HOKA - Unlocking the Impossible Review

Unlocking the Impossible Review: HOKA Captures a Historic Western States

Three men under 14 hours. Four runners beneath the previous course record. A HOKA footwear engineer winning in an unreleased prototype.

The 2026 Western States 100 already had everything a sports documentary could ask for. HOKA’s Unlocking the Impossible packages that historic day into a gripping 32-minute film built around speed, uncertainty and the brutal unpredictability of racing 100 miles.

Chasing Sub-14

The film follows six members of HOKA’s men’s team: Jim Walmsley, Vincent Bouillard, Francesco Puppi, Hans Troyer, Adam Peterman and Hayden Hawks.

Rather than presenting a conventional race recap, director Matt Trappe uses the live broadcast as the film’s backbone. Race footage and commentary are interrupted by shorter athlete vignettes, giving the viewer enough context before returning to an increasingly frantic race.

It works because the outcome never feels inevitable.

A Race That Keeps Changing Shape

The film is especially effective at preserving the tension within the men’s race, where Hans Troyer, Francesco Puppi and Vincent Bouillard each appear capable of becoming its defining character.

Troyer provides the early aggression. He runs fearlessly at the front and helps push the race towards record pace, creating the sense that the old Western States benchmarks might not survive the day. His eventual decline is not treated as a side note, but as another reminder of how quickly control can disappear over 100 miles.

As Troyer fades, Puppi takes over the narrative. Racing his first 100-miler, the Italian looks remarkably composed while holding the lead deep into the race. His presence keeps the result uncertain: this is not simply a story about Bouillard waiting for everyone else to fall apart. Puppi continues to run fast enough to win and ultimately finishes in 13:51:08, also well inside the previous course record.

Bouillard remains close without becoming the obvious winner too soon. The film allows him to gradually move from contender to hunter before finally passing Puppi during the closing stages. That progression gives the final kilometres genuine tension, even for viewers who already know the result.

By the time Bouillard enters the Placer High School track, the question is no longer whether he will win. It is how far into previously impossible territory the clock will go.

The answer is 13:46:15 – more than 23 minutes faster than Jim Walmsley’s former course record.

Controlled Chaos

The film’s greatest strength is its pacing. Across its 32-minute runtime, aid-station footage, broadcast commentary and polished cinematography are cut together without making the race difficult to follow. The result feels urgent, but never chaotic.

There is also genuine tension in watching HOKA’s original plans fall apart. Several of the team’s biggest names disappear from contention, while Bouillard and Puppi emerge as the central characters. The filmmakers prepared for several possible outcomes; the race delivered one better than anything they could have scripted.

Bouillard is an especially compelling protagonist. He is understated, analytical and almost strangely calm for someone dismantling one of ultrarunning’s most respected records. The fact that he also works in footwear innovation for HOKA – and raced in a prototype connected to that work – adds another layer to the story.

This is not simply an athlete winning in his sponsor’s shoes. It is an engineer helping create the equipment that carries him to a course record.

A Brilliant Brand Film – But Still a Brand Film

The limitation is obvious: Unlocking the Impossible is produced by HOKA and follows HOKA athletes.

That focus gives the film its structure, but it also prevents it from becoming the definitive documentary of the 2026 Western States. Jennifer Lichter’s women’s course record is not the story here, while major performances from athletes outside HOKA’s team receive limited attention.

That is not necessarily a criticism. The film is open about its perspective and never pretends to be a neutral account of the entire race. It should be watched as a portrait of one team chasing an audacious target, rather than a complete record of a historic Western States.

Within those boundaries, it succeeds brilliantly.

The Verdict

Unlocking the Impossible understands that ultrarunning does not need exaggerated narration or manufactured adversity. The distance, the changing leaders and the relentless clock provide more than enough drama.

At just over half an hour, the film is tightly edited, beautifully produced and easy to recommend even to viewers who did not follow the race live. It gives the contest room to develop while maintaining momentum from the aggressive opening kilometres to Bouillard’s arrival on the track in Auburn.

It captures the speed of the day without losing the uncertainty that makes 100-mile racing so compelling. Most importantly, it preserves the moment when running Western States in under 14 hours stopped being hypothetical.

Hold W Rating: 7,4/10

Best for: Western States fans, trail-running film lovers and anyone interested in the rapidly evolving performance level at the front of ultrarunning.