Endurance Sports Digest: November 2025
Three world records in ultrarunning on a single day, historic NYC Marathon finish, doping scandal with world record holder, and ski season start in Russia. Top 20 news of the month.
November 2025 became one of the most eventful months in endurance sports history: three world records in ultrarunning, a historic course record at the New York City Marathon, a major doping scandal, and the start of the ski season in Russia. Here are 20 top news stories for athletes and endurance enthusiasts.
Trail Running and Ultrarunning
1. Anne Flower Breaks 50-Mile World Record by 13 Minutes
November 8, Tunnel Hill (Illinois, USA)
Emergency room physician from Colorado Anne Flower ran 50 miles in 5:18:57 β a new world record, improving Courtney Olson's previous mark by 13 minutes. That's a 3:58/km pace throughout the entire distance. In August, Flower had already broken the 31-year-old Leadville 100 record in her 100-mile debut. Flower's story is an inspiring example of combining a medical career with elite sport: she also founded the Mountains to Mountains charitable foundation to help mountain communities.
2. Caitriona Jennings Sets 100-Mile World Record
November 8, Tunnel Hill (Illinois, USA)
Irish athlete Caitriona Jennings ran 100 miles in 12:37:04, breaking Camille Herron's 2017 record (12:42:39) set on the same course. For this victory, she received a record prize pool: $14,750 (first place + bonuses for world and course records). Tunnel Hill confirms its status as the world's fastest ultra course β world records have been set here in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
3. Courtney Olson Breaks Anne Trason's 30-Year 100K Record
November 8, Tunnel Hill (Illinois, USA)
On the same historic day, Courtney Olson (USA) ran 100 km in 6:59:55, breaking Anne Trason's North American record that had stood since 1995. Notably, Olson passed through the 50-mile mark in second place with 5:33:59 β just two minutes off her former world record. Trason's records were considered untouchable benchmarks of American ultrarunning, and the fall of a 30-year mark is a historic event for the sport.
4. World Trail Majors: Sunmaya Budha and Caleb Olson Are Series Champions
November 22β23, Ultra-Trail Cape Town (South Africa)
The World Trail Majors finale brought overall series victories: Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) won the women's standings and received a β¬12,000 bonus, while Caleb Olson (USA) became men's champion. In the 100 km race, Jeff Mogavero (USA) beat Dmitry Mityaev by just 31 seconds after a dramatic finish. World Trail Majors concluded its second season, strengthening its position as a prestigious UTMB-alternative series with serious prize money.
5. JFK 50 Mile: Historic Depth of Results
November 22, Boonsboro (Maryland, USA)
At America's oldest ultramarathon (63rd edition), Hans Troyer finished in 5:10:24 β the second-fastest time in race history. Canadian Jade Belzberg won the women's division with 6:07:53 (4th fastest ever). Five 2025 participants entered the all-time top-10. JFK 50 Mile is a legendary race since 1963, and such density of historic results speaks to a new level of competition in American ultrarunning.
6. IAU 50K World Championship Postponed Due to Delhi Smog
Announced November 22
The 50 km World Championship has been postponed from December 7, 2025 to March 14, 2026 due to critical air pollution in New Delhi: the AQI index reached 370 ("hazardous" category). India's Supreme Court recommended canceling all outdoor activities. This is the first major championship postponed due to environmental issues β a signal to all international event organizers about the growing impact of air quality on sports events.
7. Skyrunner World Series: Anastasia Rubtsova β Queen of Skyrunning
November 8, MaratΓ³ Dels Dements (Spain)
Anastasia Rubtsova (neutral status) won the final stage and became series champion for the second year in a row. In 2025, she won 6 out of 7 stages β a dominance unseen in years. Italian Luca Del Pero became men's champion. Rubtsova's results show that even without international representation, one can dominate global series.
Running and Marathons
8. NYC Marathon: Obiri's Course Record and the Closest Men's Finish in History
November 2, New York
Hellen Obiri (Kenya) ran 2:19:51 β a new course record, improving the 22-year-old mark by 2 minutes 40 seconds. The top-3 women all finished faster than the old record. In the men's race, Benson Kipruto beat Alexander Mutiso by 0.03 seconds β the closest finish in the race's 54-year history. Eliud Kipchoge made his NYC debut (17th place, 2:14:36). A new world record for finishers β 59,226 people β confirmed NYC Marathon's status as the planet's premier city marathon.
Triathlon
9. IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship: Charles-Barclay and Ghyns Triumph
November 8β9, Marbella (Spain)
Lucy Charles-Barclay (Great Britain) won her second world title at the half-distance (4:14:54) just four weeks after a DNF at Kona. Belgian Jelle Ghyns defended his men's title in a sprint finish β just 3 seconds ahead of Kristian Blummenfelt, despite a crash and broken derailleur during the bike leg. Charles-Barclay's story is a lesson in mental toughness: from a major race failure to world champion in a month.
10. Final IRONMAN Arizona: Farewell to a Legendary Venue
November 16, Tempe (Arizona)
After 20 years of history, IRONMAN Arizona took place for the last time. British athlete Simone Daly ended her career with a victory (8:37:17), making up 10 minutes after the swim. Dutchman Menno Koolhaas dominated the men's race (7:28:52). An emotional closure for an iconic venue, and Daly's victory in her final career race β the perfect scenario every athlete dreams of.
11. Scandal at Dubai T100: Winner Determined by 7th Lap Results
November 15β16, Dubai
Chaos at the prestigious T100 Tour race: leaders Hayden Wilde, Marten Van Riel, and Mathis Margirier rode past the transition zone thinking there was still one more lap. After lengthy deliberations, Morgan Pearson (USA) was declared winner based on the last complete lap results. A serious blow to T100 Tour's reputation β the most ambitious new triathlon series β raising questions about elite race organization.
Cycling
12. Israel-Premier Tech Renamed NSN Cycling Team
November 20
The controversial WorldTour team underwent a complete rebrand: new name NSN Cycling Team, Swiss license, bases in Barcelona and Girona. Co-owner β Barcelona legend AndrΓ©s Iniesta. The rebrand followed a year of protests and exclusion from Italian races. An unprecedented case of forced rebranding under public pressure shows the growing influence of political context on professional sports.
13. Remco Evenepoel Moves to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
November 2025
The biggest transfer of the off-season is confirmed: Belgian star Remco Evenepoel joins Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe from 2026. This is one of the biggest moves in cycling history, capable of shifting the balance of power at Grand Tours β on the level of Contador to Astana or Froome to Ineos. Red Bull-Bora becomes the main contender for the Tour de France.
Equipment and Technology
14. Garmin: Major Software Update with Smart Nutrition Reminders
November 18
Garmin's Q4 update includes: Smart Fueling Alerts for cyclists (nutrition and hydration reminders based on load, heat, and humidity), Health Status on watches (HRV, HR, skin temperature tracking), real-time weather overlays for Edge, and updated Power Guide with altitude acclimatization. Smart Fueling directly addresses one of the main problems for endurance athletes β underfeeding and dehydration: now your watch will remind you when to drink and eat.
15. COROS PACE 4: Voice Notes and AMOLED for $250
November 2025
New COROS watches with a bright AMOLED display and a unique voice pin feature β recording voice notes up to 1 minute with automatic AI transcription. Price β $250, significantly lower than competitors with similar specs. Voice notes are a gem for athletes who want to capture thoughts during training without stopping, and democratization of premium features makes quality watches accessible to more athletes.
Doping and Scandals
16. Ruth Chepngetich Receives 3-Year Ban
October 2025 (discussed in November)
World marathon record holder (2:09:56) Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for 3 years for hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic capable of masking other substances). AIU called her explanation (taking her housekeeper's medication) "barely plausible." The world record is preserved, but results from March 2025 are annulled. One of the biggest doping scandals in marathon history β a reminder that even world record holders are not above the rules.
Russia and CIS
17. Vladimir Nikitin β First Russian Under One Hour in Half Marathon
October 5 (news of the month in November), Kazan
Vladimir Nikitin from Perm ran a half marathon in 59:51 β the first Russian athlete to break one hour. He also set a Russian record at 15 km (42:40). In 2025, only 45 athletes worldwide have run faster than 60 minutes. A historic achievement for Russian running: Nikitin has joined the world elite and demonstrated that Russian runners can compete at the highest level.
18. Russian Ski Cup Starts: Bolshunov Outside Top-10
November 27β30, Kirovsk
The Russian Cup season opened in Kirovsk. Surprise: Alexander Bolshunov didn't make the top-10 in the 15 km freestyle. Winners of the first races: Alina Pekletsova (10 km, women), Savely Korostelev (15 km, men), Anastasia Faleeva (sprint, women). On December 1, CAS will consider Russian skiers' appeal against FIS regarding Olympic qualification. With international isolation, the Russian Cup is the main arena for the country's top skiers, and Bolshunov's poor start plus the upcoming CAS decision are the main intrigues of the season.
Science and Research
19. Study: 14-Hour Training Threshold and Eating Disorder Risk
November 2025, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
A cross-sectional study of 531 ultra-athletes found that training loads exceeding 14 hours per week significantly increase the risk of eating disorders. 11% of participants showed clinically significant results on the EAT-26 test, and 20.3% demonstrated at least one problematic eating behavior. A concrete benchmark for athletes and coaches: more training isn't always better, and monitoring eating behavior should be part of ultra-athlete preparation.
20. Norwegian Coaches: 80β90% of Training Is Low Intensity
Sports Medicine - Open, 2025
A study involving 12 elite Norwegian coaches (responsible for 380+ international medals) confirmed: world-class athletes devote 80β90% of training time to low-intensity work. Interval sessions are more voluminous but less exhausting than scientific publications recommend. Practical confirmation of the "polarized" training model from Olympic champion coaches β for amateurs, this validates patience with easy running instead of constant intense training.
Month Summary
November 2025 will go down in history as the month of three ultrarunning world records (50 miles, 100 miles, 100 km), historic NYC Marathon results, and the start of a new ski season in Russia. Main trends: rising level of women's ultrarunning, influence of environmental and political factors on competitions, and ongoing anti-doping efforts in endurance sports.
Digest compiled from iRunFar, Trail Runner Magazine, Runners World, CyclingNews, Triathlete, Marafonets, Sport.ru, Olympteka, and other sources.