The United States won both individual titles at the IAU 100km World Championships in Ames, Spain, at the weekend. Charlie Lawrence took control of the men's race shortly before halfway and held off Aleksandr Sorokin, the 100km world record holder, to win in 6:09:25. Sorokin finished second in 6:12:41. Britain's Alex Milne completed the podium in 6:17:50, a result that adds a second global ultra medal to the 50km world title he won in 2025.
The men's team race was closer than any of the individual placings. The United States won with a combined 19:17:18, and Great Britain finished 46 seconds back in 19:18:02. Across three scoring runners and 300 kilometres of racing, that is roughly one second for every six and a half kilometres. France took team bronze in 19:22:53. With Milne in the individual medals, Britain will see this as a title lost on the finest of margins.
The women's race turned late. Japan's Miho Nakata led for roughly 75 kilometres before Courtney Olsen, who had worked her way through the field, passed her on the 17th of 20 laps. Olsen won in 7:10:31, and Nakata held on for silver in 7:11:57, 1:26 behind. Spain's Gemma Arenas Alcazar moved back into third in the closing stages and finished in 7:17:50 to give the host nation an individual medal. Croatia won the women's team title ahead of Spain and Finland.
Conditions shaped both races. The course combined an opening 4.8km loop with 19 laps of 5km on roads and bike paths around Ames, and temperatures climbed from around 16C towards 32C over the day. On a lapped course in rising heat, the leaders who had to hold on over the final quarter were vulnerable, and both Sorokin and Nakata were caught by runners who judged the heat better. Lawrence moved before halfway; Olsen waited until three laps remained. The IAU recorded 194 finishers from 43 federations.
The result matters beyond the medal table. Sorokin has set the standard in road ultra running for several seasons, and defeat over his signature distance shows how far the American and British programmes have come. Milne's medals at 50km and 100km in successive years make him one of the most versatile road ultra runners in the world. The next major test of road ultra form comes this weekend, when the Spartathlon field sets off on the 246 kilometres from Athens to Sparta.