Big Texas Ultra 2025 Champions - Featuring Nicholas Wittkopp and Nadine Forest

The 2025 Texas Ultra Series wrapped up this November with Nicholas Wittkopp and Nadine Forest taking home the Big Texas Ultra 100K Championship titles. “The Championship field is a good mix of antsy, anticipatory & fun-spirited.” Race Director, Asher Hamlin, notes. “I knew the women's field was going to be super competitive.”

The top 7 males and 7 females who finished the furthest distances in the North, East, West, and South Texas Ultras received tickets and qualified for the Big Texas Ultra Championship. The Championship is a 100K in Austin, Texas, where competitors compete for prize money.

Leading into the race, Nicholas and Nadine say their focus was to finish within a certain amount of time. “My main goal was to go sub-12 hours,” Nadine says. To accomplish this goal, she chose a conservative pace strategy. “Patience is key! By listening to my body better, I was able to run very close to even splits.”

Nicholas had a goal of finishing in under 10 hours. “Ultras are long races, and issues are going to come up. You just need to be flexible and roll with the punches.” Halfway through the race, he started cramping. His new focus then became doing his best and finishing.

With each mile, this 62-mile race presents many obstacles, both mentally and physically. But the two champions give admirable perspectives when dealing with mental toughness and physical challenges.

“Whenever negative thoughts popped up, I tried to replace them with positive affirmations: ‘You’re doing great’. ‘Stay patient’. ‘You got this’.” Nadine, who faced internal opposition, says that smiling while running and speaking positive affirmations helped her overcome self-doubt. 

Nicholas faced physical opposition. “I twisted my ankle about ½ a mile in, forgot a hydration bottle, which caused me to have to run dry for a bit, and started cramping halfway through the race.” He says taking it moment by moment and problem-solving are what led him to finishing strong.

“I could tell that Nicholas gave it absolutely everything he had...he literally came in and nearly collapsed at the finish line.” Race Director Asher Hamlin says. “Nadine, to me, looked like she was having fun ALL DAY. She came from behind to get the win over 2 other very strong women over the course of the final miles.”

So what did these runners do to prepare for such an enormous distance?

“Time on feet over mileage.”

Both Nicholas and Nadine focused on time on feet rather than mileage. “I’m a big fan of the 80/20 approach: 80% easy effort and 20% harder workouts,” Nadine says. Easy long runs and trail running consisted of the majority of their runs.

For trail running gear, both recommend a hydration vest and good shoes. Nicholas also adds, “a good anti-chafing plan.”

Where the two champions differed in race planning was in their nutrition and hydration. Nadine, who experimented with gels and foods before race day, says candy, gels, and liquid carbs (like applesauce) were her go-to. She even ran 50K races before the event to dial in on her nutrition.

Nicholas, on the other hand, winged the whole race. He tried Pickle Juice for the first time. “It was great and helped me turn my race around.” But he notes that his biggest lesson from the event was the need to focus on hydration and sodium based on different race temperatures.

When asked what advice they’d give to those interested in racing the Big Texas Ultra 100K, both mentioned “playing to your strengths.” 

“Good on flat courses? Consider the North Texas Ultra 100K. This race has typically seen fewer entrants than some of the other shorter distances, which could work in your favor.

“Good with heat and humidity? Consider the East Texas Ultra 50K. It’s historically been hot and humid, which many runners struggle with (myself included!).

“Able to adapt to any condition? Consider the West Texas Ultra 50 Miler. In 2024, it got up in the 100’s and in 2025 it snowed… Who knows what will happen in 2026!

“Good with punchy hills and exposed ATV-style trails? Consider the South Texas Ultra 50K.” Nadine writes.

“The most important thing: have fun!”

Both Nicholas and Nadine have big plans for 2026:

“I’m thinking of taking a stab at the 100-mile distance.” - Nadine

“I would like to get more comfortable and familiarize myself with ultra running.” - Nicholas

The Texas Ultra Series is a unique trail running experience where runners trek through the four main regions of Texas (North, South, East, and West), finishing their adventure in Austin, the state capital. Those who complete the series receive medals at each location that connect to form the state of Texas (see below).

“It is so fun getting to know runners as they complete the 5 races in different regions of Texas across the span of a year. I love hearing which race each of them enjoyed the most & why. I'm inspired to come back for more races, if anything, so I can continue to be around the best community (genuinely) & be a part of a person's big day.” Asher concludes.

You can sign up or learn more information about the series at TexasOutlawRunning.com/TexasUltraSeries.