The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100 or Western States, is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. Western States is one of the most competitive ultramarathons in the United States, and is administered by the nonprofit Western States Endurance Run Foundation.
The Western States 100 is one of the five 100-mile races that comprise the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which also includes the Old Dominion 100 in Virginia, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run, the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in Utah, and the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado. One of the more prestigious ultramarathons in the world, it is a qualifier for the UTMB World Series, although the UTMB organization has a major competing race in the same area with a similar course, called "Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB".
History The course was first attempted on foot by twenty soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas during the 1972 Tevis Cup horse ride event. Because the Tevis Cup imposed a 24-hour time limit, the soldiers started one day before the horses. Seven completed the 100.2 miles, and it was subsequently reported as the first "Auburn Endurance March". In 1974, Gordy Ainsleigh became the first to complete the course in under 24 hours, arriving in Auburn in twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes. In 1976, Ken “Cowman” Shirk became the second to complete the distance, though 30 minutes over the 24-hour mark.
Sixteen runners signed up for the first official Western States Endurance Run in 1977, held in conjunction with the Tevis Cup. Runners were provided with water but were otherwise required to bring their own supplies. Thirteen of the 16 dropped out or were pulled by the 50-mile mark. 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). Their finishing times led to the establishment of the first sub-30-hour awards. Later that year, the Western States Trail Foundation established the race's first board of directors.
The following year, 1978, the Western States Endurance Run was made independent of the Tevis Cup and took place in June, a month earlier than the horse ride. There were 21 aid stations and six medical checks. 63 runners competed, 30 runners finished, and Pat Smythe became the first woman finisher, finishing with a time of 29 hours and 34 minutes.
By 1980, the number of starting runners had increased to 250, from three countries and 21 states. A lottery system for race entry was implemented in 1981.
In 1984, the Granite Chief Wilderness was created under the provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and about four miles (6 km) of the Western States trail was within the new boundaries. The wilderness designation prevented the Forest Service from permitting organized events in the area. In 1988, however, the Endurance Run (and the original Trail Ride) was given Congressional permission to continue, but with the number of runners limited to 369, the size of the 1984 field.
In 1985, the course was measured and found to be slightly shorter than 100 miles. The course was altered slightly and given an official distance of 100.2 miles from 1985 onwards. For this reason, performances from before 1985 are not included in the official list of records. Both the 1985 and 1986 editions were covered by ABC's Wide World of Sports. NBC's Sports World emulated that, covering the 1989 edition.
In 2017, a wait list was implemented, with replacement runners selected from the list to ensure that the 369 allowable starting spots were completely filled.
Race cancellations In 2008, the race was canceled due to bad air quality and smoke from an unprecedented number of wildfires.
In 2020, the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Course The Western States Endurance Run has followed the same course since 1986, traversing a section of the Western States Trail, a designated National Recreational Trail that stretches from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Sacramento, California. Much of the course is accessible only by foot, horse, or helicopter.
The race starts at the base of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort in the west end of the Olympic Valley in California and traverses the Foresthill Divide and through Foresthill. The course then crosses the American River Canyon, ascends through Cool, and finishes at the Placer High School track in Auburn, California.
The terrain is quite rugged, often featuring snow on the passes. Temperatures during the run can range from to more than .
Elevation profile Runners ascend a cumulative total of and descend a total of on mountain trails before reaching the finish.
Starting at on the Olympic Valley floor, runners immediately ascend to Emigrant Pass at , gaining in elevation over the first . The trail then descends to around at the 10-mile mark. Approximately in, runners continue down into Duncan Canyon before making a ascent back up towards Robinson Flat.
Between and , the trail drops to elevation , at which point runners make the ascent to "Devil's Thumb". From this landmark, runners descend to cross El Dorado Creek, up to Michigan Bluff, and then down into the town of Foresthill.
At this point, runners pass through the "Cal 1", "Cal 2", and "Cal 3" descents to arrive at the Rucky Chucky river crossing. Once across the American River, just over remain. The next climb is through the town of Cool, gaining around before sloping downward again.
Trail features At , runners must ford the American River near the Rucky Chucky crossing. To cross, runners wade with the assistance of a guide rope stretched from bank to bank. However, in high water years, runners are conveyed across the canyon in river rafts.
Duration Because of the length, the race commences at 5 a.m. and continues through the day and into the night.
Aid stations There are 20 aid stations, including 10 major medical checkpoints.
Awards and timed milestones All entrants who complete the race in less than 30 hours and within race regulations are recognized as official finishers and receive a finisher's medallion.
First place finishers The top male finisher and the top female finisher are each awarded with the Western States Cougar Trophy. Provided they finish in under 24 hours, they are also declared the winners of the Wendell Robie Cup, a "perpetual" trophy with the names of all winners engraved.
Belt buckles Runners who complete the Western States Endurance Run in less than 24 hours are awarded a hand-made silver belt buckle. Runners who complete the Western States Endurance Run in a time between 24 hours and 30 hours are awarded a hand-made bronze belt buckle.
Milestone belt buckles are also awarded to individuals with 10, 20, and 25 finishes in under 24 hours (the "10 Day", "20 Day", and "25 Day" belt buckles). 1000 Mile and 2500 Mile belt buckles are awarded to those with 10 and 25 official finishes.
Age group awards Age group awards are given to the top three men and women in the categories: 39 and under; 40–49; 50–59; 60–69; and 70 and over.
Other awards The oldest male and female finishers receive awards.
Notable finishers Jim King became the first runner to win on debut in 1982, and came second the following year. In 1984 he won again, with a time of 14:54, which was the fastest finish until 2014, albeit set on the slightly shorter pre-1985 course. He won again in 1985 and became the first male three-time winner of the event. His time of 16:02 became the first official course record on the measured 100.2 mile course, and stood until 1991.
Tim Twietmeyer, from California, holds the record for race completions, having completed the race a record 25 times, all in under 24 hours. He has won the race five times and completed his 25th finish in 2006. His son, Austin Twietmeyer, has also completed the race, finishing in just under 30 hours in 2021.
Scott Jurek, from Minnesota, holds the record for men's consecutive victories. His 2005 victory was his seventh consecutive win.
Ann Trason holds the record for most victories, having won the race fourteen times.Western States 100 Record Holders Her women's course record of 17:37:51, set in 1994, stood for eighteen years before being surpassed in 2012 by Ellie Greenwood, who recorded a time of 16:47:19.
In 2023, Courtney Dauwalter lowered the women's mark to 15:29:33, a record that stood until 2026, when Jennifer Lichter established the current open female course record of 15:28:06.
The open male course record is held by France's Vincent Bouillard, who clocked a time of 13:46:15 in 2026, eclipsing the previous record of 14:09:28 set by Jim Walmsley in 2019.
In 2010, Amy Palmiero-Winters, a transtibial amputee, became the first amputee to complete the race, finishing in 27:43:10.
In 2016, Andrew Miller, 20, became the youngest winner ever after Jim Walmsley, the forecasted winner, took a wrong turn approaching the north fork of the American River near mile 95.
Men's winners YearWestern States 100 Results 1974-present Winner Time Age Country 1974 Gordy Ainsleigh 23:42:20 26 1976 Ken Shirk 24:30:00 23 1977 Andy Gonzalez 22:57:00 22 1978 Andy Gonzalez 18:50:00 23 1979 Mike Catlin 16:11:56 27 1980 Mike Catlin 18:35:42 28 1981 Jim Howard/Doug Latimer (tie) 16:02:37 27/43 1982 Jim King 16:17:00 25 1983 Jim Howard 16:07:00 29 1984 Jim King 14:54:00 27 1985 Jim King 16:02:44 28 1986 Chuck Jones 16:37:47 27 1987 Herb Tanzer 17:41:06 35 1988 Brian Purcell 16:24:00 32 1989 Mark Brotherton 16:53:39 32 1990 Tom Johnson 16:38:52 31 1991 Tom Johnson 15:54:05 32 1992 Tim Twietmeyer 16:54:16 33 1993 Tom Johnson 17:08:34 34 1994 Tim Twietmeyer 16:51:01 35 1995 Tim Twietmeyer 18:34:58 36 1996 Tim Twietmeyer 17:42:06 37 1997 Mike Morton 15:40:41 25 1998 Tim Twietmeyer 17:51:20 39 1999 Scott Jurek 17:34:22 25 2000 Scott Jurek 17:17:24 26 2001 Scott Jurek 16:38:30 27 2002 Scott Jurek 16:19:10 28 2003 Scott Jurek 16:01:18 29 2004 Scott Jurek 15:36:27 30 2005 Scott Jurek 16:40:45 31 2006 Graham Cooper 18:17:28 36 2007 Hal Koerner 16:12:16 31 2008 Cancelled due to poor air quality caused by 2008 California wildfires 2009 Hal Koerner 16:24:55 33 2010 Geoff Roes 15:07:04 34 2011 Kilian Jornet 15:34:24 23 2012 Timothy Olson 14:46:44 28 2013 Timothy Olson 15:17:27 29 2014 Rob Krar 14:53:22 37 2015 Rob Krar 14:48:59 38 2016 Andrew Miller 15:39:36 20 2017 Ryan Sandes 16:19:38 35 2018 Jim Walmsley 14:30:04 28 2019 Jim Walmsley 14:09:28 29 2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Jim Walmsley 14:46:01 31 2022 Adam Peterman 15:13:48 26 2023 Tom Evans 14:40:22 31 2024 Jim Walmsley 14:13:45 34 2025 Caleb Olson 14:11:25 29 2026 Vincent Bouillard 13:46:15 32
Women's winners