Western States Endurance Run (WSER) is steeped in ultra running history, and in 2023 celebrated its 50th edition on June 24. Every year is a journey for the nearly 400 runners who participate in the 100-mile race with smiles at the start in Palisades Tahoe, CA, often laced with heartbreak during valiant efforts to make… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Western States 100
Autistic Runner Zach Bates, Youngest Finisher At The 2023 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
Featured photo credit: Rana Bates. Zach Bates, twenty-one-year-old autistic runner from Lakeside, AZ, became the youngest finisher at the 2023 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. In Bates’ short but successful running career, he has already completed three 100-mile races, a 100-kilometer, 50-mile, and over five 50-kilometer races. Bates pushes his limits on trails and… Read more »
Going “All In” With Western States 100 Champion Andrew Miller
As a writer for the American Trail Running Association (ATRA), I’ve had the incredible opportunity to interview runners from all walks of life and learn about many ways in which people discover and appreciate trail running. I enjoy the ability to ask questions that get to the heart of who people are. Everyday conversations and… Read more »
A Look Inside The Western States 100 Mile With Race Director Craig Thornley
Trail runners around the world eagerly anticipate the annual race lottery for the chance to run the historic Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Next year’s race will be held June 24 and 25, 2023 with the lottery slated for December 3. The Western States 100 is one of the premier trail ultramarathon competitions in… Read more »
Western States Recap: Peterman’s Historic Rookie Victory & Croft’s Win Over A Tightly Contested Women’s Field
The 49th running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (WSER) took place this past weekend, and was an exciting competition among many of the world’s top trail runners. 380 participants toed the line to follow the historic 100-mile point-to-point course from Palisades Tahoe ski village in Olympic Valley, California to the finish on… Read more »
Faces From the Pack at The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
The 2022 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run is almost underway! This point-to-point 100-mile footrace from Palisades Tahoe ski village in Olympic Valley, CA to the finish on the track at Placer High School in Auburn, California draws athletes from around the world to compete in one of the country’s most historic and renowned ultramarathons…. Read more »
Zimbabwe’s Emily Hawgood Gears Up For 2022 Western States 100 Mile
Emily Hawgood photos by adidas TERREX and @iancorless. Emily Hawgood, seventh place finisher at the 2021 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, returns to the Western States startline in this weekend. Hawgood, Zimbabwe’s trail running phenom, has had a unique upbringing on a small farm in Zimbabwe where she ran mostly barefoot and competed in… Read more »
Runners to Watch at the 2022 Western States 100 Mile
“The highest award of Western States becomes a self-assurance that celebrates this event before it begins. In spite of the distinction of that silver buckle, and perhaps because of it, Western States proves that honor lies not so much in reaching the finish as in daring to arrive at the start.” — Antonio Rossmann. Read… Read more »
Western States 100: Alex Nichols Reflects On A Hard Fought Top 10
Just a few weeks after “The Big Dance” of American ultra-trail running competitions — The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run — we catch up with top-ten finisher Alex Nichols who reflects on his race experience. Nichols, an accomplished trail runner sponsored by Scott Running, placed second at this event in 2017 and went into the… Read more »
From World Championships To Western States – Post Race Q&A With Team USA Athletes
The 2021 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, held this past weekend, drew one of the most competitive fields of elite trail runners since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Among the 315 starters were thirteen Team USA athletes who have represented the United States in Mountain, Ultra or Trail (MUT) World… Read more »
2021 Western States 100 As It Happened – Through ATRA’s Lens
Another Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run is in the books. This past weekend three members of the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) team – Allie McLaughlin, Peter Maksimow and Tayte Pollmann (pictured above) – followed the runners conducting interviews, taking photos and shooting video. The following is a series of chronological short videos showing… Read more »
Hot Temperatures and A “Dream Team” Women’s Field At Western States
After a hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Western States returned in 2021! The 47th running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was held this past weekend, June 26-27, 2021. Western States is one of the most historic and competitive ultramarathon events in the country and attracts the top U.S. and… Read more »
Alex Nichols Back at “The Big Dance,” Western States 100 Mile
“Alex is extremely humble and far from the loudest voice in the crowd or on social media, so it can be easy to miss him. But make no mistake about it, when he’s racing, Alex likes to compete and he really likes to win.” – Brandon Stanpanowich, accomplished ultrarunner and Alex Nichols’ Western States training… Read more »
From World Championships to Western States – Q&A With Past Team USA Athletes
Statesmas returns! One of the country’s most historic and prestigious ultra-trail running competitions, The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, is scheduled for June 26-27 and this year will be one of the most competitive fields ever assembled. With many of the country’s top ultrarunners toeing… Read more »
Western States Stories with Race Director Craig Thornley
Statesmas is here! At 5 A.M. pacific time today we all should be watching the start of the 47th edition of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious trail ultramarathons. Unfortunately race organizers had to postpone the race until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The iconic… Read more »
Western States Stories with 2019 Runner-Up Brittany Peterson
Statesmas rolls on! Tomorrow we all would have been watching the start of the 47th edition of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious trail ultramarathons. Unfortunately race organizers had to postpone the race until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The iconic Western States race runs… Read more »
Western States Stories with 2019 4th Place Finisher Matt Daniels
Statesmas continues!! This weekend we all would have been watching the 47th edition of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious trail ultramarathons. Unfortunately race organizers had to postpone the race until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Western States race runs along the Western States… Read more »
Western States Stories with 2016 Champion Kaci Lickteig
Happy Statesmas!! This weekend would have marked the 47th edition of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, one of the world’s most prestigious trail ultramarathons. Unfortunately race organizers had to postpone the race until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race runs along the Western States trail which is recognized as one of… Read more »
Western States Stories with 2009 Champion Anita Ortiz
This weekend, June 27-28, 2020, would have marked the 47th edition of one of the world’s most prestigious trail ultramarathons, the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race organizers had to make the difficult decision to postpone the race until 2021. The Western States trail is recognized as… Read more »
Recovering From a 100 Mile Trail Race: Tips from Top Western States Finishers
Tayte Pollmann’s articles are supported by American Trail Running Association corporate member Nike Trail Running. You can follow Tayte’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Western States is an American Trail Running Association corporate member. 100 mile trail races can be some of the most mentally and physically challenging races to recover from. Over the course… Read more »