Surrounded by Ponderosa pine forests and a backdrop of mountains, Flagstaff, Ariz., is a postcard place for professional runners. It’s an ideal running hub with open trails, few distractions and the red-blood-cell-boosting benefits of nearly 7,000 feet of altitude. It’s home to arguably the best ultramarathoner in the U.S., Jim Walmsley.
Since moving to Flagstaff in 2015, Walmsley, 30, has distinguished himself from the rest of the northern Arizona town’s runners with a string of impressive performances. His crowning moment came at the 2018 Western States Endurance Run, the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race, which goes from California’s Squaw Valley to Auburn, where he finished in a course-record 14 hours and 30 minutes.