Western States 100: Everything you need to know
The Western States 100 – the world’s oldest 100-mile footrace – has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world. Traversing the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the US and climbing to more than 5,000m, it's the race that has made household names of Jim Walmsley, Scott Jurek and Ann Transon.
Brit Tom Evans won the race in 14:40:22 last year, the fourth fastest time in the event's history. Meanwhile Courtney Dauwalter set the new female course record 15:29:33, winning the race for the second time, securing a historic treble by becoming the first person - male or female - to win Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in one calendar year.
The race, which began as a horse riding event in 1955, has seen many multi-time champions. Ann Transon has the highest number of wins, ranking up 14 from 1989 to 2003. In the men's competition Scott Jurek holds the most wins, winning seven consecutive years from 1999 onwards.
British ultra runner Beth Pascall was female champion in 2021, finishing in 17:10:42, which at the time was the second-fastest women's time in race history.
The history
The unique history of this event is a big part of its longevity and charm. It all began in 1955 when five horsemen decided to try and ride the Western States Trail to prove horses could cover 100 miles in one day. It became known as the Tevis Cup, but it wasn't until 1972 that it was first attempted on foot. A group of 20 army infantrymen attempted to hike the trail nonstop, starting one day ahead of the Tevis Cup ride. Seven of the soldiers completed the distance on foot in under 48 hours.
Two years later Tevis veteran Gordy Ainsleigh decided to join the horses of the Western States Trail Ride to see if he could complete the course on foot within the 24-cut off. He completed it in 24 hours and 42 minutes and the gauntlet was thrown. During the next three years two more runners attempted to run the route before the official Western States Endurance Run was founded in 1977.
In 1979, 143 runners from 21 states and three foreign countries attempted the course. The next four decades saw interest continue to grow – with demand far exceeding the 369 entrants allowed each year.
Today, athletes from across the globe arrive in Olympic Valley on the last weekend in June to share the experience of running Western States. This year the event will start on June 29.
The course
The route follows the Western States Trail starting at Olympic Valley, California, and ending in Auburn. Beginning at 05:00 on Saturday morning, runners must reach the finish line no later than 10:59:59 the following day in order to be eligible for an award.
The trail ascends from the valley floor in the Olympic Valley to Emigrant Pass , a climb of 777 vertical metres in the first 4.5 miles. From the pass, following the original trails used by the gold and silver miners of the 1850s, runners travel west, climbing another 4700 metres. The climbs are tough but the descents are tougher as runners climb down 7,000 metres before reaching Auburn, in the heart of California’s gold country.
Most of the trail passes through remote and rugged territory which is only accessible by foot, horse of helicopter. In the miles between Olympic Valley and Auburn, runners experience the majestic high country of Emigrant Pass and the Granite Chief Wilderness, the crucible of the canyons of the California gold country, a memorable crossing of the ice cold waters of the Middle Fork of the American River, and the historic reddish brown trails that led many travelers, including gold prospectors, to Auburn.
Temperatures on the course can rise to a heady 35 degrees centigrade, so this is not a race for cold weather runners.
The buckles
Traditionally 100-mile races have awarded a buckle rather than a medal. This stems back to ultra running's shared history with endurance horse races. Most 100-milers in the US and UK still award a buckle at the finish. Western States awards a sub-24-hour silver belt buckle and a sub-30-hour bronze belt buckle.
Entry process
With just 369 places Western States is one of the toughest races to get into. Runners can enter via a lottery if they have completed a qualifying race. The only eligible races in the UK are the Arc of Attrition, Centurion Autumn 100, Hardwolds 80-miler, Lakeland 100, North Downs Way 100, South Downs Way 100 and the Thames Path 100. A further 50 to 75 applicants in the lottery are placed on the general wait list.
Runners can also be automatically selected, and not subject to the lottery. These include the top 10 finishers from the previous year’ race and 28 people who have won top three positions in Golden Ticket Races such as Black Canyon 100k.
The race has a full pregnancy deferral policy which gives automatic entry into an subsequent race, with no timeframe limit.
Aid stations and toilets
The support at the race is unparalleled with a ratio of four volunteers for every runner. The river crossing alone has a team of 125 personnel. There are 20 aid stations, including 10 medical checkpoints along the course. The aid stations are well stocked with fluids and a variety of foods.
Fluids include water, GU Hydration Drink Tabs and ROCTANE Energy Drink, Sprite or 7Up and Coke. The night aid stations also have soup, hot coffee and hot chocolate. Foods include salt replacement foods (saltines, pretzels, chips), GU ROCTANE Energy Gels, GU Liquid Energy Gels, fruits (oranges, bananas, melons), potatoes, cookies, candies, sandwiches. Hot soup is available at several of the aid stations, including the River Crossing, Auburn Lake Trails and Pointed Rocks.
The Olympic Plaza also provides runners with fruit, juice, coffee, Danish pastries at 03:30. on run morning next to the start line. Breakfast is served at the finish line from 08:00 to noon on Sunday, and is free to all entrants.
How do I get to the start line?
Runners start arriving earlier in the week as the event kicks off with a shakeout run on the Thursday, two days before race day. Although the pre-race events are not mandatory the briefing is, and this takes place at 14:00 on the Friday.
The closest airports to fly into are Reno (50 miles from Olympic Valley); Sacramento, (100 miles from Olympic Valley); and San Francisco, (200 miles from Olympic Valley). There is plenty of accommodation near the start of the run in Olympic Valley, the home of Palisades Tahoe ski resort. There are also places to stay in nearby Truckee and Tahoe City.
Parking is available in the Olympic Valley but remember the route isn't a loop so you will need to work out how to get back to your car or accommodation.
While the race doesn’t provide a shuttle service back to the start, there are usually a lot of people headed to Olympic Valley after the awards ceremony who are more than happy to give others a ride. There are also plenty of Uber and Lyft for hire in the area.
Is there a race cut-off?
Yes. Runners must finish within the 30-hour cutoff time to be included as an official finisher of the race.
Find out more at the office race website https://www.wser.org/
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