24-hour world champion and world-record holder
Won the IAU championship in Albi with 278.622 km, finishing fifth in the combined field.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 20, 2026
Sarah Webster
24-hour world-record holder and 100 km medalist
Sarah Webster is a British ultrarunner who won the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships with 278.622 km; the IAU ratified 278.621 km as the world record.
Great BritainLewes ACW45
The record so far
Sarah Webster is a British road and track ultrarunner who formerly represented Northern (Isle of Man) Athletic Club and now runs for Lewes AC. At the 2025 IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Albi, she recorded 278.622 km to win the women’s title; the IAU record list ratifies the mark as 278.621 km, and the IAU named her its 2025 Athlete of the Year. Holly Ranson (274.172 km) and Miho Nakata (271.987 km) completed the podium, all three passing Nakata’s previous world record of 270.363 km.
The performance followed a rapid progression through international ultra distances. Webster won the Crawley 24-hour track race with 243.393 km in April 2025, took bronze at the 2024 IAU 100 km World Championships, set a European 100 km record at the 2024 Anglo Celtic Plate in Perth, and recorded 3:20:07 at the 2023 IAU 50 km World Championships.
Those results connect international-level speed at 50 km and 100 km with record-setting fixed-time endurance over 24 hours.
Defining performances
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IAU Athlete of the Year
Named the IAU’s 2025 Athlete of the Year after her 24-hour world title and world record.
Crawley 24-hour win and British records
Won the Crawley 24-hour track race outright with 243.393 km and passed 100 miles in 14:05:05; both marks were reported as British women’s records, subject to ratification.
European 100 km record
Ran 7:03:48 at the Anglo Celtic Plate in Perth to take the British 100 km title and break the European record by 15 seconds; the IAU record list gives the mark as 7:03:49.
IAU 100 km World Championships bronze
Placed third in Bengaluru in 7:19:18 as part of Great Britain’s international team.
Performance history
Selected results, not a complete race history. Rankings and record descriptions reflect the cited sources at their review dates. Distances may use different rounding conventions.
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Downs Way 100100-mile trail | 14:27:34 | 1st woman · 6th overall | View ↗ | |
| 100 km del Conero100 km road | 7:03:48 | 1st woman · 4th overall | View ↗ | |
| IAU 24-Hour World Championships24-hour race | 278.622 km | World champion · world record | View ↗ | |
| Crawley A.I.M. Charity 24 Hour24-hour race | 243.393 km | Overall winner | View ↗ | |
| IAU 100 km World Championships100 km road | 7:19:18 | 3rd woman | View ↗ | |
| Anglo Celtic Plate 100 km100 km roadThe IAU record list gives the European record as 7:03:49. | 7:03:48 | 1st woman · European record | View ↗ | |
| IAU 50 km World Championships50 km road | 3:20:07 | 3rd woman · GB team gold | View ↗ | |
| Anglo Celtic Plate and British 100 km Championships100 km roadThe IAU athlete feature describes the time as a British record; the IAU’s European 100 km record is her 7:03:49 from Perth in 2024. | 7:03:40 | 1st woman · Ultra debut | View ↗ |
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