This year’s Western States 100 promises a wild ride

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for trail runners—the legendary Western States Endurance Run (WSER), the oldest 100-mile race in North America, kicks off at 7 am ET on Saturday, June 29 in Olympic Valley, Calif. Three hundred and seventy-five runners (including 50 elites) will head out to traverse nearly 5,000 metres of elevation gain over 100 miles. With near-perfect weather forecasted, the men’s course record holder Jim Walmsley making a long-anticipated return and last year’s second-place woman, Katie Schide, going for gold, this year’s event promises no shortage of excitement. Here’s what you need to know to follow along.

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WSER is notoriously hard to get into—runners must complete a qualifying race every year in order to get a lottery ticket. While tickets accumulate exponentially, many of the 10,000 annual entrants wait upward of seven years to have their names drawn. Last year’s race was a wild ride, with Leadville, Colo.’s Courtney Dauwalter not only demolishing a course record that had held for more than a decade (previously 16:47:19 set by British-Canadian Ellie Greenwood in 2012), but beating most of the men in the race, finishing in 15:29:33 and sixth overall.

Women’s race

With too many top contenders to name, the women’s race will be a thriller. Schide, who lives and trains in France, stands out after her remarkably fast performance last year (second only to the indomitable Dauwalter) and a recent win at the Canyons 100K. Fellow American Rachel Drake will give Schide some fierce competition, coming off a stellar build-up with wins at Black Canyon 100K in February, Gorge Waterfalls 30K in Orgegon in April and Tillamook 50-miler, also in Oregon, in May.

Edmonton’s Priscilla Forgie finished a smooth seventh place in 2023, and is ready to roll after spending some time acclimatizing and heat training in Arizona. She’ll be paced by fellow Canadian star Jenny Quilty. Nebraska’s Kaci Lickteig will be returning to WSER for the 10th time, and there will be a strong international presence, including Eszter Csillag (Hong Kong), Emily Hawgood (Zimbabwe) and Ida Nilsson (Sweden).

Canadian ultra-star Priscilla Forgie is ready to crush Western States 100

Men’s race

Leading the men’s field is Walmsley, the three-time WSER champion and course record holder with a time of 14:09 set in 2019. Walmsley, 34, is from Flagstaff, Ariz., but spent the last couple of years focusing on the UTMB 171K in Chamonix, France, where he earned a solid win in 2023. He is returning to defend his title, facing formidable competition including Hayden Hawks, fresh off a record-breaking performance at the Black Canyon Ultras 100K in February, last year’s second-place winner Tyler Green and international standout Jiasheng Shen of China, who took fourth in 2023.

How to follow

Fans won’t want to miss the live broadcast on YouTube, providing global coverage throughout the epic event. Commentators and pro ultrarunners Dylan Bowman and Corrine Malcolm will guide viewers through the highs and lows of the race until its conclusion at Placer High School in Auburn. Don’t just tune in for the podium finishers, though—bring some Kleenex for the emotional final hour of the race. Dubbed “Golden Hour,” the last hour sometimes has the largest crowds, when fans and runners alike come out to cheer on the back-of-the-packers as they race against the clock to earn their belt buckles.

Learn more about WSER on the website here, follow your favourite runners on the live tracking link here or tune in to YouTube here.