With Memorial Day weekend within the U.S. behind us, the calendar flips to June. And with that, the eyes of the ultrarunning world — and people of this columnist! — are directed to the 2024 Western States 100.
Happening on June 29, this yr’s occasion, like yearly, is full of intriguing tales. I’d like to focus on 5 of probably the most compelling tales on this yr’s race and likewise current the 12 runners — let’s name them AJW’s Soiled Dozen — who I feel are prone to be on the entrance of the pack come sunset on the end line at Placer Excessive Faculty in Auburn, California, on race day.
The beginning of the 2021 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Eric Spector
California’s Eric Spector is trying to develop into the oldest finisher of Western States 100. The 77-year-old from Marin County has had a powerful build-up to the race this yr, with robust finishes on the Huge Alta 50k, Napa Valley Endurance Run 50k, and Marin Extremely Problem 50 Mile. In latest weeks, Spector has additionally logged over 200 miles on the course in preparation for the large day.
1,000-Mile Bucklers
Due largely to the rising issue of moving into the race, it has been 5 years since now we have seen a 10-time finisher circle the monitor at Placer Excessive Faculty. This yr, nevertheless, three runners try to gather their 1,000-mile buckles. Philip Sanderson of California, Ken Ward of Oregon, and Kaci Licktieg of Nebraska are all trying to realize the feat this yr.
Kaci Lickteig profitable the 2016 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
No Defending Champions
Whereas Jim Walmsley and Kaci Licktieg, two earlier Western States winners, are within the area this yr, neither winner from the 2023 version of the race is returning. Tom Evans and Courtney Dauwalter, the 2023 winners, have chosen to concentrate on different races this yr, leaving the sphere open for a brand new or returning champion.
Ladies’s Race
In 2023, we noticed an unbelievable girls’s race, with Courtney Dauwalter profitable in a course document time of 15:29, and the tenth place girl, Colorado’s Meghan Morgan, ending in 18:11, a time that may have gained the race outright a number of instances through the years. With this yr’s girls’s area much more stacked than final yr, I’m anticipating much more density on the entrance of the pack this time round.
Environmental Components
Mom Nature has not been type to Western States over the previous few years. Between wildfires, snow, and highway closures, the challenges going through the race group have been immense. This yr, nevertheless, it seems like issues are returning to regular.
Whereas the injury from the 2022 Mosquito Hearth stays, the forest is slowly returning. Mosquito Ridge Highway, the most important highway accessing the Duncan Canyon and Dusty Corners support stations, has just lately been reopened after being closed for over 18 months because of the fireplace. And except there are vital late spring storms, it seems just like the snowpack within the excessive nation can be minimal.
General, it’s shaping as much as be a high quality yr!
Jim Walmsley profitable the 2021 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Alex Potter
AJW’s 2024 Western States 100 Race Predictions
There are clear favorites in each the ladies’s and males’s fields this yr: Jim Walmsley, the lads’s course document holder, and Katie Schide, the lady with the second-fastest time ever on the course. Behind them, a slew of different runners can be chasing. It’s anybody’s guess as to who will in the end problem for the highest spot. However listed below are my picks for the highest six men and women:
Ladies
- Katie Schide
- Rachel Drake
- Leah Yingling
- Heather Jackson
- Emily Hawgood
- Devon Yanko
Males
- Jim Walmsley
- Hayden Hawks
- Tyler Inexperienced
- Jia-Sheng Shen
- Jonathan Albon
- Dakota Jones
Bottoms up!
Katie Schide after taking second on the 2023 Western States 100 and operating the second-fastest time in race historical past. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Pigeon Head Brewery in Reno, Nevada. Silver Sage Pale Ale is a basic American-style pale ale that’s gentle and crispy, with a touch of sage added to the brewing course of. A deliciously drinkable beer, Silver Sage is an ideal summer season ale.
Name for Feedback
- Who do you suppose will win the lads’s and ladies’s races?
- Which racer or story are you most excited to observe?
