Canada’s Marianne Hogan returns to the Western States 100 podium

At Saturday’s Western States 100 (WSER), it was only runners who successfully managed the relentless heat and dust of the Sierra Nevada who hit the final lap at Placer High—with Canada’s Marianne Hogan among the fastest, taking third behind a dominant win by American runner Abby Hall. On the men’s side, Utah-based Caleb Olson delivered the second-fastest time in race history, holding off a deep field that included the 2011 champion and trail-running GOAT, Kilian Jornet.

Hogan runs back to the top

Hogan clocked 16:50:58 at the finish line in Auburn, Calif., after running steadily throughout the race and moving up late in the day to overtake Sweden’s Ida Nilsson. Hogan reclaimed the same spot she earned in 2022, when she ran her first WSER just months after coming back from a devastating leg injury. Her time this year was more than an hour faster than her 2022 finish.

This time around, Hogan’s strong performance wasn’t a surprise for her followers. She kicked off the race looking confident, having spent more time training on the course and fine-tuning her fuelling plan through years of experience. In a women’s race that was fast and aggressive from the start, Hogan’s steady strategy paid off when other runners started to unravel. Post-race, Hogan told Canadian Running that her success on Saturday also took some serious grit and a whole lot of support. “I had one of the toughest days out there. One of those days where no kilometres came easy, and I had to fight for every step,” Hogan said. “But I’m incredibly grateful I pushed through it, and there is absolutely no way I could’ve gotten to the finish line without my fantastic crew. I owe my entire race to them.”

Up front, it was Hall’s day. After a few tough seasons and a last-minute Golden Ticket roll-down that put her on the start list, Hall ran with purpose from the gun. She was first to the Escarpment at mile four, slipped back slightly mid-race, but surged into the lead around the 100K mark, and didn’t look back. Hall crossed the legendary finish line in 16:37:16—the fourth fastest women’s time ever. China’s Fuzhao Xiang repeated her runner-up finish from last year, coming in just under 10 minutes back. Xiang proved she knows how to battle this course, once again running a negative split as she moved up through the field in the second half of the race to claim second.

Top women

1. Abby Hall (U.S) 16:37:16
2. Fuzhao Xiang (China) 16:47:09
3. Marianne Hogan (Canada) 16:50:58
4. Ida Nilsson (Sweden) 17:00:48
5. Fiona Pascall (U.K.) 17:21:52
6. Hau Ha 17:23:47
7. Hannah Allgood — 17:39:02
8. Caitlin Fielder 17:47:26
9. Keely Henninger 17:57:24
10. Emily Hawgood 18:11:05

Caleb Olson captures the win

The men’s race was just as compelling, with all eyes on a wide-open men’s field that featured Spanish trail-running legend Jornet. The lead pack took off hot and didn’t let up for hours, staying within course-record-view for most of the day. Utah-based Olson, 29, ran the performance of his life, battling fellow American Chris Myers for most of the race. Olson hit the finish in 14:11:25—just two minutes shy of Jim Walmsley’s legendary course record, and improving on an already stellar performance last year, when he claimed fifth in the fastest debut in race history. Olson was greeted at the finish by his wife, Morgan, and seven-week-old son.

Myers held on for second in 14:17:39, and not far behind, Jornet rounded the track in third, bringing it home to a huge ovation. The Catalan legend hadn’t raced WSER since winning it in 2011, but he showed up ready to run hard—and did just that, clocking 14:19:22. Less than nine minutes separated the men’s podium. “The beauty of stepping outside your comfort zone is that nothing’s guaranteed. What an incredible intensity from start to finish, running one hour and 15 minutes faster than I did here to win 14 years ago, but today even that wasn’t enough,” Jornet shared on Instagram post-race. “Congratulations to Caleb and Chris for an amazing performance, and to everyone who pushed the limits out there.”

Top men

1. Caleb Olson (U.S.) 14:11:25
2. Chris Myers (U.S.) 14:17:39
3. Kilian Jornet (Spain) 14:19:22
4. Jeff Mogavero (U.S.) 14:30:11
5. Daniel Jones (New Zealand) 14:36:17
6. Seth Ruhling 14:59:36
7. Ryan Montgomery 15:54:29
8. Hans Troyer 16:06:52
9. Peter Frano 16:10:44
10. Kai Hiroki 16:22:46

At the time of publication, WSER was ongoing. To check out the full results, head here, or tune into the final hours of the livestream here.