If facial hair is any indication of ultrarunning ability, then ‘s bearded win at the should come as no surprise (well, that and the fact that he was ). Krar, who placed second at Western States last year, won the 2014 rendition this evening in a time of 14:53:24鈥攖he second-fastest run in the race’s 40-year history. The course record belongs to Timothy Olson聽(also bearded), who ran a 14:46:44 in 2012.
Montana’s Seth Swanson finished second in 15:19:40, and California’s聽聽was third in 15:36:42. In his first 100-miler, Oregon’s Max King placed fourth in 15:44:49.
In addition to his performance at last year’s WS100, Krar is perhaps best known for holding the fastest known time for both the single and double crossing of the Grand Canyon. The North Face-sponsored athlete, who lives in nearby Flagstaff and only started ultra racing in 2012, is also a three-time champion. 聽
“He may not race as prolifically as others,” , “but Rob Krar has been the most dominant ultra runner on American soil the past year and a half.”