Gene Dykes hopes to become oldest Western States finisher

Gene Dykes, the record-setting 75-year-old ultrarunner from Philadelphia, will hit the trail this summer in a bid to become the oldest finisher in the history of the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run. It will be his first appearance at WSER, despite qualifying for the lottery for nine straight years. 

This year’s event, which takes place June 24-25 in Auburn, Calif., will mark the race’s 49^th year.

The current oldest finisher is Nick Bassett of Cheyenne, Wy., who finished the 2018 race in 29:09. (The cutoff for all finishers is 30 hours.) Bassett was 73.

A self-proclaimed “ultra geezer,” Dykes started competing in races when he was in his 60s and has since broken multiple records for his age group. In 2021, he broke the M70 50K world record at the USATF national 50K road championships in East Islip, N.Y., crossing the finish line in 3:56:43 and beating the previous record of 4:15:55, set by Germany’s Wilhelm Hofmann in 1997, by nearly 19 minutes. Dykes broke the M70 100-mile and 24-hour track records at the Dawn 2 Dusk 2 Dawn 24-hour ultramarathon in Sharon Hill, Penn., in 2019.

Dykes has finished approximately 17 100-mile races (we reached him while he was travelling, and he couldn’t access the exact number), and failed to complete three more; he has also completed five 200-mile races and DNF’d twice in the distance.

In 2018, Dykes ran his fastest marathon time—2:54:23—at age 70 at the Jacksonville Marathon in Florida. The result would have seen him take the world M70 marathon title from former record holder Ed Whitlock, but Dykes’s final time was not ratified due to the race not being a USATF-sanctioned event.

In total, Dykes has run 157 marathons and ultras since 2006. His daughter, Erica Mitchell, will pace him at this year’s WSER. (His other daughter, Hilary, is also a runner.)

Dykes is being sponsored in his latest effort by Calgary-based Stoked Oats. As part of their support, the company has kicked off its Breakfast with Gene series on Instragram and YouTube. The series will feature guests including Vancouver-based WSER female record holder Ellie Greenwood, three-time WSER racer Michael Wardian and race director Craig Thornley.

In 2016, 72-year-old Wally Hesseltine made a valiant and heartbreaking attempt to break the “oldest finisher” record, but missed the 30-hour cutoff by two minutes.

“We are thrilled to be supporting Gene on his journey to WSER,” says series host and Stoked Oats founder Simon Donato. “Running 100 miles is a tall order for professional runners, let alone someone in their 70s. What Gene is trying to accomplish is truly remarkable and we’re looking forward to supporting him every record-setting step of the way.”

Western States, first run in 1974, is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race and one of the most prestigious. Each June, 369 runners from across the United States and around the world embark from the start line in Olympic Valley, Calif., to tackle a challenging course to the coveted finish line at Placer High School in Auburn.