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Kat Drew on this year’s Western States: “the heat was next-level”

In 2019 the Vancouver runner finished in the top 10. This year's race was, she said, "by far the hardest thing I've ever done"

Photo by: Jeremy Drosdeck

“I knew it was gonna be hot,” says Kathryn (Kat) Drew of Vancouver, the fastest Canadian at this year’s Western States 100. “But it was so intense, and it started quite early. Going into the canyons, it was over 100 F, and it was this stale, relentless heat, with no movement in the air. Going up hills, my heart rate was jacked, and I couldn’t get it down. I was hiking the uphills, and feeling awful. Everyone was struggling.”

RELATED: Western States 100: Canadian results

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Despite doing a few big adventure runs, this was Drew’s first real race since the same event two years ago, where she finished eighth (which gave her guaranteed entry into this year’s race). In 2019 she also won the Chuckanut 50K and the Canyons 100K and took third place at the Bandera 100K, as well as participating in the Trail World Championships. But in March 2020, just as the pandemic started, she was grieving the death of her father, and then she lost her job as an event producer. (She also coaches other athletes.) “There was a lot,” she says. “I have a coach [she is coached by David Roche of Boulder, Colo.], and I still kept to a relatively strict training schedule, but I mostly used running to maintain my health and manage my anxiety.”

In early 2021, no one knew if Western States would happen – or if Canadians would be able to go. But Drew and her coach decided she would start training anyway. And after months of uncertainty about border crossings, reopening schedules and vaccines, they booked their flights to California.

RELATED: Jim Walmsley wins his third consecutive Western States 100, Beth Pascall wins the women’s race

Kat Drew after finishing eighth at Western States 2019. Photo: Instagram

“In 2019, I had six or seven friends come down from Canada to crew and pace me, and that was impossible this year,” Drew says, “so my coach introduced me to another woman he coaches, who lives in California, and she gathered people to help a random Canadian stranger. Plus I had my partner and two other friends who happened to be in the U.S., so I ended up with a full crew, which was amazing.”

Leading up to the race, Drew was able to train with a specific focus on this race, and she felt confident going into it, despite not having the opportunity to do heat or altitude training, since she couldn’t leave Vancouver. “I still felt really good about my training block, got in all my runs in and felt good about where I was at,” she says, “but on race day, the heat was next-level. I was also having a mental struggle caused by anxiety and putting pressure on myself.”

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At many points in the race, Drew wanted to quit. “I was running and walking, and I was super nauseous and getting sick at some points – literally just trying to survive,” she says. “It was brutal.” But, thinking of her many friends back home who were cheering for her and the three other Canadians in the race, she willed herself to continue. “Just before kilometre 89, I’d been talking with a runner who was about to drop, and the two of us were having a bit of a pity party,” she says. “I knew I needed to run away and get into a different mindset. When I got to my crew, we said, this is tough, but we’re gonna finish. From then on I just focused on making it to the next aid station.”

RELATED: Western States’ fastest Canadian dances to top 10

Kim Magnus (left) and Kat Drew in April 2019 with their hard-earned Golden Tickets. Photo: Eric Schranz

Drew says the field stretched out quickly after the start, thanks to the heat, and she was running alone for most of the first 100 km. “I was basically in my head for 12 hours,” she says. “It’s lonely out there.” After that, she had a succession of pacers, who helped her get through the remaining 60 or so kilometres. “They were a life saver – so patient with me, and supportive.” 

As if the heat wasn’t enough, Drew also fell hard, around 145 km into the race. “I took a dive into a rocky ditch,” she says. After 23 hours, 45 minutes and 30 seconds, she crossed the finish line in Auburn, in 53rd position. (Out of 315 starters, more than a third DNF’d.) “It’s obviously not what I hoped for, but I’m not super disappointed, because I’m so grateful to have had the 2019 experience,” says Drew. “I would have liked to finish in the top 10 again, but this was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m proud that I didn’t drop, and I completed it. It’s cool to have had both experiences.”

Drew and her partner are visiting family in Connecticut, and she plans to spend a couple of weeks recovering before assessing her goals for the remainder of the year. She’s registered for the Squamish 50 miler, which has been rescheduled from August to October due to COVID, and depending on whether the border reopens, she may consider some other races in the U.S. “[Western States] has been a laser focus for so long,” she say. “I’m looking forward to having nothing on my schedule.”

 

 

 

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