Canadian Running’s top 10 stories of 2025

If we had to sum up 2025 in running terms, it was a marathon. It was a long year filled with unforgettable moments, a few we were happy to leave behind and plenty of twists along the way. That mix is reflected in our most-read running stories of the year, chosen by you.

From on-course blunders that made headlines to athletes young and old chasing age-group world records, 2025 delivered no shortage of triumphs and chaos. Here’s a countdown of the 10 most popular running stories of 2025, as read and shared by our audience.

10) Georgia man runs absurd 5K every day in pursuit of fame

Atlanta’s Jacob Cohen has been running daily 5Ks in odd locations. No, not like around his neighbour’s backyard–we’re talking in the shower, in a portable toilet, in an elevator and even in a coffee shop. His ultimate goal? 100,000 Instagram followers, and to continue to make people laugh.

Cohen started the challenge to become a full-time running influencer, creating comedic content that tells a story and inspires others. He began the challenge with 3,500 Instagram followers, and his goal has been to reach 100,000 by the end of 2025. 

9) Your smartwatch might be making you sick, new research says

Many of us rely on our running watches daily, using them as an essential training tool to track pace, distance and heart rate. New research suggested that some of these handy devices come with an unexpected downside—high levels of toxic PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals.”

A study from the University of Notre Dame found that 15 out of 22 common smartwatch and fitness tracker bands tested contained PFAs at levels significantly higher than those typically found in consumer products.

8) Ontario high schooler stripped of silver medal at New Balance Nationals

Graham Tomori of St. Catharines, Ont., thought he’d just run the race of his life. The 18-year-old crossed the line in 14:23.87 in the boys’ 5,000m event at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia. It was good enough for a silver medal in a deep field of North America’s best high-school distance runners.

The celebration didn’t last. After the awards ceremony, Tomori was informed he’d been disqualified under USATF Rule 163.5, stepping along the inside of the rail—a technical infraction that stripped him of both his medal and his finishing time.

7) 16-year-old Chinese sprinter runs insane 100m time

It seems like every year, a teenage sprint phenom makes headlines for running a ridiculously fast 100m time. In 2025, it happened to be China’s Yujie Chen. At China’s National Games, Chen quietly produced the fourth-fastest U18 100m time in history and broke a record that had stood since 1997.

https://t.co/zIC8u4Jb4v pic.twitter.com/jWrG2Ids4D

— YSL (@contestedmid) November 17, 2025

Chen sprinted to a 100m time of 11.10 seconds (+0.7 m/s) to win national gold, breaking the Chinese and Asian U20 record of 11.17. Earlier this year, she also became the youngest female athlete to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she ran the 200m heats and was part of China’s women’s 4x100m relay squad.

6) Tour de France legend faces criticism for his half-marathon

Cycling and running are similarly aerobic in nature, so it’s no surprise that many elite cyclists transition into strong age‑group runners after retiring from the sport. But not everyone makes the jump smoothly, something Tour de France legend Mark Cavendish learned the hard way.

Cavendish posted a selfie on social media with his medal from the Harmonie Mutuelle Semi de Paris, and some fans were less than impressed. He covered the 21.1 km in 1:57:08, averaging 5:33 per kilometre (8:55 per mile). While that’s a perfectly respectable debut half‑marathon time for many amateur runners, some followers took shots at the 35‑time Tour de France stage winner for his perceived lack of fitness, given his background.

5) Canadian Olympian steals the show in men’s 100m national final

The national final at the 2025 Canadian Track and Field Championships brought all the noise. With Andre De Grasse withdrawing due to injury and Jerome Blake disqualified for a false start in the semi-finals, the door opened for Duan Asemota of Ajax, Ont., who delivered a breakthrough performance.

The Paris 2024 Olympian reminded the field why he’s one of the country’s most electrifying sprinters, winning in 10.12 seconds. Asemota was the first Canadian sprinter not named De Grasse or Aaron Brown to win the race in almost a decade.

4) Football player defeats Olympic champion Quincy Wilson in 400m race

American sprint phenom Quincy Wilson continued to make headlines in 2025, once again landing in our top 10 stories of the year. It’s not every day a high school football player outruns an Olympic track champion, so when it happened at the Pepsi Florida Relays in April, it sent shockwaves through the track community.

On the final leg of the high school boys’ 4x400m relay, Tywan Cox of Miami Northwestern, a defensive back and University of Illinois football commit, threw down a blistering 45.14 anchor split to chase down and defeat the American Olympic 4x400m gold medallist.

3) World’s fastest woman defeats 100 men for US$100,000

The question of just how fast the fastest woman in the world is compared to the average man was put to the test, with help from world 100m champion Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden and YouTuber MrBeast.

Mr. Beast made 100 random men RACE the world’s FASTEST Woman, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden for $100K, and it was CLOSE 😮🏃‍♀️👀
pic.twitter.com/9G0NUA5QAd

— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) October 11, 2025

Jefferson‑Wooden raced 100 male University of North Carolina students and beat every one of them, reminding the Internet why she’s the fastest woman on earth. MrBeast offered a US$100,000 prize to any man who could outrun the reigning world 100m and 200m champion across the width of two soccer fields, but only one person came close.

2) Elite women go the wrong way at Toronto Waterfront Marathon

We’ve all been lost or taken a wrong turn on a run, but rarely to the point where it costs us the race. At the 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, three Ethiopian elite marathoners weren’t paying attention and mistakenly followed the half‑marathoners to the finish line around the 20‑kilometre mark, instead of continuing along the marathon course.

Three Ethiopian runners took a wrong turn at the @TOwaterfront42k and ended up at the finish. 22km early…#RunTO pic.twitter.com/FsP5Tk9TaB

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) October 19, 2025

They ended up running through the finish chute and into the medical zone, only to be told by race officials that they could not head back out onto the course. It’s a blunder they’re unlikely to make again.

1) American hurdler’s junk falls out mid-race, still runs season’s best

Going “balls out” isn’t meant to be taken literally, but American hurdler Chris Robinson did just that at the 2025 Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in the Czech Republic. The sprinter suffered a massive wardrobe malfunction while running the 400m hurdles, resulting in a very clear shot of his junk falling clean out of his split shorts. And despite reaching down to adjust himself as he came down the final stretch, Robinson still finished first, recording a season’s best of 48.05 seconds.