Geoff Roes

About

Geoff Roes is an American ultrarunner born on April 14, 1976 in central New York who became one of the defining figures of the sport's golden era with a 2010 Western States 100 victory that set a new course record. Growing up near Oneida Lake in Cleveland, New York, Roes relocated to Juneau, Alaska in 2005, where the wilderness of Southeast Alaska shaped an approach to training built on time in the mountains rather than structured track work. In 2009 he announced himself nationally by winning the HURT 100 Mile in Hawaii and the Bear 100 Mile and Wasatch Front 100 Mile in Utah, setting a Wasatch course record of 18:30:55 that still stood as of 2026. In 2010 he assembled what was then arguably the most dominant single-season performance record in American ultrarunning: he won the Western States 100 in 15:07:04, shattering Scott Jurek's six-year-old course record by nearly nine minutes ahead of Anton Krupicka and Kilian Jornet; won the White River 50 Mile; and was named Ultra Runner of the Year. His course record at Western States lasted two years until Timothy Olson broke it in 2012. After 2010, Roes began to experience a multi-year decline attributed to chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction, eventually stepping back from competitive ultrarunning entirely. He channelled his knowledge into the Alaska Mountain Ultrarunning Camp, which he hosted annually in Juneau for over a decade, guiding athletes through some of the most spectacular wilderness terrain in North America. His competitive arc — a late entry to the sport, explosive dominance, and an honest reckoning with the costs of elite performance — has made him a respected voice in ultrarunning's ongoing conversation about training limits and long-term athlete health.

Notable Wins

• — Western States 100 2010 (CR 15:07:04)
• — Wasatch Front 100 2009 (CR 18:30:55)
• — HURT 100 2009
• — Bear 100 2009
• — White River 50 Mile 2010
• — UltraRunner of the Year 2010

Race History