Hoka One One, a division of Deckers Brands (NYSE: DECK), saw its athlete Jim Walmsley (pictured above) set a new course record of 5:21:28 at the nation’s longest-running ultramarathon — the JFK 50-Mile in Maryland. He also became the first man to win three years in a row.
Averaging a 6:25 pace per mile, Walmsley led from the gun, gapping the field in the first 15 miles along the Appalachian Trail. Another Hoka ultrarunner, Michael Wardian, placed fifth with 5:58 — just six days after setting the Guinness World Record (2:38:04) for Fastest Marathon in an Elvis costume at the Las Vegas Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon.
The JFK 50 Mile run started in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy challenged military officers, and the entire country, to meet distinct physical challenges.
Walmsley and fellow Hoka athletes Hayden Hawks, Sage Canaday and Magdalena Boulet will race again on December 2 at The North Face Endurance Challenge in San Francisco, CA.
Photo courtesy Hoka One One and Mike O’Grady
