Chaski | Blog | It’s Official. Project Carbon X 2 Is Coming.

It’s Official. Project Carbon X 2 Is Coming.

March 5, 2021

Note: We'll have a LIVE INTERVIEW with Jim Walmsley on Instagram on Sunday at 8pm EST. Tune into the Chaski Account or watch out for the replay.

On January 23, 2021, a small group of elite HOKA ONE ONE athletes will attempt to once again break records at 100km (62.2 miles) on a fast road loop at an undisclosed location in the US. This event celebrates the launch of HOKA’s Carbon X 2 racing shoe and builds on the success of the May, 2019 event which saw Jim Walmsley run the fastest 50 mile time in history.

Jim Walmsley

Walmsley once again headlines the 2021 event as he chases the 100km world record of 6:09:14 (a pace of 5:56 per mile) by Nao Kazami of Japan but will face challenges from the likes of Hayden Hawks (2020 JFK 50 Mile Champ and CR holder) and a slew of both experienced veterans and up-and-comers in the ultra world.

Newly signed HOKA pro, Camille Herron (100 mile WR holder, 24 hour WR holder), headlines the women’s field and will be chased by Chaski’s own Devon Yanko, who’s been having a fantastic year, despite not having any real races in which to compete.

Hayden Hawks

The event will be professionally live-streamed for free from HOKA with commentary from Toni Reavis, Carrie Tollefson, and Eric Senseman. The entire race will be accompanied by a second event happening in Japan with a full elite field of both men and women competing over 100km as well.

Team Chaski is well represented, with four of our coaches competing and several others serving as pacers. We caught up with a few of them below and will feature more interviews in the weeks leading up to it.

The entire elite athlete field for the US event is at the bottom of this page.

Devon Yanko

Devon Yanko - 100km PR: 7:46, 50 mile PR: 5:59

Training has been super solid. I ran more miles in 2020 than any previous year and stayed healthy. Most recently, I ran a 3:15;39 50km time trial, which would be the 3rd fastest American Women's time ever, had it been a real race. But super confidence-building that I could do that in this lead-up.

My goals for the race are to run smart, run my plan, run a huge PR and compete as best I can.

Tyler Andrews

Tyler Andrews - No current 100K PR (1 DNF), 2019 50 mile National Champ

I’ve spent my buildup in Flagstaff, Arizona and have done a lot of my training with Jim Walmsley. It’s definitely been a bit different from what I’ve done in the past -- a lot more trail stuff, trips to the Grand Canyon, more elevation change, etc. But Jim is an absolute legend in the ultra world and it’s been amazing to be able to chase him around the mountains for the last few months. I’d say I’m really strong and in really good shape, but I don’t have some of the same “staple” workouts that I’ve done in the past to judge exactly where I am.

In terms of goals for the race, first and foremost, I want to be competitive for the win and run fast. Events like this don’t come around very often and I’d rather take a huge swing and risk striking out (again). I think this is going to be one of the fastest, most competitive ultras of all time.

Kyle Masterson

Kyle Masterson - No current 100K PR (1 DNF), 50km PR 2:44:38

Preparation for PCX2 has not been ideal. My training has been abbreviated and lacking the usual volume and intensity of a typical build to an event such as this. I was quite sick with COVID in November and didn’t start running again until early December. Valuing my overall health the most, I took things very slowly. Only in the past week has any single run or quality session looked like something you might do in preparation for a fast 100km race. Even with that, my overall body of work just isn’t what you’d hope for and my body is quite up and down (likely from lingering effects of the virus) Nonetheless, I’m optimistic. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.

My goal for the event is very much a process goal; be in it as long as possible. You can’t fake fitness at this distance, so I won’t pretend I’m expecting to break the world record off of a few weeks jogging around and 2 weeks of legitimate training. However, I can do everything within my power to be in the hunt as long as possible. That could be 50 miles, or I could be sitting on a curb at mile 22. It’s a risk worth taking.

Kris Brown

Kris Brown - No 100K Road PR, 10th place Western States 100, 3rd Place Tarawera

Training: My training has been a successful cram session. I had some lingering aches and a difficult schedule through early fall and wasn't able to put in a long, sustained base phase, but around the middle of November, things started to come together. By race day it looks like I will have put in a solid 8 weeks of high mileage (for me) and hard work, and my body feels both resilient and fit at this point.

Goal: My major goal for this race is to achieve a solid PR. I'm under no illusions that I'm the fastest guy in the field, but I know that I'm capable of running a really good time, and since this controlled format is so conducive to high performance, I'm going to set an ambitious pace and focus really hard on managing all the little details throughout the day.