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Western States Endurance Run
Western States Endurance Run patch.png
Western States Endurance Run logo patch
Date Last weekend of June
Location Squaw Valley, California
Event type Ultramarathon trail run
Distance 100 miles (161 km)
Established 1977
Course records Men: 14:09:28 (2019)
Jim Walmsley
Women: 16:47:19 (2012)
Ellie Greenwood
Official site www.wser.org
Hanging with the Oregonians
Runners, WS 2010.
Western States 100 Finish Line
The finish line to the Western States 100 at Placer High School

The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, is a 100-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. The race starts at the base of the Squaw Valley ski resort and finishes at the Placer High School track in Auburn, California. The terrain is quite rugged, frequently showcasing snow on the highest passes and record hot temperatures throughout the course. Runners ascend a cumulative total of 18,090 feet (5500 m) and descend a total of 22,970 feet (7000 m) on mountain trails before reaching the finish. Because of the length, the race commences at 5 a.m. and continues through the day and into the night. Runners finishing before the 30-hour time limit for the race receive a commemorative bronze belt buckle, while runners finishing in under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle.

The Western States 100 is sponsored by Altra, a Utah athletic footwear company, and is one of the five 100-mile races that comprise the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which also includes the Old Dominion 100, Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run, the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in Utah, and the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado.

History

The Western States Trail Ride was first completed on foot by seven soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas during the 1972 event, proving that the 100-mile mountain course could be marched in less than two days. In 1974 Gordy Ainsleigh was the first to run it in under 24 hours. Ainsleigh had finished the Western States Trail Ride (Tevis Cup) in 1971 and 1972 on horseback, but in 1973 his new horse was pulled with lameness at the 29-mile checkpoint. In 1974, with the inspiration and encouragement of Drucilla Barner, the first woman to win the Tevis Cup and Secretary of the Western States Trail Foundation, Gordy joined the horses of the Western States Trail Ride to see if he could complete the course on foot in under 24 hours. Twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes later Gordy arrived in Auburn, proving that a runner could indeed, travel the 100 miles in one day.

In 1975, Ron Kelley ran the Tevis Cup course along with the horses, and completed 97 miles (157 km) of the course before dropping out. In 1976, Ken "Cowman" Shirk became the next to complete the course along with the horses, with Ainsleigh pacing him the last 25 miles.

Sixteen runners signed up for the first official Western States Endurance Run in 1977, and started along with the horses in the Tevis Cup. Thirteen of the 16 had dropped out or were pulled by the midpoint that year. Of the three remaining runners, only Andy Gonzales finished in the 24-hour time limit set for the horses. The other two, Peter Mattei and Ralph Paffenbarger, finished in 28 hours and 36 minutes (unofficially), leading to the establishment of the 30-hour bronze buckle time limit for runners. The Run organization later became its own entity: The Western States Endurance Run Foundation.

The following year, 1978, 63 runners competed and 30 runners finished the first Western States Endurance Run. The race was held on a separate date, independent of the Tevis Cup Trail Ride.

As the event grew in notoriety, a lottery system was created in 1981 to allocate the available positions. A limited number of entries will be reserved to the top two men and the top two women finishers of the five Altra Golden Ticket Series races and the top-ten finishers of the preceding Western States race. After the few select entries are awarded, a lottery is then held to fill the field from a pool of qualified applicants. In 2017, a wait list was implemented with replacement runners selected from the wait list to ensure that the 369 allowable starting spots are completely filled.

In 1984, the Granite Chief Wilderness was created under the provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and about four miles (6 km) of the trail were within the new boundaries. The wilderness designation would normally mean that the Forest Service would not be able to allow organized events in the area. In 1988, however, the Endurance Run (and the original Trail Ride) was finally given Congressional permission to continue, but with the number of runners limited to 369, the size of the 1984 field.

Results

Tim Twietmeyer, an ultra-marathoner from California completed the race a record 25 times, all in under 24 hours, and winning the race five times.

Scott Jurek's 2005 victory was his seventh consecutive win.

Ann Trason won the women's race fourteen times.

In 2008 the race was canceled due to bad air quality and smoke from an unprecedented number of wildfires.

The 2009 winners of the race were Hal Koerner and Anita Ortiz. In 2010, Geoff Roes overtook Anton Krupicka at the Brown's Bar checkpoint with 10.1 miles to go to win the race and set a new course record with 15:07:04. Tracy Garneau won the women's race in 19:01:55. Amy Palmiero-Winters, a transtibial amputee, became the first amputee in history to complete the race, in 27:43:10.

In 2012, Ellie Greenwood bested the seemingly unbreakable course record set by Ann Trason in 1994 by nearly an hour with a new record time of 16:47:19. The same year, Timothy Olson ran a sub 15 hour race (14:46:44) and in the process, broke the previous course record that was set by Geoff Roes in 2010.

In 2016, Andrew Miller, 20, became the youngest male winner of the Western States 100 after newcomer Jim Walmsley, the forecasted winner, took a wrong turn approaching the north fork of the American River near mile 95.

For the 2018 year, Jim Walmsley broke the course record and ended a streak of failed attempts with a 14:30:04 finish. Jim was reportedly delayed by a few minutes at 95 miles by a mother bear and cubs on the trail.

In 2019, Jim Walmsley broke his own record from 2018 with a time of 14:09:28.

In 2020, the race is canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Men's Winners

Year Winner Time Age Country
2020 -- -- -- --
2019 Jim Walmsley 14:09:28 29  United States
2018 Jim Walmsley 14:30:04 28  United States
2017 Ryan Sandes 16:19:38 35  South Africa
2016 Andrew Miller 15:39:36 20  United States
2015 Rob Krar 14:48:59 38  Canada
2014 Rob Krar 14:53:22 37  Canada
2013 Timothy Olson 15:17:27 29  United States
2012 Timothy Olson 14:46:44 28  United States
2011 Kilian Jornet 15:34:24 23  Spain
2010 Geoff Roes 15:07:04 34  United States
2009 Hal Koerner 16:24:55 33  United States
2008 -- -- -- --
2007 Hal Koerner 16:12:16 31  United States
2006 Graham Cooper 18:17:28 36  United States
2005 Scott Jurek 16:40:45 31  United States
2004 Scott Jurek 15:36:27 30  United States
2003 Scott Jurek 16:01:18 29  United States
2002 Scott Jurek 16:19:10 28  United States
2001 Scott Jurek 16:38:30 27  United States
2000 Scott Jurek 17:17:24 26  United States
1999 Scott Jurek 17:34:22 25  United States
1998 Tim Twietmeyer 17:51:20 39  United States
1997 Mike Morton 15:40:41 25  United States
1996 Tim Twietmeyer 17:42:06 37  United States
1995 Tim Twietmeyer 18:34:58 36  United States
1994 Tim Twietmeyer 16:51:01 35  United States
1993 Tom Johnson 17:08:34 34  United States
1992 Tim Twietmeyer 16:54:16 33  United States
1991 Tom Johnson 15:54:05 32  United States
1990 Tom Johnson 16:38:52 31  United States
1989 Mark Brotherton 16:53:39 32  United States
1988 Brian Purcell 16:24:00 32  United States
1987 Herb Tanzer 17:41:06 35  United States
1986 Chuck Jones 16:37:47 27  United States
1985 Jim King 16:02:44 28  United States
1984 Jim King 14:54:00 27  United States
1983 Jim Howard 16:07:00 29  United States
1982 Jim King 16:17:00 25  United States
1981 Jim Howard 16:02:37 27  United States
1980 Mike Catlin 18:35:42 28  United States
1979 Mike Catlin 16:11:56 27  United States
1978 Andy Gonzalez 18:50:00 23  United States
1977 Andy Gonzalez 22:57:00 22  United States
1976 Ken Shirk 24:30:00 23  United States
1974 Gordy Ainsleigh 23:42:20 26  United States

Women's Winners

Year Winner Time Age Country
2020 -- -- -- --
2019 Clare Gallagher 17:23:24 27  United States
2018 Courtney Dauwalter 17:27:00 33  United States
2017 Cat Bradley 19:31:31 25  United States
2016 Kaci Lickteig 17:57:59 29  United States
2015 Magdalena Boulet 19:05:21 41  United States
2014 Stephanie Howe 18:01:42 30  United States
2013 Pam Smith 18:37:21 38  United States
2012 Ellie Greenwood 16:47:19 33  United Kingdom
2011 Ellie Greenwood 17:55:29 32  United Kingdom
2010 Tracy Garneau 19:01:55 41  Canada
2009 Anita Ortiz 18:24:17 45  United States
2008 -- -- -- --
2007 Nikki Kimball 18:12:38 36  United States
2006 Nikki Kimball 19:26:51 35  United States
2005 Annette Bednosky 18:39:01 38  United States
2004 Nikki Kimball 18:43:25 33  United States
2003 Ann Trason 18:36:03 42  United States
2002 Ann Trason 18:16:26 41  United States
2001 Ann Trason 18:33:34 40  United States
2000 Ann Trason 19:44:42 39  United States
1999 Suzanne Brana 21:23:39 41  United States
1998 Ann Trason 18:46:16 37  United States
1997 Ann Trason 19:19:49 36  United States
1996 Ann Trason 18:57:36 35  United States
1995 Ann Trason 18:40:01 34  United States
1994 Ann Trason 17:37:51 33  United States
1993 Ann Trason 19:05:22 32  United States
1992 Ann Trason 18:14:48 31  United States
1991 Ann Trason 18:29:37 30  United States
1990 Ann Trason 18:33:02 29  United States
1989 Ann Trason 18:47:46 28  United States
1988 Kathy D'Onofrio-Wood 18:52:40 23  United States
1987 Mary Hammes 21:23:37 27  United States
1986 Kathy D'Onofrio-Wood 20:58:16 21  United States
1985 Terri Gerber 20:30:03 36  United States
1984 Judy Milkie-West 20:04:00 34  United States
1983 Bjorg Austrheim-Smith 19:11:00 40  United States
1982 Bjorg Austrheim-Smith 18:23:00 39  United States
1981 Bjorg Austrheim-Smith 18:46:00 38  United States
1980 Sally Edwards 22:13:44 32  United States
1979 Skip Swannack 21:56:27 37  United States
1978 Pat Smythe 29:34:00 35  United States
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