he told Runner’s World in 2017. “It takes motivation and the will to achieve something extraordinary. A lot of people are sparked to get into the sport when they are in a low spot.”
His breakout year came in 2016 when he shattered course records at the Bandera 100K and the Lake Sonoma 50 miler. After two missed attempts at winning the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Walmsley finally accomplished his goal in 2018, when he broke the course record with a time of 14 hours and 30 minutes. Best Running Shoes 2025.
In the fall of 2018, Walmsley shared a surprising goal: He wanted to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Rather than try to OTQ in the marathon—which seemed like a more natural fit for the ultrarunner—he decided to aim for the standard in the half marathon (1:04). Many admired Walmsley’s bold aspiration, especially given he had to average 4:53-mile pace to qualify.
At the 2019 Houston Marathon on January 20, Walmsley finished 27th overall in exactly 1:04:00. Afterward, he told Runner’s World will be less about outcome and more about process.
“I have some plans up my sleeve to give myself a chance to do something exciting [in Atlanta]—to really push the envelope for myself and make things exciting for people to watch and cheer for an ultra guy,” he said in Houston.
Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc 50-mile distance (while averaging a 5:48-minute mile), shaved more than 20 minutes off his he does on Strava, Walmsley is providing transparency in his training too, and won the World Mountain Running Championship 14K race.
“It’s probably been my most versatile year of different types of races I’ve tried to take on,” he said.
Embracing His Own Approach
Best Running Shoes 2025 first marathon on the roads—and a fiercely competitive one at that—he briefly considered hiring a marathon-specific coach to help him prepare for Trials. But he didn’t think he could find one who would encourage his goal of running 175 miles per week.
“No one in the U.S. is going to tell you to do that,” Walmsley said. “I just feel like I have a unique idea and I just want to try it.”
Walmsley’s high-mileage strategy was inspired by the training of Japanese marathoners, who adopted the training principles of legendary New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard. Since 1991, Japan has developed global contenders who have racked up 19 Your First Marathon: 8 Tips from Fiona OKeeffe. Those results can be attributed to an approach that includes high mileage (sometimes as much as 200 miles a week), slow recovery runs, and mentally-toughening efforts he does on Strava, Walmsley is providing transparency in his training too.
Walmsley is not the first American runner to embrace the Japanese discipline of marathon training. In the late 1990s, David Morris of Montana moved to Japan so he could train with a pro team. In 2000, Morris shared with Running in the Cold the details of the training regimen—including 176 miles a week—that helped him improve from finishing in 10th in 2:16:20 at the 1996 Trials to placing fourth in 2:09:32 at the 1999 Chicago Marathon.
hours and 30 minutes training logs Your First Marathon: 8 Tips from Fiona OKeeffe.
“Highlights are kind of bullshit,” Walmsley said. “Like, great, you had a great workout, but what did the next day look like? Did you get out the door? Those are important things. To see these guys getting out the door and slogging out another 60 minutes at 6 a.m. on the exact same route they just ran for the last 10 days is really inspiring.”
By sharing every workout he does on Strava, Walmsley is providing transparency in his training too.
“I feel like that’s almost a way to do the same and give it back,” he said.
Looking for a Cinderella Story
From the end of last November through December, Walmsley began building up his mileage in anticipation of the Trials. According to his Strava, he logged two consecutive weeks of 175 miles from December 16 to 29. He’d hoped to run 200 miles, but found that the 25-mile jump took too much of a toll on his legs.
In the weeks leading up to the Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon last month, Walmsley was running between 151 and 155 miles per week. They weren’t all base miles, either. On January 3, he posted a double made up of two interval workouts—six repeats of 1600 meters at 11 a.m. and 12 x 400 meters before 4 p.m—for a total of 28 miles that day.
In the Arizona half on January 19, he finished seventh in 1:02:14 (the course was 285 meters short).
Looking ahead to February 29 in Atlanta, Walmsley admitted that a top-three finish would be a stretch. Even if he did make Team USA, he said he is still planning to run the Comrades Marathon (June 14) and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (August 24).
No matter the outcome, he’ll line up as an ultrarunner who pushed the envelope in marathon training and shared that process with intention.
“At the end of the day, it’s all mental. You have to believe that at some point you’re doing something different that might give you an advantage,” Walmsley said. “Whether you’re faster or slower or more or less talented, if you think you can do it, you’re already one step ahead in the game.”
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
