| Distance | 100 miles |
| Location | Squaw Valley to Auburn, California |
| Date | June 23rd 2007 |
Thirty five years ago, Gordy Ainsleigh; unwilling or unable to find a horse for the 100mile Tevis Cup race decided to accompany the horses on foot. He completed the course in a few minutes under 24 hours, proving to himself and others that the feat was possible. For the next couple of years, a handful of runners competed alongside the horses and then a separate race was born. That race was the Western States Endurance run and has become the granddaddy of them all.
Not the toughest 100 miler but certainly the most competitive and no soft touch. The course starts at Squaw Valley near Tahoe, California and heads west to Auburn near Sacramento. Over its 100 miles it offers 17,000ft of climb and 23,000ft of descent. The first 4 miles provide a brutal start at 5am with a climb of over 2000ft up to Emigrant pass, the highest point on the course at well over 8000ft altitude. The real killer, though, is the heat. Middle sections of the course repeatedly drop into and climb out of canyons where the mid-afternoon temperatures regularly exceed 105 degrees. For those with energy still left, the final 40 miles provide some of the best running on the course with the added advantage of a waist deep river crossing at mile 80 to cool things down a little.
Western States is not an easy course to get right. Local knowledge and a tolerance for the extreme heat certainly provide advantage but for many years the race was never won by anybody from outside California. More recently, however, the male race has been dominated by the Ultra-running world’s equivalent of Lance Armstrong. With 7 straight wins, Scott Jurek, holds the record for the most wins and for the fastest ever time at 15hrs 36minutes. Quite nippy for 100 miles of often rocky and root strewn trail!
Over the years many from outside the US have brought talent and ambition to the race but few have been as successful as they hoped. Tour de Mont Blanc winner, Vincent Delabarre pushed Scott hard for the first 50 miles a couple of years ago but, as with so many who have tried before, he faded badly in the second part of the race and finished hours behind. Indeed, many people consider that the race really starts at the 62mile Foresthill aid station where runners can pick up pacers for moral support and encouragement (or prodding with a sharp stick!) and where a very runnable section of 16 miles down to the river starts.
In 2006, the race had exceptionally hot conditions, temperatures in the canyons peaked at over 110 degrees and many runners found themselves in distress. There was drama at the finish line too when the leading runner collapsed as he entered the stadium for the final 300 metres around the track. He was helped by friends over the line before being whisked off to hospital. Race rules, however, state that no runner may receive assistance outside of the aid stations and so he was disqualified, leaving second placed, Graham Cooper as the surprised overall winner.
The race regularly attracts an international contingent and some 34 countries have been represented over the years. In 2008 a strong contingent of 20 Australians decided to take the challenge leaving many overseas runners, including UK 100km champion, Jez Bragg, without a place. Two UK runners did, however, make the trip. Nick Ham, out for his second trip along the course, took advantage of cooler conditions and knocked over an hour off his previous best – despite an unscheduled 3 mile detour when he missed course markings. For Cath Worth, the stakes were a little higher. In 2006 she was timed out at the 85 mile point and had to live for a whole year with the bitter disappointment of unfulfilled dreams. In 2008 she came back stronger, more rigorously trained and just as determined. A superb time of 25hrs 20 was justification for all that effort, cost and time committed.
The beta
The race has a very informative website at www.ws100.com.
Entries are very hard to secure – each year there are around 5 applications for each place and a lottery drawing takes place in November to determine the lucky ones.
You will need to run qualifier 50 mile and/or 100mile races in a suitable time to be eligible
Western States endurance run is the best known and most competitive 100mile trail race on earth. It attracts the best racers and provides an amazing experience with over 1600 volunteers (aid station crew, medical support etc etc) on hand to support the 450 runners
The race has a real buzz about it with large crowds turning out to holler for the runners through the day and night.
Final cut-off is 30 hours. Anyone completing the course in under 24 hours receives a sterling silver belt buckle inscribed “100 miles, one day”
35 years on and Gordy, now aged around 60, recorded his 22nd successful completion of the course in trademark bare-chested style from start to finish
