We’ve made it to the tippy-top, the cream of the crop, the winners, the TROY Champions! 2024 was a season of ascendant performances with more than a few athletes moving towards GOAT status – and the two runners who landed at the very top of the ballot are well on their way to cementing their names in the history books. One of these athletes brought us some of the most exciting battles and sprint finishes, while the other literally ran away from everyone, wire-to-wire, time and time again. While we can’t wait to celebrate their 2024 accomplishments, don’t hate us for being so giddy about what might lay ahead for 2025!
If you’ve missed any of the countdown this year, you can find them all here: second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth.
In first position this year we have The North Face’s Katie Schide and Nnormal’s Elhousine Elazzaoui.
2024 became the year where Katie Schide ran her way into a league of her own. The American ultra runner who makes her home in the tiny village of Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage in France’s Mercantour National Park has become one of the circuit’s best and most consistent racers over the last three years. Despite running well both pre- and the year immediately post-pandemic, it felt like Katie flew under the radar for many until 2022, when she had numerous breakthrough performances, including winning UTMB. It truly feels like since that win, Katie has become one of the ‘unstoppable’ athletes, finishing on the podium each time she races while flexing incredible range. After finishing second in Trail Runner of The Year in 2022 and 2023, her 2024 finally put her unanimously on top.
Zooming out, Katie raced four times in 2024, winning all four events and setting a course record on one of the world’s biggest stages in the process. Just under a year ago, Katie kicked off her season, joining her TNF teammates on the island for Transgrancanaria race week. While there, she won the vertical race (the KV El Gigante), running a blistering 47:31, before turning her attention to a warm and sunny training camp as she prepped for her big focus for the year, the Western States 100-mile. From the island, Katie headed state-side in preparation for WSER. She set up a home base in Flagstaff, Arizona before journeying to Auburn, California for the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB 100km. While Canyons is a golden ticket race, Katie already had her spot secure (in the F2 bib), but wanted a race that was “course specific” for the big dance, and that’s exactly what she got. Katie quickly took charge of the race, pushing the pace at the very front, and taking a wire-to-wire win in 9:10:10. Some would argue this was her most impressive result of the year – that is, all before winning the two biggest 100-mile races in the world – and they’re not completely wrong. From there Katie went on to run the second fastest time ever at WSER, winning in a time of 15:46:57, leading an absolutely record-setting women’s field. Finally, Katie headed to UTMB for one last hoorah, blitzing the field to run a record-setting 22:09:31 for the win. While the women’s field is elavating every race weekend Katie remains at the helm, a position we are excited for her to take on when she toes the line at the Hardrock 100-mile in 2025.
To some, it might seem that the Moroccan, Elhousine Elazzaoui, finally cracked the code at the end of his 2023 season. Those digging a little deeper will see an athlete who has steadily been chipping away for years. There have been top tens, podiums, DNFs, and a 50th or 115th here or there – but the trending pattern has been one step up at a time, one season at a time. A staple on the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) since 2020, Elhousine, before this season, has finished fifteenth, fourth, and second in the overall standings. 2024 however, would become the Elhousine show, and we’re not mad about it. While there are a lot of wins on his scorecard, he didn’t get to simply run away with it either. The battles that played out race after race on the GTWS this year will not be events we soon forget.
Looking at Elhousine’s season as a whole, there was a clear turning point come June; it’s where the wins really started to stack up. Elhousine raced eight times in 2024, winning five of those races (nine races and six wins if you count the GTWS prologue) and setting two course records in the process. Early in the year he steadily moved his way up the podium, kicking off the GTWS with a third at the Kobe Trail 21km, and second at both the Four Sisters Mountain Trail Race 22km and the historic Zegama-Aizkorri. From June forward, his season looks like a computer language – a string of 1’s. He kicked off his winning campaign by setting the course record at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, running a 3:30:10. From there he notched wins at the Headlands 27km, the Mammoth Trail Fest 26km (course record), the GTWS Grand Final, and the Valtellina Wine Trail 21km. While we love a champion, we love a runner who gets the most out of themself even more, something Elhousine does race in and race out. 2024 was an incredible step up for Elhousine’s career, the scary part… we think he’s justing starting to find his groove!
We asked Elhousine what his highlight was for the 2024 season, and it’s all about showing up as his most capable self, “2024 was a season where I wanted and could prove that I am capable of winning and being regular. The help and support of my family, friends, and team gave me the motivation to repay them for their trust!”
Year after year, we are blown away by the many incredible trail talents, both the athletes and the disciplines, that make this sport so darn special. We’d like to give Katie Schide and Elhousine Elazzaoui one more great big bravo – you both inspire us to test our limits and dream real big!
The Final Standings
Women: (1) Katie Schide, (2) Courtney Dauwalter, (3) Joyce Muthoni Njeru, (4) Rachel Drake, (5) Ruth Croft, (6) Toni McCann, (7) Jasmin Paris, (8) Joyline Chepngeno, (9) Fuzhao Xiang and (10) Judith Wyder.
Men: (1) Elhousine Elazzaoui, (2) Hayden Hawks, (3) Patrick Kipngeno, (4) David Roche, (5) Kilian Jornet, (6) David Sinclair, (7) Eli Hemming, (8) Jim Walmsley, (9) Ludovic Pommeret and (10) Vincent Bouillard.