
In the ultra-running world, where experience and physicality separate athletes, 19-year-old Jonah Porth is breaking the mold.
The Washington University (St. Louis) sophomore and Veo Strip ambassador broke the Under 20 age group course record and finished an impressive third overall with a time of 4:44 at the challenging Woodside Ramble 50K trail run south of San Francisco in December. A Veo Strip aided him during the race, keeping his vision clear and focus locked on performance throughout the grueling course. In fact, Porth shattered course records in the last three ultra races he’s entered.
Porth's journey to ultra-running excellence is anything but conventional. While his roots in running began at College Preparatory School in Oakland, where he qualified for the California high school state championships in cross country, it wasn't until he ventured onto the trails that his true potential emerged. The San Francisco native discovered that the longer the distance, the stronger he became. He also found that he loved running on trails, surrounded by beauty.
His breakthrough came at the San Francisco 50/50 Endurance Fest in 2023, where he tore through the course in 4:28, claiming second overall and shattering the U20 age group record by an astounding 80 minutes.
But perhaps most impressive is Porth's resilience. After suffering a broken femur in early 2024, he bounced back to compete in the Rockin' Rockwoods 50K in St. Louis. Despite spraining his ankle after 8km, he persevered through the remaining 41km to secure fifth place overall – a testament to his extraordinary mental and physical toughness.
"Veo Strips have become such a natural part of my racing approach and once it’s on, I honestly forget it's there," says Porth, who wore the innovative sweat-diverting strip during his recent podium finish at Woodside Ramble. "What I notice instead is what's not happening – I'm not constantly wiping sweat from my eyes or dealing with blurred vision on technical trails. In ultra running, every distraction costs you energy and focus. The Veo Strip eliminates one of those variables completely."
Looking ahead to 2025, Porth is setting his sights on even greater challenges. His schedule includes the grueling Canyons Endurance Runs, where he'll tackle his first 100km race through the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. But even that's just a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal: competing in the legendary Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. With its brutal elevation changes and technical terrain, the UTMB's 171km route through three countries represents ultra running's ultimate test.
At just 19, Porth is already rewriting what's possible in the sport. With each race, he's gaining invaluable experience that usually takes runners a decade to accumulate. As he takes on longer distances and tougher courses in 2025, he's showing the drive and steady progress that could lead to bigger things in ultra running.