University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Alum Charlie Lawrence Wins IAU 100k World Championship
9/22/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field
Lawrence, who was a two-time captain for Minnesota, won in a time of 6:09:25.
MINNEAPOLIS -- On September 20 former Golden Gopher Charlie Lawrence (2013-18) claimed the IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners) 100K World Championships in Ames, Spain. On Sunday the 100K American record holder and two-time captain for the Maroon and Gold led Team USA to a men's team gold in a combined 19:17:18, edging out Great Britain (19:18:02) by under a minute.
The victory for Lawrence in a time of six hours, nine minutes and 25 seconds (6:09:25) came ahead of the 100K world record holder Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania, who finished as the event's runner-up over three minutes after Lawrence. The course featured a 20-lap, 5-kilometer course, and saw the temperature range from 61 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 over the roughly seven-hour race. Lawrence took the lead about halfway through the 100 kilometer event, running a 17:59 on the ninth 5K lap to take over Japan's Masato Tanaka and never relinquished the lead.
At Minnesota Lawrence was a two-time captain (2016, 2017) and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2016. He was ninth at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in 2016 and left college with an 8K lifetime best of 24:15.5 and a 10K personal best of 30:25.6. Lawrence also participated in the NCAA Cross Country Championships with the Maroon and Gold in 2015 when the team qualified and finished 19th with the Foley, Minn., native finishing third among the Gophers lineup behind Obsa Ali and Adam Zutz.
After college Lawrence has seen major success in long-distance running by setting the 50-mile world record in 2023 at the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile event in Vienna, Ill. The previous record had been held by Jim Walmsley with Lawrence breaking the 2019 record using an average pace of 5:46 per mile to stop the clock in 4:48:21. In 2026 Lawrence also made his marathon debut at the Boston Marathon and finished 41st overall in a time of 2:14. The marathon performance at Boston helped Lawrence secure a qualification to the 2028 USA Olympic Trials in the marathon.
For more information on the Minnesota cross country this season, visit GopherSports.com and follow the team on Twitter (X), Instagram, Threads and Facebook.
The victory for Lawrence in a time of six hours, nine minutes and 25 seconds (6:09:25) came ahead of the 100K world record holder Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania, who finished as the event's runner-up over three minutes after Lawrence. The course featured a 20-lap, 5-kilometer course, and saw the temperature range from 61 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 over the roughly seven-hour race. Lawrence took the lead about halfway through the 100 kilometer event, running a 17:59 on the ninth 5K lap to take over Japan's Masato Tanaka and never relinquished the lead.
At Minnesota Lawrence was a two-time captain (2016, 2017) and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2016. He was ninth at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in 2016 and left college with an 8K lifetime best of 24:15.5 and a 10K personal best of 30:25.6. Lawrence also participated in the NCAA Cross Country Championships with the Maroon and Gold in 2015 when the team qualified and finished 19th with the Foley, Minn., native finishing third among the Gophers lineup behind Obsa Ali and Adam Zutz.
After college Lawrence has seen major success in long-distance running by setting the 50-mile world record in 2023 at the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile event in Vienna, Ill. The previous record had been held by Jim Walmsley with Lawrence breaking the 2019 record using an average pace of 5:46 per mile to stop the clock in 4:48:21. In 2026 Lawrence also made his marathon debut at the Boston Marathon and finished 41st overall in a time of 2:14. The marathon performance at Boston helped Lawrence secure a qualification to the 2028 USA Olympic Trials in the marathon.
For more information on the Minnesota cross country this season, visit GopherSports.com and follow the team on Twitter (X), Instagram, Threads and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track & FieldTuesday, September 15
Monday, September 29
Sunday, November 17
Sunday, September 01