Charlie Lawrence enters into the history books, after setting the 50-mile world record at 4:48:21 (to be confirmed) at the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile in Vienna, Illinois, on November 11, 2023.
The previous record of 4:50:08 was set by Jim Walmsley at the 2019 Hoka One One Project Carbon X event in California.
We’ve now published an in-depth interview with Charlie Lawrence.
Charlie Lawrence on his way to setting a 50-mile world record of 4:48:21 at 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile in Vienna, Illinois. Photo: Zack Lever/@TrailLive
Lawrence’s effort comes out to an incredible average pace of 5:46 per mile (3:35 per kilometer) over 50 miles (80.47 kilometers).
In an interview with iRunFar, Lawrence described how he set an aggressive pace in the first half of the race to bank some time, before slowing down some at the halfway point: “I was under 5:40 for every mile [in the first half of the race.] My first mile at 5:40 was mile 25, it was 5:40 even. So, I had a lot of time in the bank.” While his pace would slow in the remaining miles, he maintained the average pace needed, resetting the 50-mile world record by 107 seconds, or a little under 2 minutes.
The Tunnel Hill 50 Mile takes place as a double out-and-back on the Tunnel Hill State Trail, a dirt, rails-to-trails trail. The trail — and race — get their name from an iconic tunnel through which the trail passes. The course is a USA Track & Field-certified course. Also, the International Association of Ultrarunners now considers and governs the 50-mile distance for world records, as of January 2022.
Lawrence, age 28, currently hails from Boulder, Colorado. It appears he has a marathon PR of 2:16:10 and a 1:04:14 PR in the half marathon.
A quick moment of aid for Charlie Lawrence while en route to a new 50-mile world record at the 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. Photo: Zack Lever/@TrailLive
