It’s one other 12 months, and as soon as once more, the 2024 Western States 100 is more likely to be some of the aggressive males’s ultrarunning fields on U.S. soil this 12 months.
The purpose-to-point course from Olympic Valley to Auburn, California, will see runners cowl simply over 100 miles with 18,000 toes of climbing and a bit extra descending on this web downhill course.
Comparatively quick circumstances and an excellent sturdy discipline noticed the 2023 race equal the 2019 race’s mark for probably the most runners underneath 16 hours, with 10 such runners. Regardless of one other sturdy discipline that sees seven of final 12 months’s top-10 males, in addition to course report holder Jim Walmsley returning, there’s no assure that the sturdy discipline will produce equally quick occasions. As all the time, the potential of a “sizzling 12 months” looms, with the potential of turning a observe meet right into a march of attrition for these on the entrance of the pack.
Jim Walmsley profitable the 2021 Western States 100. He returns in 2024 as the boys’s favourite. Picture: iRunFar/Alex Potter
Headlining this 12 months’s version, together with Walmsley, shall be two-time runner-up Tyler Inexperienced and reigning CCC, Les Templiers, and Transvulcania champion Jon Albon. We additionally anticipate Hayden Hawks, who took second in 2022, to characteristic prominently.
Learn on to see who else ought to be up on the entrance of this 12 months’s discipline. We’ll even be updating this text till race day with any last-minute modifications.
iRunFar shall be there to report firsthand on all of the motion because it unfolds beginning at 5 a.m. U.S. PDT on Saturday, June 29. Keep tuned!
A particular because of HOKA for making our protection of the Western States 100 potential!
Thanks additionally to Fractel for sponsoring our race protection.
Be sure you additionally take a look at our 2024 Western States 100 girls’s preview.
Tom Evans and Dakota Jones locked in a duel climbing to Michigan Bluff on the 2023 Western States 100. Jones returns to the 2024 males’s discipline. Picture: iRunFar/Jaja Ferrer Capili
Returning Prime 10
Seven of final 12 months’s high 10 males stay on the entrant record for the time being. Each final 12 months’s champion, Tom Evans, and sixth-place man Mathieu Blanchard declined their invites to return forward of final December’s race lottery. Third man Anthony Costales initially accepted his spot however has since withdrawn from the race.
Tyler Inexperienced – 2nd, 15:04:09 (2023 post-race interview)
Tyler Inexperienced
The highest returning runner at this 12 months’s Western States is Tyler Inexperienced, who took second final 12 months. Tyler additionally took second on the race in 2021, whereas ending fourth in 2022. No different man has seen constant success at Western States within the 2020s like Inexperienced has. And that success isn’t restricted to Western States, as final 12 months he additionally took third at Transgrancanaria and sixth at UTMB. Inexperienced ran nicely in early Might, profitable the Tillamook Burn 50 Mile, operating 16 minutes quicker than his time there in 2021, and taking fourth within the accompanying 50k the next day.
Jia-Sheng Shen (China) – 4th, 15:19:42
Whereas Chinese language ultrarunners have seen growing success globally over current years, Jia-Sheng Shen’s 15:19 in taking fourth eventually 12 months’s Western States could also be the most effective efficiency by a Chinese language ultrarunner on U.S. soil to this point. Much less identified within the U.S., Shen has been profitable ultras since at the least 2017. In simply the previous few years, he’s been third on the 2022 Lavaredo Extremely Path, first on the 2022 Eiger Extremely-Path 101k, in addition to taking fourth, after which second, on the previous two CCCs. Thus far this 12 months, Shen has been fifth at Transgrancanaria and third at Mount Yun 100k.
Daniel Jones (New Zealand) – fifth, 15:22:15
Daniel Jones
New Zealand’s Daniel Jones returns to Western States after ending fifth in his debut final 12 months. He adopted that effort up with a Twelfth-place end at UTMB later in the summertime. This previous February, Jones gained the Tarawera 100k, repeating his win from 2023. It seems as if Jones is spending important time within the U.S. forward of Western States, as he was second on the Canyons 50k in late April and gained the Bryce Canyon 50k in mid Might.
Ryan Montgomery – seventh, 15:38:35
Whereas having run all kinds of occasions previous to final 12 months, Ryan Montgomery noticed probably the most success in flat and quick races, similar to operating 12:59 on the Brazos Bend 100 Mile in 2019, taking fourth on the 2020 Bandera 100k, and operating 13:33 on the 2021 Javelina 100 Mile. Then, he completed seventh with a 15:38 eventually 12 months’s quick, however decidedly not flat, Western States. Since then, Montgomery took third on the 2023 Javelina 100 Mile in 12:59 and second on the Quad Rock 50 Mile final month. Montgomery identifies as non-binary, and competes within the males’s class.
Jeff Colt – eighth, 15:42:09
Jeff Colt
In 2022, Jeff Colt ran 16:51 to complete eleventh at Western States. Final 12 months, he minimize greater than an hour off his time by operating 15:42 and gaining an entry into this 12 months’s occasion by ending eighth. That enchancment wasn’t all that shocking provided that between these two races, Colt took 14th on the 2022 Path World Championships — Lengthy Path in Thailand and gained the 2023 Bandera 100k. Whereas he had a comparatively tough go at UTMB final summer time, he gained the Sean O’Brien 50k this January.
Cole Watson – ninth, 15:54:36
Cole Watson was one other runner who upped his recreation between the previous two Western States, enhancing from 14th man in 17:56 to ninth man in 15:54 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. In between, he was fourth on the 2023 Black Canyon 100k and first on the 2023 Canyons 100k. Later final 12 months, he took 14th on the 53-kilometer OCC. Thus far this 12 months, Watson completed nicely again within the discipline at February’s Black Canyon 100k earlier than profitable the Rattlesnake Dick 50k in late March and taking third on the Canyons 50k in late April, about 5 minutes behind second-place Daniel Jones.
Janosch Kowalczyk (Germany) – tenth, 16:09:19
Janosch Kowalczyk
In February 2023, Janosch Kowalczyk ran his means into final 12 months’s Western States by taking third on the Black Canyon 100k. Then, in late June, he ran his means again into the occasion for 2024 by ending because the tenth man. That success was no shock, as in recent times, the German has taken sixth on the 2021 CCC and gained the 2022 Mozart 100k. Earlier this 12 months, Kowalczyk confirmed he ought to as soon as once more be within the combine, having gained the Istria 100k in April.
The highest 10 males on the 2023 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Extra Prime Contenders
Jim Walmsley
Barring some stunning information, Jim Walmsley ought to return to the Western States beginning line as the favourite to take dwelling his fourth win at Western States after taking the previous two years off from the race to concentrate on UTMB. That shift in focus led to him taking fourth at UTMB in 2022 earlier than profitable in course report time in 2023. Walmsley’s historical past at Western States is well-known. After a couple of stumbles in his first two aggressive makes an attempt on the race in 2016 and 2017, he gained in a then-course report time of 14:30 in 2018 earlier than setting the usual once more along with his bonkers 14:09 win in 2019. He got here again once more in 2021 to win comfortably in 14:46. That offers Walmsley three of the 5 quickest occasions ever run at Western States in his three most up-to-date runs. Nobody else on this 12 months’s race has damaged 15 hours on the course. Walmsley’s been quiet on the racing entrance since profitable the Good Côte d’Azur 100k late final September.
Jon Albon (U.Okay., dwelling in Norway) has been crushing ultras for at the least a decade now and is displaying no indicators of slowing down. Whether or not it’s an excellent technical course or a burner, Albon has an opportunity to win any race he enters. Over simply the previous two years, he’s been second at CCC in 2022 and gained it final 12 months, gained Les Templiers final 12 months, not for the primary time, and gained Transvulcania this 12 months. That mentioned, this shall be a step into the unknown for Albon, as I don’t see any proof of him having tried a 100 miler, and it doesn’t appear to be he’s been in a pure operating race longer than 11 hours. Nonetheless, that lack of expertise on the distance needn’t preserve him off the rostrum.
Hayden Hawks
After shifting up from eighth in 2021 to take second at Western States in 2022, Hayden Hawks dropped out of final 12 months’s race with an harm. That was no barrier to Hawks returning to this 12 months’s Western States as he set a course report at February’s Black Canyon 100k. Apart from that, Hawks has been quietly sturdy the previous few years, additionally taking second on the 2023 Tarawera 100k and first on the 2023 Canyons 50k.
Dakota Jones has had an up-and-down previous two years, with a win at Transvulcania and a 3rd at CCC final 12 months, together with a Seventeenth-place end at Western States final June and one other Seventeenth-place end at Transvulcania this Might. However wanting again only a hair additional suggests there’s no purpose Jones shouldn’t be within the combine on the entrance of the sphere at any 100 miler, as he was third on the 2022 Hardrock 100 and gained the 2022 Javelina 100 Mile in lower than 13 hours.
Petter Engdahl
A Swede dwelling in Norway, Petter Engdahl ran his means into Western States with a third-place end on the Canyons 100k in April. He probably had his finest season to this point in 2022 when he gained the Innsbruck Alpine Marathon, Zermatt Marathon, CCC, and Transvulcania. Curiously, Engdahl has DNFed his two longest races to this point, failing to complete each Madeira Island Extremely-Path 115k and UTMB final 12 months. Possibly this would be the race by which he finds success past 100k.
Rod Farvard is on a particular uptrend at Western States. He DNFed in 2021, was forty first man in 2022, and was eleventh man in 2023, lacking the coveted tenth place and an computerized entry again into this 12 months’s Western States by all of seven minutes. Thankfully for him, he ran arguably his finest ultramarathon to this point in April, when he gained the Canyons 100k, besting third-place Petter Engdahl by 11 minutes.
China’s Ji Duo has primarily raced inside Asia and, certainly, largely in China. Which means much less direct competitors amongst these he’ll face at Western States and even the technique of evaluating occasions on shared programs. That mentioned, he did end 14th eventually 12 months’s UTMB in his European debut. Since early final 12 months, he’s additionally gained the Extremely-Path Ninghai 105k, been third on the 2023 TransJeju 100k, gained the 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile forward of third-place Robert Hajnal, and gained the 2024 Mount Yun 100k forward of third-place Jia-Sheng Shen.
It’s a bit laborious to put Jonathan Rea on this preview as he’s not run as much as his potential in two goes at Western States, ending sixteenth after which 14th among the many males the previous two years. One might then take a look at his Javelina 100 Mile outcomes, a second to Dakota Jones in 13:05 in 2022 and a win in 2023 in 12:43 and assume possibly he’s a flat and quick specialist. However that’s not the case, as evidenced by his fourth place eventually 12 months’s CCC behind three males he’ll see once more at this race, Jon Albon, Jia-Sheng Shen, and Dakota Jones. Trying additional again in 2022, he gained races as disparate because the Bandera 100k and Quad Rock 50 Mile. Possibly the third time’s the allure for Rea at Western States!
I’ll admit I’m simply studying about Blake Slattengren as I write this preview … and, dang, what an ascendance! Since leaping into ultras simply three years in the past, he was sixth on the 2022 Chuckanut 50k, second on the 2023 Gorge Waterfalls 100k, and second on the 2023 Javelina 100 Mile, operating a 12:58 in his 100-mile debut. Sizzling rattling!
Robert Hajnal
For me, it’s straightforward to think about Romania’s Robert Hajnal as standing out throughout the heyday of the Extremely-Path World Tour within the late 2010s, a time which included him taking second at UTMB in 2018 and fourth at Madeira Island Extremely-Path in 2019, however he’s nonetheless operating sturdy. In simply the previous two years, he was seventh after which second at Lavaredo Extremely Path, in addition to ninth at UTMB in 2022.
Mexico’s Jupiter Carera hasn’t raced a lot overseas, however he did take second behind Hayden Hawks at this February’s Black Canyon 100k. Carera seems to have solely taken up ultrarunning a couple of years in the past and solely has one different 100k on his resume, a win of the small Ultramaratón de los Cañones in 2022. Timewise, his longest race to this point seems to have been an 11:18 Fortieth-place eventually 12 months’s Path World Championships — Lengthy Path in Austria.
Chris Myers has been speedy since leaping into ultras in his early twenties round 5 years in the past, operating a 3:31 at Method Too Cool 50k in 2020 and dropping that to three:21 in 2022. Nonetheless, it was simply final 12 months that he made the leap as much as 100ks, ending fourth on the Bandera 100k in 8:37. He continued rolling alongside final 12 months, taking third on the Method Too Cool 50k, fifth on the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, eleventh on the Damaged Arrow Skyrace 46k, and third on the Mammoth Trailfest 50k. He kicked issues off this 12 months by operating his means into Western States by taking third on the Black Canyon 100k in February earlier than profitable the Gorge Waterfalls 50k in April.
Caleb Olson ran his means into this 12 months’s Western States by profitable final autumn’s Grindstone 100k. Since then, he was second at Extremely-Path Cape City 100k in November and second on the Madeira Island Extremely-Path 85k this April. Trying a bit additional again to 2022, he was ninth at each the Canyons 100k and Speedgoat 50k, whereas ending thirteenth at CCC.
Hayden Hawks throughout the 2022 Western States 100. He went on to complete second that 12 months and returns for the 2024 race. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Nonetheless Extra Quick Males to Watch
- Caleb Bowen – 2nd 2023 Grindstone 100k; third 2023 Gorge Waterfalls 100k
- Nick Coury – fifth 2022 Javelina 100 Mile; eighth 2022 Hardrock 100; 173 miles at 2021 Desert Soltice 24 Hour
- Guo-Min Deng (China) – 1st 2024 Mount Fuji 100 Mile; eighth 2023 KAT100k; twentieth 2022 UTMB
- Simon Gosselin (France) – 2nd 2023 Good Côte d’Azur 100k; 4th 2022 Les Templiers
- Paul Jacobs – 4th 2023 Grindstone 100k; 1st 2022 Massanutten 100 Mile (2nd quickest time in race historical past); tenth 2021 JFK 50 Mile
- Harvey Lewis – 1st 2023 Huge Canine’s Yard Extremely; 12 Badwater 135 Mile finishes, together with wins in 2021 and 2014
- Drew Mueller – fifth 2023 Quebec Mega Path; 1st 2023 Superior Spring 50k; 18th 2023 Chuckanut 50k
Beforehand Entered, However No Longer Operating
Name for Feedback
- What are your predictions for the highest spots?
- Who else might be within the hunt for the boys’s high 10?
Tyler Inexperienced opening up his stride coming into Foresthill at over midway into the 2023 Western States 100. He would go on to take second, and is returning for 2024. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
