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The Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race.

The Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race. The Run starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California. In the decades since its inception in 1974, Western States has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world.

Traversing the traditional lands of the Nisenan, Washoe, and other neighboring Indigenous Peoples, the Western States Trail climbs more than 18,000 feet and descends nearly 23,000 feet before runners reach the finish at Placer High School in Auburn. In the miles between Olympic Valley and Auburn, runners experience the majestic high country of Emigrant Pass and the Granite Chief Wilderness, the crucible of the canyons of the California gold country, a memorable crossing of the ice-cold waters of the Middle Fork of the American River, and finally the historic reddish brown trails that led many travelers, including gold prospectors, to Auburn.

For five decades, Western States has been home to some of the sport’s most stirring and legendary competitions. With more than 1,500 dedicated volunteers helping to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the Run continues to ignite the spirit of runners from all walks of life, from all over the globe.

Offering the sport’s oldest and most prized possession – a sub-24-hour silver belt buckle and a sub-30-hour bronze belt buckle – Western States remains one of the undisputed crown jewels of human endurance.

December 3, 2025 in General Interest, Race News

2026 Lottery Statistics

The 2026 race lottery will be held on December 6, 2025 in front of a live audience at the Placer High School auditorium in Auburn, CA beginning at 8:00 a.m. PST. We expect to be done by 11:00 a.m. As names are randomly selected, they will be posted at https://lottery.wser.org in real-time. There will also be live video coverage of the lottery on our Youtube Channel beginning at 7:00 a.m. PST. Lottery Emcee Tim Twietmeyer Each applicant ran a qualifying race of 100k or longer within the last year to be eligible to enter. Some have done so for many…
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October 8, 2025 in General Interest, WSER Foundation

Diana Fitzpatrick Honored With Little Cougar

Diana Fitzpatrick, a longtime Western States Endurance Run (WSER) board member whose tenure as the organization’s president was one of historic achievement for the organization, has been named a recipient of the prestigious “Little Cougar” award, WSER President Topher Gaylord announced. The Little Cougar is awarded to individuals who have served the Western States Endurance Run organization through the years in extraordinarily significant ways. The Little Cougar is considered the pinnacle of all WSER awards and is not awarded annually. The most recent recipient of the Little Cougar was Ted Knudsen in 2019. “Diana’s contributions to the Western States Endurance…
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October 8, 2025 in General Interest, Research, WSER Foundation

Hew-Butler Named WSER Medical Research Director

Dr. Tamara “Tami” Hew-Butler has been named Medical Research Director for the Western States Endurance Run, WSER President Topher Gaylord announced. Hew-Butler succeeds Dr. Emily Kraus and Dr. Megan Roche, who had served as Co-Medical Research Directors for WSER since 2022. “Tami brings an impressive array of professional achievement as a clinician and scientist, having been published extensively  in some of the world’s most important exercise science journals,” Gaylord said, noting that Hew-Butler was the lead author and organizer of three International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Guidelines and previously was awarded two WSER research grants, as Principal Investigator/PI, which in turn…
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Granite Chief Wilderness Trail Reroute

Granite Chief Wilderness Trail Reroute Project – 2025 Update

2026 Trail Work Opportunities

The Western States Endurance Run (WSER), in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service’s American River Ranger District (USFS) and the Western States Trail Foundation (WSTF), have made significant progress towards completing a project in Granite Chief Wilderness that will yield over 7 miles of new and rehabilitated trail. The existing trail was never really designed, contained unsustainable grades, and traversed stretches of sensitive habitat. The new trail was designed to current USFS trail building standards, has been re-routed out of sensitive habitat, and is higher up on the ridge with commanding views of area. After years of planning the project was approved in 2019. The USFS secured $1,200,000 in funding through the Great American Outdoors Act, and with an additional commitment of funding by WSER and WSTF construction began in the summer of 2023. In spite of a short 3-month snow-free construction season, the USFS, its contractors, and WSER & WSTF volunteers have made substantial progress these last 3 summers, and hope to have a significant portion of the new trail open for use in 2026, with the balance of the new trail open in 2028. Click here for more info.