When Nice Britain’s Sarah Webster surpassed the ladies’s 24-hour world file on the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Albi, France, on October 19, she nonetheless had a full hour left to race and add mileage to the earlier mark. She would find yourself working 278.622 kilometers (173.127 miles), breaking the earlier file held by Japan’s Miho Nakata by 8.259 kilometers (5.131 miles), set in 2023.
In solely her second 24-hour race ever, Webster executed distinctive pacing all through the occasion. Averaging 5:11 minutes per kilometer (8:19 minutes per mile), together with any breaks wanted over the 24-hour interval, her tempo remained extremely constant all through the occasion, solely slowing within the ultimate hours. As she describes within the following interview, it was all a part of her plan.
Webster, who’s 46 years previous and never an expert runner, was third at each the 2024 IAU 100k World Championships and the 2023 IAU 50k World Championships. She certified to characterize Nice Britain at this yr’s 24-hour world championships by working 243.393 kilometers (151.237 miles) in 24 hours on the qualifying occasion this previous April, and needed to work her coaching round a dislocated shoulder main as much as the occasion.
Study extra about how her race performed out on this transcribed interview, and browse our 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships outcomes article and our information article about her world file to be taught extra about this yr’s race and Sarah’s efficiency.
Sarah in the course of the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships. Photograph: John O’Regan
[Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.]
iRunFar: Congratulations. What an infinite factor that you just’ve simply executed. How do you’re feeling?
Sarah Webster: I don’t suppose it’s fairly sunk in. Yeah, simply feeling very drained typically. And clearly, legs are nonetheless a bit of bit sore. However yeah, I can’t fairly get my head round all of it.
iRunFar: I think about it’ll take some time. How’s your physique feeling?
Webster: Higher as we speak. I can now sit down and rise up with out pondering too onerous about it, in order that’s good. However getting down on the ground and getting again up once more remains to be fairly onerous.
iRunFar: Earlier than we discuss concerning the race, I simply needed to ask a bit about your historical past with working, the place you began out, and what introduced you to doing the 24 hours now?
Webster: I ran as a junior, simply did membership working, largely observe, cross nation, as a result of I needed to. I did the very occasional street race, however totally on the observe. Then I gave all of it up in my ultimate yr at college and targeting getting my diploma. I didn’t return to working till my daughter was 4 and he or she was going to highschool, and I had time on my fingers. My husband was like, “I feel it is best to begin working once more.” I used to be like, “Actually? You actually don’t know what you might be asking.” He’s like, “No, it’s positive. I’ll assist you.” And yeah, he had no thought what it was going to contain. I did a half marathon, after which I used to be like, “Oh, really, I feel I’ll return and do some observe.” So I did some observe and I represented the Isle of Man within the Eire Video games within the 1,500 and 5,000 meters.
Then I used to be like, “No, that is too onerous. I can’t do that anymore. I’m getting too previous.” I went again on the street, did some extra half marathons, then I moved as much as a marathon, and that was actually good. Actually began having fun with doing marathons. After which any individual posted, “Oh, the usual for getting a GB [Team Great Britain] vest for the IAU 50k World Championships, you solely should have run a marathon.” And it was 2:45, which is what I had. I used to be like, “Oh wow, a GB vest. That might be a dream come true.” I didn’t get it then, there have been higher runners forward of me, however the truth that I might was what began me fascinated with it.
Then every little thing obtained a bit delayed as a result of COVID-19 hit. After which I used to be making an attempt to qualify for the Commonwealth Video games Marathon for the Isle of Man, in order that delayed the method. In any other case, I in all probability would’ve executed a 50k sooner. However then I noticed that I might get an England vest with my marathon time for the 100k. So I naively utilized for 100k place on the England group, and naively knowledgeable them that I used to be going to attempt to break the British file, and really exceeded my expectations of the race, and determined that 100ks have been fairly good enjoyable. I needed to do a 50k pretty quickly after that, as a result of I needed to qualify if I needed a GB vest for the IAU 50k World Championships, which I managed to do.
So yeah, 50k after which again as much as the 100k. I appeared on the plan, and the IAU 50k World Championships was again in India. And having run twice in India, France positively had extra attraction. So I believed, “Effectively, I’ll attempt to qualify for the IAU 24-Hour World Championships, and if I don’t or I don’t get pleasure from it, it doesn’t matter, I can return and attempt to qualify for the 50k.” So then having certified for twenty-four hours, it was like, “Oh, now you’ve obtained to truly run the championships.”
Left: Sarah working on the 50k world champs 2023. Photograph: Archie JenkinsRight: Sarah at an area Isle of Man race a couple of years in the past. Photograph courtesy of Sarah Webster.
iRunFar: And that was simply this yr, wasn’t it? Your first-ever 24-hour race. And at that time, you broke the British file?
Webster: Yeah. Effectively, broke the British observe file. The general file, Britain distinguishes between observe and street. So I didn’t have the street one till Albi, however I broke the British observe file, which yeah, that was the purpose, and that included strolling for 4 hours. I used to be completely decided that I might do higher this time.
iRunFar: I suppose with the expertise, you have been in a position to plan in another way, plan higher.
Webster: Yeah. I imply, the purpose for the qualifying race was simply to nonetheless be working after 24 hours. I’d mainly nonetheless be out on the observe except I used to be unconscious or the medics had pulled me off. It was an absolute willpower simply to complete the race. After which this time it was like, “Okay, that’s positive, however that’s not ok for the championships. You’re going to should run the race now.” So yeah, that was the only real purpose was simply to mainly run just about the entire time.
iRunFar: And simply to verify in, so your marathon, did you compete within the Commonwealth Video games?
Webster: I did. I had a really unhealthy run. I had COVID-19 about two weeks earlier than, and I used to be nonetheless testing optimistic two days earlier than the race. So yeah, it was an absolute nightmare, slowest marathon I’ve executed. So sure, I’ve obtained unfinished enterprise with the Commonwealth Video games, however I’ll by no means have to return there as a result of clearly they don’t have one. And now, as a result of I don’t reside on the Isle of Man, I received’t have the ability to characterize them anymore, sadly.
iRunFar: That was 2022.
Webster: Yeah.
iRunFar: So going correctly onto your race now, what was going by way of your head? Did you separate the race into totally different phases? Did you have got a change of mindset all through?
Webster: Yeah, the primary 4 hours have been fairly horrible. It was like, “Oh God, that is going so slowly. How might I be this knackered whereas I’m working this slowly?” After which after 4 hours, it form of simply slipped into place. I obtained right into a rhythm. The remainder of the day and evening, that was positive. I simply carried on going spherical, after which the final three or 4 hours have been actually, actually onerous. However by that time, I knew all I needed to do was hold going even slower than I used to be already doing, however actually on the tempo I used to be doing, and I used to be going to do it.
Sarah Webster on her ultimate lap on the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships. Photograph: iRunFar/Deki Fourcin
iRunFar: At what level did you notice that the world file was going to be obtainable?
Webster: I feel it was with about three hours to go, as a result of I stored making an attempt to work out the laps, and I used to be pondering, “Effectively, I’ve obtained 30k to do, and as long as I hold working at 10k an hour,” which was slower than what I used to be doing, it was positive. I used to be going to do it. Then I used to be extra fearful that the opposite two women have been going to catch me as a result of I knew full properly they doubtlessly would come by way of loads sooner of their previous few hours. That was extra the concern of, sure, I might get the file, however have been they going to catch me? I knew after I’d obtained the file, I couldn’t afford to cease as a result of they have been going to catch me. They usually have been catching me on the finish. They have been doing very properly.
iRunFar: I used to be standing there simply on the level the place you got here by way of when there have been the bulletins, “Okay, subsequent time we see Sarah, she’s going to have overwhelmed the world file.” And I noticed you come by way of, and the entire group, they have been so excited, they have been there ready for you.
Webster: They have been superb. Actually, actually superb assist from all people. It was completely unbelievable. I couldn’t have executed it with out them.
iRunFar: I believed possibly you’d decelerate, cease for a minute, however you appeared so decided, you grabbed the flag and went.
Webster: Thanks. Yeah, I couldn’t put it round me. I dislocated my shoulder six weeks in the past, so any motion in my shoulder past the fundamentals, that’s why I wasn’t sporting a neck bandana or something to maintain me cool, as a result of I simply couldn’t put it round my neck and transfer my arm correctly. So I simply needed to carry the flag.
iRunFar: Did you have got a technique beforehand that you just put in place in the course of the race?
Webster: The concept was I completely was not allowed to go off any sooner than roughly 7:30 per lap, which labored out at eight-minute mile-ing or 5 minutes per kilometer. If it was any sooner than that for greater than a lap, then my group needed to inform me to decelerate as a result of I knew if I stored that tempo up, there was an opportunity that I’d break the world file. Whereas if I went out sooner than that, I wasn’t going to interrupt it, I’d have blown up. That was the purpose. Didn’t thoughts if I went slower than that, I simply wasn’t allowed to go any sooner than that till 4 hours to go. I hoped I’d have one thing left for 4 hours to go and go sooner. However no, that was the consistency. Then the thought was simply to have a break each 4, roughly 4 to 5 hours and have a reset, which ought to have concerned me doing a little squats, with the group holding me.
iRunFar: I noticed that on the finish.
Webster: Yeah. That labored very well till concerning the final hour. Then I used to be just about doing them each lap as a result of I knew my crew weren’t going to permit me to take a seat down, so it was like, you’re going to should assist me whereas I do these squats as a result of not less than my legs are in a distinct place, after which yeah, you give me a kick and get me going once more. It appeared to assist, as a result of my quads have been simply screaming for the final three, 4 hours.
My group needed me to hurry up with about three hours to go. I feel they needed me to interrupt the outright British file, however I spotted by that time, I used to be so dizzy and my legs have been so knackered that if I’d fallen and re-dislocated my shoulder, the race was going to be over. I couldn’t. So it was like, I can’t really pace up. I’m simply going to have to only hold going at this tempo. There’s nothing I can do as a result of to fall and to lose the race as a result of I’d fallen would’ve simply been completely gutting.
Sarah Webster of Nice Britain setting a brand new world file on the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships. Photograph: iRunFar/Deki Fourcin
iRunFar: It appeared like a positive stability of understanding how a lot to push at sure factors and never sacrifice every little thing that you just’d beforehand labored for.
Webster: Proper.
iRunFar: I simply needed to know, how did you prepare for it? How do you juggle? Since you work as properly, you’re not an expert.
Webster: Yeah, I work about 30 hours per week, so coaching typically suits round that. This time’s a bit totally different. I put much more double days into it, and I feel that actually helped. So even when it meant I did an hour and a half within the morning and completed at work after which obtained again within the afternoon, run residence from work, as an example. As a result of I dislocated my shoulder, I couldn’t drive for 3 weeks, so that really made issues loads higher as a result of I needed to run to work, I needed to run to the gymnasium, so I used to be ending up doing 4 runs a day, however doing them loads slower. So it will be like 4 miles to work, 4 miles residence, 4 miles to the gymnasium, 4 miles again.
However it broke the mileage up loads, which I feel actually, actually helped fairly than concentrating on the extra sooner runs, which is what I’d do for 100k. So I feel my mileage already had been about 100 miles per week. After which for about 4 weeks, it was about 130 miles per week. So yeah, it was an enormous leap, however they have been loads slower miles as a result of I had nonetheless had a sling on at that cut-off date, and the canine needed to come to work with me. And he or she doesn’t do fast working, She does 10-minute miles. However yeah, so she made me decelerate.
iRunFar: What do you have got plans for subsequent?
Webster: I don’t know is the trustworthy reply. I type of had a plan, nevertheless it relies on what championships can be found subsequent yr, I feel, and what I’ve to do to qualify for them, should you see what I imply, and I’d wish to be courageous sufficient to do a little bit of off-road working.
I did a 50k path run and I liked it, however the one motive I did that one was as a result of it was mainly residence territory. So I used to be in a position to recce the course a number of occasions. Nonetheless went mistaken, so I’ve obtained to discover a course that I can recce not less than a few of, or have any individual who is aware of the place they’re going to tempo me a few of the time, or be extraordinarily properly sign-posted. And I’m probably not excellent at mud both. So yeah, it’s positively going to should be a very simple path run. However I do like getting off-road in addition to the on-road stuff, so yeah, it’s much less stress.
iRunFar: You don’t have a look at your tempo on a regular basis and like that.
Webster: No, and if it’s worthwhile to stroll up a hill, my basic rule with the hills is, properly, if I can stroll sooner than I can run, then I’ll stroll up the hill. That’s the fundamental reply. However I’m not excellent at downhill both, so yeah.
iRunFar: That’d be thrilling to check out.
Webster: Yeah, yeah. Simply extra have a little bit of enjoyable.
iRunFar: Congratulations and thanks very a lot for taking the time.
Webster: Thanks!
