2013 Runner Update #3

The following email was sent to all 2013 WS runners on 5/16/13.

Race day continues to approach, coming at us in 43 days. I hope your training is going well and you’re feeling good about running from Squaw Valley to Auburn on June 29. I know anticipation may be high for you whether this is your first or 51st 100 miler. There are a lot of things for you to absorb so hopefully this update #3 will provide you with some information that is helpful and will ease some of the anxiousness.

The starter database is complete, bib numbers have been assigned, and the count stands at 411. If for whatever reason, you decide not to start the race, please let me know.

Medical

For going on 40 years, Western States has set the standard for medical care of its runners. We are very proud of our medical infrastructure. In addition to the start and finish there are ten medical checkpoints along the way. These are staffed with doctors, paramedics, nurses, etc. They are there to help you get to the finish. Your weight, pulse and blood pressure will be taken pre-race on Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and recorded on your wristband. When you get to one of the medical checkpoints, your weight will be taken. Recent research suggests that modest 3-5% weight loss during prolonged exercise is required for maintenance of appropriate hydration. Excessive weight loss suggests dehydration. Weight gain suggests fluid retention and in some cases may be associated with a serious medical condition (hyponatremia). How the runner feels and looks and his or her mental status is more important to the medical staff than a number on a scale.

Be sure to read the Medical and Other Risks from the WSER website. It has been updated to reflect the most recent research.

Race Week

There are lots of pre-race activities up at Squaw Valley. In addition to the regular WS sponsored clinics and activities, there is the Montrail 6K Uphill Challenge on Friday at 10:00 a.m. This is the second year for this event and if last year is any indication it will be popular again. No entry fee.

On Thursday evening after the WS Veteran’s Panel Discussion, the Squaw Valley Institute is presenting a talk by Diane Van Deren who, after a lobectomy in 1997 to stave off epileptic seizures, was left without the ability to understand the passage of time. Diane’s story is one of overcoming challenges that most ultra runners would have difficulty even imagining. This talk costs $10 with the proceeds going to the non-profit Squaw Valley Institute. You can purchase tickets online from Squaw Valley Institute at the link above or buy them at the door.

In addition, two-time Western States 100 women’s champion, women’s course record holder and Montrail athlete Ellie Greenwood will be signing posters at Alpenglow sports (415 North Lake Blvd) from 2-3 p.m. followed by a fun run and Montrail Shoe Demos from 3-6 p.m.

Race Day Webcast

Once again we will have close to real-time updates on race day via ultralive.net so your fans, family and friends can follow your progress. Webcast features include:

  • New look for webcast
  • Runners and general spectators can sign up for email/sms updates
  • Runners can activate Facebook wall posts of their splits if they want to
  • Runners can activate Twitter updates of splits

These features will be available the first week of June. Check the wser.org site for any news/updates for the live webcast.

WS Store

The WS online store is open for business under new management by Fleet Feet Sacramento. Look for many new items to become available in the next weeks. In addition to the online store, the store will be physically open at the Memorial Weekend training runs and up at Squaw Valley.

Montrail Ultra Cup

Western States is the final Montrail Ultra Cup event and the competition is heating up! Check the website for standings through Leona Divide. Standings after Ice Age will be updated in a week, so check back then if you made it over to Ice Age. Keep in the loop by following Montrail on Facebook and reading the blog.

Enjoy the last month or so of training. We’ll see many of you Memorial Day weekend.

Craig Thornley, Race Director

 

Posted in 2013 Runner Updates, Race News | on: May 17th, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

Performance Rule on PEDs

We have added rule #18 to our list of Performance Rules for all runners:

18. The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is committed to keeping ultrarunning a clean, drug-free sport. Use of performance enhancing drugs or blood doping as defined by the USADA is forbidden. The Western States board reserves the right to disqualify a runner based on competent evidence of such use.

Posted in Race News | on: April 21st, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

2013 WSER Research Activities

The following email was sent to 2013 entrants on 4/9/13

Want to know how you can help advance science this year at the WSER?

We have several studies again this year, and we need your help for these to succeed. Please read the information below so you are aware of the studies and opportunities to help advance science. Note that we would like to recruit study participants in advance of registration for Studies 1 and 4, so please contact the investigators if you are interested in participating in those studies.

Marty Hoffman, MD

WSER Research Director

Study 1. Investigation into the cause of ultramarathoner’s eye (The ultra-eye study) 

Have you ever experienced visual problems during an ultramarathon? The Ultra-Eye Study is directed at determining the underlying cause of these problems. If you have had visual problems during an ultramarathon, please take a short survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Ultraeye

You may participate in additional studies during the Run whether you’ve had visual problems during an ultramarathon or not. But, we are especially interested in getting those with prior vision problems to participate.

If you agree to participate, you will undergo a short (approximately 10 minute) series of eye tests once during the couple days before the Run, and then again shortly after finishing the Run. If you have abnormal findings after the Run, you will be asked to return for repeat tests until the abnormal findings resolve.

The study is under the direction of Dr. Marty Hoffman. Please contact him prior to the Run to participate in the study at (916) 843-9027 or martin.hoffman@va.gov.

Study 2. Gastrointestinal distress in runners participating in the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run

Gastrointestinal (GI) distress is a common problem in ultrarunning. In 100-mile ultramarathons, GI symptoms are the primary reason for dropping out among non-finishers and are the second most common problem impacting race performance among finishers.

At this year’s race, we are doing a study to investigate the frequency and causes of GI symptoms. The more participants we have, the better. In fact, it will be ideal if every WSER runner participates in the study.

Participation includes simply completing a short, on-line, post-race questionnaire. You will receive an e-mail after the race with a link to the questionnaire. It will ask you to provide information about your GI symptoms during this and prior races.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Dr. Kristin Stuempfle (kstuempf@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6448) or Dr. Marty Hoffman (martin.hoffman@va.gov or 916-843-9027).

Study 3. The impact of training longevity, gender and age on the 12-lead ECG of the veteran ultra-endurance athlete: An aid for pre-participation screening

The 12-lead ECG is a quick diagnostic test that provides us with important information related to the health of your heart and is used routinely for pre-participation heart screening in young athletes.

At this year’s race (24-48 hours prior to the race) we will be undertaking a study to establish the normal 12-lead ECG criteria for the veteran endurance athlete. The ECG will take 5 minutes while you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire as well as having your height, weight and blood pressure taken. If considered appropriate (usually 10% of the screening population), we may invite you for an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to improve the sensitivity of the screening – this will take an additional 20 minutes.

So if you are over 35 years old and want to know more about the health of your heart please volunteer for this study – the more participants we have the better. We can be found in the registration area on the Thursday and Friday before the race.

The study is under the direction of Dr. David Oxborough. If you require more detailed information or wish to participate in the study please contact him prior to the Run at d.l.oxborough@ljmu.ac.uk.

Study 4. The impact of completing the Western States 100 mile Endurance Run on right ventricular function: A focused study on athletes completing in less than 24 hours

In 2011, we published data from the WSER highlighting a possible negative impact on the right side of the heart following completion of the race. This appeared to be in runners who completed the race in the quickest finishing time and therefore in order to build on the success of that study, we are proposing to repeat the study in runners who complete the race in less than 24 hours.

You will be required to have a 12-lead ECG and echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), have your blood pressure taken and height and weight recorded 24-48 hours prior to the race, within 1 hour of completing the race and at around 6 hours into recovery. Each testing point will take approximately 20-30 minutes.

If you are interesting in learning about the health of your heart and the cardiac impact of completing the WSER, please volunteer for this study. We are looking for approximately 20 participants. Please contact the study director, Dr. David Oxborough (d.l.oxborough@ljmu.ac.uk), prior to the Run to participate or to get further details about the study.

Study 5. Injury pattern among 100-mile ultramarathon runners

Our knowledge and understanding of common injuries and illnesses during ultramarathon training is limited.

At this year’s race, we are doing a study to investigate the frequency and causes of common injuries and illnesses during training. We are hoping to get every WSER runner to participate in this study. This is a multi-center study involving at least one additional ultramarathon.

Participation includes simply completing an on-line pre-race questionnaire which should take only 10 minutes to complete. You will be asked to provide information about your training pattern, and injuries and illnesses encountered during training and prior races. You will be notified by email of the link to the questionnaire about 2 weeks before the Run.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Dr. Morteza Khodaee (Morteza.khodaee@ucdenver.edu or 720-848-9056) or Dr. Marty Hoffman (martin.hoffman@va.gov or 916-843-9027).

Study 6. The relationship of foot strike pattern, stride parameters, and creatine phosphokinase during a 161-kilometer ultramarathon

You’re most likely aware of discussion about barefoot/minimalist shoe running and foot strike pattern.  We examined foot strike pattern at the 2012 WSER and had some fascinating findings. We will continue this work by capturing video at several locations during the 2013 Run. You need not do anything special to participate in this study other than run single file through our filming zones. Since we will be relating foot strike pattern with blood CPK concentration, we also encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to have your blood work done immediately after finishing.

The study is under the direction of Dr. Marty Hoffman. Please contact him at (916) 843-9027 or martin.hoffman@va.gov is you have any questions.

Posted in 2013 Runner Updates, Race News, Research | on: April 10th, 2013 by DrHoffman | Comments Off

WSTF WSER Joint Trail Work Statement

Dear Western States Trail stakeholders,

During the past several weeks representatives from the Western States Trail Foundation and the Western States 100-Mile Run Foundation have met regarding the future of the Western States Trail.  Both organizations have agreed to allocate resources to work together in maintaining the trail, in preserving its historic nature and in ensuring its accessibility to the public.  Our long-term goal is to develop a collaborative, strategic vision for future efforts between our organizations in all of these key areas.  Both organizations will do this while working in collaboration and cooperation with the private land owners and other interested organizations and foundations as well as local, state and federal agencies that are charged with managing this precious resource.

We plan regularly updating all Western States stakeholders on our progress in this joint trail agreement.

Sincerely,

Kathie D. Perry
President
Western States Trail Foundation

John Trent
President
Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Foundation

Posted in Trail Preservation, WSER Foundation | on: April 3rd, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

May Trail Work Date Moved to Saturday, June 1

Due to conflicts with other run events we’re changing the May trail work date to June 1, 8:00 am at Stone’s Brew Coffee House in Foresthill.  Please sign up on the WS site if you plan on attending and remember to submit your USFS Volunteer Form.

Thanks,

Donn Zea

WS Trail Boss

Posted in Trail Preservation | on: April 2nd, 2013 by DonnZ | Comments Off

2013 Runner Update #2

The following email was sent to all 2013 WS runners on 3/26/13.

Race day is fast approaching. We just passed the 100 days to go mark! I hope your training is going well. Race prep is going well from our end and it looks like this will be a normal course year unless we have a freaky spring. This second runner update is to answer a few questions I’ve been getting and to update you on a few things.

  • Service Requirement - These signed forms are due to me by May 15, 2013. Please don’t wait until the last minute to send them in. Signed documents may be scanned and emailed to me so no need to spend $30 to overnight ship it. The WSER board instituted this requirement in 1998 to help the sport of ultrarunning. Trail work or volunteering at any organized race is accepted.
  • General Information Form – We ask that each runner fill out a general information form so Tropical John Medinger doesn’t make stuff up about you as you run the last 250 meters around the Placer HS track. The form can be found here and either snail-mailed or emailed to me. He’ll say just about whatever you write so have fun. Always a good idea to list all the people who have supported you in your quest to get to the Placer HS track.
  • Pacer Request Page – Thanks to Gary Wang, the creator of realendurance.com, and the WSER webmaster, Ian Doremus, the pacer request page has been up for a couple of weeks. There are many pacers offering their pacing services. Pacers are not required, but can be a real help in the middle of the night when your brain isn’t as sharp as it may normally be.
  • Bus from Placer HS to Squaw – If you are without crew and need a ride back to Squaw Valley on Sunday after the race, we will have a bus that will leave Placer HS at 3pm on Sunday and take you back to Squaw Valley. Send $45 to me to reserve your spot. The bus is usually not full so you might be able to get on without a reservation but reserve a spot to guarantee a ride.
  • Trail Work Days – The WSER Trail Crew has had two successful work days so far and there are three remaining. If you plan to work in April, May, or June you’ll need to fill out the volunteer form to work on federal land before the work day. Instructions for filling out the form and signing up to help are here. For those of you who have helped or will help, the WS community thanks you.
  • GU Roctane Drink instead of GU Brew – Our longtime sponsor, GU Energy, is going to provide us with Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink and Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy gels. Roctane Ultra Endurance products are the premium energy source for committed endurance athletes who are experienced and competitive and undertake long (4+ hours) or intense (above lactate threshold) efforts.
  • Memorial Weekend Training Runs - This weekend is going to be a lot of fun. The Saturday run capacity has been increased by one bus so sign up if you haven’t. If you want to arrange your own transportation and use the aid stations you can also sign up Saturday morning at Foresthill Elementary School beginning at 5:45am. The Sunday and Monday runs still have space available and you can signup at ultrasignup. We are really excited about the festivities we have lined up for Sunday evening in Auburn. First off, co-owner of Firetrail Pizza and four-time finisher Jed Tukman, will have his mobile wood-fired oven cooking pizzas to help you recover some of the calories you consumed the previous two days starting at 5pm. At 6pm we’re gonna show the 1983 WS race followed by a discussion with Jim Howard and Jim King, facilitated by Andy Jones-Wilkins. Whether you’ve never seen this Desperate Dreams video or watched it 25-times like I have, we are in for a treat. Everything will take place at the Canyon View Community Center at 471 Maidu Dr in Auburn. You’ll have to buy your pizza, but everything else is free.

Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.

Train Smart.

Craig Thornley, Race Director

Posted in 2013 Runner Updates, Race News | on: March 26th, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

JimFest

The 1983 Western States race still boasts the closest top two men’s finish in the 39 year history of the race. Arguably, it is one of the best races ever at WS, and lucky for us it was recorded on DVD on Desperate Dreams II.

1983 Desperate Dreams DVD

1983 was a huge snow year so the alternate snow course had to be used for the first time. Returning champion Jim King hammered through the snow early to open up a huge lead over the field at Red Star Ridge, including 36 minutes over 1981 co-champion Jim Howard. But by Duncan Canyon aid station, King had fallen back to 15th after getting lost for 45 minutes in the snow. Undaunted, King moved back up the field to join Howard again at Dusty Corners and Last Chance (in 3rd and 4th place). King then hammered the canyons, and arrived in Michigan Bluff in first place, 27 minutes ahead of Howard who was still in 4th. King’s split from Last Chance to Michigan Bluff was 2:13! For comparison, Jurek’s split on his CR run in 2004 was 2:19.

King’s lead over Howard remained around 30 minutes through ALT by which time Howard was now comfortably in 2nd place. But Howard was not running for 2nd place. Only 7 minutes behind at Hwy 49, Howard threw down the unbelievable split of 56 minutes to the finish, catching King right before the white bridge and finishing 30 seconds ahead of King. This is still the fastest split ever run for that section. 5-time champion, and 25-time finisher, Tim Twietmeyer says that even if we dropped him off at Hwy 49 fresh, he couldn’t run 56 minutes.

Jim Howard at the finish of the 1983 WSER.

We are going to show the 1983 race on Sunday evening of the Memorial Day Weekend Training Runs. We’ll follow that with a discussion with the two Jims, facilitated by 8-time finisher Andy Jones-Wilkins.

  • What: 1983 WS Desperate Dreams screening, followed by a discussion with Jim Howard and Jim King, facilitated by Andy Jones-Wilkins.
  • When: Sunday May 26, 2013, 6-9pm
  • Where: Canyon View Community Center, 471 Maidu Dr, Auburn, CA
  • Cost: Free
  • Food: Firetrail Pizza will be on site selling pizzas.
Posted in Race News | on: March 4th, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

2013 Research Studies

The research studies for the 2013 WSER have just been determined and are now posted on the research page.

Six studies will be taking place that will examine a variety of issues including a couple areas receiving considerable recent media attention – potential cardiac damage from high volume exercise, and potential benefits of different foot strike patterns. To learn more about the first issue, our colleagues from the United Kingdom will be returning to the Run after completing studies here in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Regarding the later, we will expand upon our foot strike analysis at the 2012 WSER, where we saw indication that those who used a forefoot or midfoot pattern had higher blood creatine phosphokinase concentrations at the end of the race compared with heel strikers. Other studies will further examine the extent and causes of gastrointestinal distress during the Run, the frequency and underlying cause of vision cloudiness that sometimes occurs during ultramarathons, and types and frequency of injuries in those training for a 100-mile run.

There will be more to come on how you can participate in the various studies and contribute to our advancement of science.

Marty Hoffman, MD

Posted in Race News, Research | on: January 29th, 2013 by DrHoffman | Comments Off

2013 Trail Work Days

Trail Volunteers are Essential! Volunteering on the trail is rewarding and fun. And, for those who are entered in the 2013 WSER and are within driving distance of the WS Trail, our scheduled work projects are the perfect way to satisfy the Run’s volunteer service requirement!

The 2013 trail work days have been set.

February 2, 2013 – Green Gate to Hwy 49
March 23, 2013 – El Dorado/Volcano Canyons
April 20, 2013
May 18, 2013  Moved to June 1, 2013.
June 21-22, 2013

At the first project on Feb 2 we’ll improve trail tread, trim vegetation, remove fallen trees, and ensure adequate drainage on the Green Gate to 49 Crossing section of the trail. See our 2013 Trail Work Opportunities page to sign up and to get further details.

For further information about our trail conservation mission and purpose please see our new Trail Stewardship page.

The Robinson Flat campout weekend.

Thanks for helping

Posted in Trail Preservation | on: January 11th, 2013 by Craig | Comments Off

2013 Runner Update #1

The following was mailed to 2013 WS Entrants on 12/11/12

Dear WS Entrants – -

Congratulations on your acceptance into the 2013 Western States Endurance Run.

This update is the first of several updates you will be receiving prior to the Big Day. The updates will contain critical information; so please read each update carefully. The updates accomplish two things:  They allow us to share important information with you and save you the painful experience of listening to Craig go on for hours and hours about race weekend details at the mandatory Friday briefing.

The entrant database is nearing completion and stands at 388 entrants.  The entrant list can be found here.  There are four Montrail Ultra Cup qualifying events left in the season leading up to the grand finale at WS.  The top-two men and women Montrail Ultra Cup winners from the Bandera 100K, the Lake Sonoma 50, the Leona Divide 50 and the Ice Age Trail 50 are still to be determined and may be added to the database at the conclusion of each event.  To find out how you can be part of the series, go to Montrail Ultra Cup.

  • Most, if not all, events have gone to online registration.  Race results and race histories rely on the registration data from various run websites.  The data is only as good as the information that you provide.  If you would like to see accurate race histories for yourself, please use the same exact name for all your online race registrations.
  • Four training runs are scheduled for February 16th and the Memorial Day weekend of May 25-27, 2013. This has been a tremendous success each year with over 750 runners participating during the three-day weekend. Conditions permitting, the training runs will cover the last 70 miles of the course.
  • The WS Participant Guide is an important document and should be thoroughly reviewed by you and your crew.  Please take the time to read it carefully.
  • The WS Service Requirement Form must be received no later than May 15.  This is a very important requirement and must be completed before you can participate in the Run.
  • Snowpack is always a concern, although it is much too early to begin worrying about the amount of snow you’ll be facing on race weekend.  It will be at least April before we can begin to project race weekend snow conditions.  A snow-tracker link will be added to the WS website in February.  
  • GU Energy Labs generously provides WS runners with GU Energy Gel and GU Electrolyte Brew on race weekend.  A variety of Energy Gel flavors will be on the course.  The Electrolyte Brew will be available in lemon-lime and raspberry flavors.  The flavors will alternate with each aid station.  Make every effort to train using their products.  The last thing you want to do is try something new on race weekend.  Below is a review of their products.
  • GU Energy Gel
    GU Energy Gel was developed specifically for endurance athletes.  GU is designed to be an easily digestible carbohydrate.  The ingredients provide an athlete with the correct mix of complex and simple sugars, electrolytes for water balance, branched-chain amino acids to fuel the brain, and antioxidants to combat free radicals.  GU Energy Gel will sustain blood sugar levels when ingested during endurance events.  Each GU packet is 100 calories, and should be ingested every 30-45 minutes concurrently with GU Electrolyte Brew or water.
  • GU Roctane
    GU’s Roctane Gel is GU to a “higher power”.  Key functional ingredients are increased in Roctane to aid those who do ultra-endurance events.  In fact the formula was originally developed for an ultra endurance athlete (our founder’s daughter).  There is one ingredient in Roctane that is not present in GU Energy Gel:  ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG).  OKG acts to prevent the body from breaking down muscle during periods of trauma.  Roctane’s formula, which contains 100 calories, will maintain blood sugar for an entire 100-mile race if one packet is ingested every 30-45 minutes with GU Electrolyte Brew or water.
  • GU Electrolyte Brew
    GU Electrolyte Brew, as its name states, is a beverage mix formulated to provide sufficient electrolytes and calories (when used in conjunction with GU and Roctane).  Electrolyte brew helps maintain physiological osmotic balance — this is key for maintaining hydration and preventing stomach bloating.  It is recommended to drink 20-30 oz per hour during training or competition along with the recommended intake of GU Energy Gel or, preferably, GU Roctane Energy Gel.
  • GU Recovery Brew
    GU Recovery Brew is a beverage mix designed to aid recovery after a long hard workout or competition.  The idea is that the ingestion of a carbohydrate source and a protein source will help the body decrease catabolic affects post exercise and increase anabolic affects needed for subsequent training.  Recovery brew is a simple mix that contains both carbohydrate and protein components along with antioxidants for a quick recovery from a long run.  GU Recovery Brew provides adequate recovery for those ultra endurance athletes that have to continue training every day.  It can also be used during an ultra endurance event to add easily absorbed calories to your nutrition regimen.  The recommended intake of Recovery Brew is 16-24 oz directly following training or competition.
  • GU Chomps
    Chomps contain the same ingredients as GU Energy Gel; however, additional ingredients are added to provide the semi-solid properties.  Special ingredients such as electrolytes, antioxidants and amino acids are in Chomps, providing the same benefits as in GU Energy Gel.  During an endurance race, Chomps can be substituted for GU or added to increase caloric intake.  The recommended amount of Chomps is 8 chews for every 1.5 to 2 hours of activity concurrently with GU Electrolyte Brew or water.

Train smart, stay healthy and Happy Holidays.

Greg Soderlund, Race Director through December 31, 2012
Craig Thornley, Race Director starting on January 1, 2013

Posted in 2013 Runner Updates | on: December 12th, 2012 by Greg | Comments Off

Dec 8 Lottery Details

Updated 12/5

As posted on the lottery applicant page, we have 2295 total lottery applicants for the 2013 race.

122 applicants with four tickets = 488 tickets
207 applicants with three tickets = 621 tickets
480 applicants with two tickets = 960 tickets
1486 applicants with one ticket = 1486 tickets

Total tickets in the hat = 3555

Here is the list of tickets (178 page pdf)

We are going to draw 270 unique names in the lottery and then an additional five from the lottery within the lottery. That is, the folks in the audience who have not been selected up to that point. Based on 3555 total tickets and 270 names drawn, the odds of getting selected have been updated as follows:

one ticket odds = 7.9%
two ticket odds = 15.2%
three ticket odds = 21.9%
four ticket odds = 28.0%

We used a Monte Carlo simulation to calculate these updated odds.

The lottery will take place at the Placer HS auditorium. We will begin introductions a little before 9am and start drawing names right at 9am. We expect to be done by 11am. Note that there is no food or drink allowed in the auditorium (water ok).

As names are pulled from the hat, they will be posted at ultralive.net as close to real-time as possible. There will also be a live video feed.

For a little historical perspective, here are the number of lottery applicants and ticket counts  in the lottery since 2000.

2000 583
2001 556
2002 529
2003 638
2004 740
2005 791
2006 841
2007 1,048
2008 1,350 Fire year
2009 337 out of 390 returned 54 two-time losers, 34 autos for a total of 425 entrants
2010 1,693 Last year for two-time losers
2011 1,786 First year for multi-tickets in the hat. One ticket: 1286, two tickets: 500
2012 1,940 One ticket: 1221, two tickets: 461, three tickets: 258
2013 2295 One ticket: 1486, two tickets: 480, three tickets: 207, four tickets: 122

Posted in Race News | on: December 3rd, 2012 by Craig | 1 Comment »

New WSER website

If you’re reading this, you noticed that we have a new website. It’s been a process that began about six months ago. We hope you find it easy to navigate and filled with useful and interesting content. One of the challenging issues web designers face today is the wide variety of devices used to view websites. This site has been designed to be viewed on a variety of browsers so don’t be surprised if it looks different on your phone, tablet, and desktop browser.

The team involved in making this a reality is from all over the US. I am humbled to have such incredibly talented and dedicated people working with me to bring this new website from a concept that began when I interviewed for the RD position last January to a reality today.

  • Ian Doremus, from Eugene, OR is the principal designer of this site. I’ve built several websites with Ian over the years and he’s got a knack for incorporating photography into his designs. He has spent countless hours working with me on this new site. Ian will soon be the new WSER webmaster.
  • Richard Goodwin, from Colfax, CA has been the WSER webmaster for 13 years. He wrote the original webcast which was cutting edge at the time. Richard is stepping down as webmaster and looking forward to being just a “regular race-day” volunteer in the future. Richard has helped with the new website, while concurrently maintaining the old site. His contributions to WSER have been recognized with a Friends of the Trail and a Little Cougar Award.
  • Ted Knudsen, from San Rafael, CA is the new WSER Chief Technology Officer. Ted does all the behind-the-scenes work to keep our domains, servers, and everything tech-related running smoothly. He is the guy who developed the world-class webcast platform ultralive.net and has played a critical role in this year’s lottery. Ted is a WS Friends of the Trail recipient.
  • Tim Smith, from San Antonio, TX, is a professional web designer who specializes in wordpress and has been our technical consultant.

Retiring race director Greg Soderlund, the WSER board, and Research Advisor Marty Hoffman also contributed to the new site. In the very near future you’ll see contributions from Ten-Day buckle holder and owner of realendurance.com Gary Wang. Photographer Luis Escobar contributed many photos.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the cadre of friends who reviewed the site. Thanks to each of you.

Now for a little of the technical details if you are interested:

  • The site is hosted on Amazon’s Elastic Computing Cloud. A small instance runs the apache webserver, while a micro instance runs the mysql database.
  • We are using WordPress as the CMS with a variety of plugins and some custom code.
  • The theme is a custom responsive theme. It uses media queries to ask the browser what its capabilities are and then renders the appropriate layout of the content.

We will continue to develop and add content. If you have ideas or suggestions on what we can do better please let us know.

Posted in Race News | on: December 1st, 2012 by Craig | Comments Off

WS Board Welcomes Three New Members

The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees has added three new members.

The three new board members are Tia Bodington, Diana Fitzpatrick, and Karl Hoagland.

“Our three new board members give us strength in a number of key areas,” said John Trent, president of the Western States Board of Trustees. “All three are well-known and well-respected members of the ultra community.  Most importantly from the perspective of our Board, all three new members have demonstrated a long term dedication to the sport and to Western States.

“We’re excited to welcome Tia, Diana and Karl to our board.”

Bodington, of Talent, Ore., is managing editor of UltraRunning Magazine, considered by many to be the sport of ultramarathoning’s most influential publication. Bodington is also race director of the Miwok 100K in the Marin Headlands, which annually draws one of the most competitive and diverse 100K trail fields in the country.

Fitzpatrick, of Larkspur, Calif., is an attorney and one of the country’s finest age-group competitors, as well as a race director. Fitzpatrick and her husband, Tim, have served as race directors for the Headlands 50K for several years. Fitzpatrick has held the 50 to 59 age group record at Western States and is a qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials.

Hoagland, of Fairfax, Calif., is a businessman with a background in finance. He is founder of Larkspur Hotels, which acquired, developed and managed more than two dozen hotels in northern California and Pacific Northwest. Hoagland is also an accomplished ultra runner, having finished Western States five times, including a best of 18:15.

With the addition of Bodington, Fitzpatrick, and Hoagland, the Western States Board of Trustees now has 13 members.

The 2013 Western States 100 will be held on June 29.

Posted in WSER Foundation | on: October 10th, 2012 by Craig | Comments Off

Don’t Trash The Trails

by John Blue
Originally published in UltraRunning magazine. Reprinted with permission.
You’ve got a few hours to kill so you find your way to a favorite trail. You lace up your shoes, grab a water bottle, and disappear down the single track. Fir needles and dirt crunch under your feet as the troubles you took home from work slip your mind. You relax into the run and your breaths come easier.

Then you round a bend and see something crumpled on the ground next to the trail: the spent wrapper of an energy gel. Instinctively, you touch the pocket in your shorts and feel for the gels you’ve packed along for the run. You no longer feel so much a part of nature as you feel a part of a dysfunctional family.

Trash found after a WS training run. Photo by Gary Wang

You shake your head and think bad thoughts about the idiot who left his trash on the trail. Your stride slips a little as you think, for a split second, of stopping and putting the wrapper in your pocket.

But you don’t want to stop right then and, besides, you don’t have any place to put someone else’s sticky gel packet. So you run past the litter and continue on down the trail, lost in your quiet thoughts.

This seems to be happening more and more frequently as more and more runners hit the trails. “The sport grew nine percent last year so lotsof new runners are moving from the roads to the trails, I suspect.” says Greg Soderlund, long­time race director of the Western States Endurance Run. “Littering isn’t acceptable in either venue but the new trail runners may not have the same respect and appreciation of the trails as the veterans do.”

Earlier this spring, a friend and I were running along the American River Parkway, after a popular, local road race had taken place. In a two-mile stretch, we saw a hundred or so gel packets lying on the ground.

As soon as I finished the run, I shot an email to the race director, who assured me they had a clean-up crew scheduled for the next day.

The following day, I noticed a significant improvement but there was still an unacceptable amount of litter along the trail. When I reached my turnaround point, I picked up a discarded plastic grocery bag and collected a couple dozen GU, Clif Shot, Hammer Gel, and Power Gel wrappers over a one-mile stretch.

You may not be surprised to learn I was feeling pretty critical of my fellow runners by the time I dropped the grocery sack full of trash into the garbage can. “But these are road runners,” I thought, “My trail running buddies are different, more respectful.”

The following Sunday, I went for a solo run from the Auburn Dam Overlook, down the American River Trail. It was a damp spring morning, and there had been a large number of runners on the trail the day before. The trail was showing signs of wear and tear from all those aggressive trail shoes and the weekend’s rain.

What surprised and disappointed me was the amount of litter on the trail.

I’m sure the folks dropping things on the Parkway were thinking, “It’s a race. The race volunteers will clean up after me.” But the people on the trail that weekend were just on a training run.

I have to admit, I’ve dropped things on the trail. We all have. You get back to your car and discover the zipper on your pack is open and a half dozen gel packs have gone missing. For this reason alone, we should all be willing to pick up the litter we see falling out of the pack of the person in front of us.

Sometimes, I’ll pick up a few pieces of trash and then get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it, often making a mental note to bring a trash bag on my next run. If everyone was willing to pick up just one dropped gel packet or bar wrapper, that would be enough. But because most of us aren’t willing to pick up even one piece of trash, it accumulates. And that accumulation of trash, beyond the simple aesthetics of it, is where the risks lie.

‘Trail runners should understand that running on State Park trails is a privilege and we all need to pitch in and take responsibility and clean up after ourselves,” says Julie Fingar, American River 50 Mile Endurance Run RD. “Everyone, novice or veteran can benefit from hearing the message, ‘Pack it in, pack it out.”‘

If we truly love this sport and want to have continued access to these beautiful trails we run on, we need to take care of them. Not everyone who spends time in these woods is happy to see our trail races take place there. There are other user groups (horseback riders, hikers, bird watchers, hunters, environmental extremists) who aren’t particularly thrilled to see us racing through these wilderness areas. Most trail race directors will tell you that there are people actively working to stop their event from even taking place. It is critical to our sport that you do not provide them with more reasons to protest these events.

There are rules. They are simple rules and there are few of them.

As Fingar said: Pack it in, pack it out. If you drop something, stop and pick it up. Be responsible for your group. If you see that the runner in front of you has dropped something, tell them — or just pick it up yourself.

Save it for the trash can: If you are in a race,and in an aid station, you should try to put your garbage in a trash receptacle. (If you try and miss, don’t worry about it. The volunteers will cheerfully pick it up for you.) If you aren’t in an aid station, put the wrapper back in your pocket and throw it away when you get to one.

Finally, I would like us all to try an experiment. The next time you are on a run, make it a point to pick up the first empty gel packet or bar wrapper you see on the ground and put it in the trash. (Just one thing!)

We all occasionally drop something. If each of us makes it a point to pick one thing up during every run — the odds are good the most we’ll ever see is that one thing.

If this becomes the new normal, someday soon you could slip out onto that trail and shake off the dark and dreary concerns of daily living and see nothing but the trail as you dreamed it. A dream perhaps, but as Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Let’s have the courage to pursue this one.

Posted in General Interest | on: September 19th, 2012 by Craig | Comments Off

Soderlund Retires Jan 1, 2013

Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Race Director Greg Soderlund, who has led the world’s oldest and best-known 100-mile trail run through an unprecedented era of increasing popularity, prestige and worldwide renown, has announced his retirement, effective January 1, 2013.

Soderlund, who began his career at Western States in 2000, will oversee the December lottery and then will retire. Craig Thornley, who served as assistant race director in 2012, will take over for Soderlund.

“It has been an honor to direct a pinnacle event in the sport of ultrarunning for the past 13 years,” Soderlund said. “I will continue to be involved with the event and will assist Craig and the Western States Board in any way I can. The past 13 years have been a remarkable journey, and I thank the Western States Board for their trust and guidance. I have been inspired both by the runners and our 1,500-plus volunteers and the amazing growth the sport has experienced over the last decade. I extend a special thanks to our tireless and selfless volunteers — without their dedication to the runners there would be no event.”

Under Soderlund’s direction, Western States has seen its annual lottery swell to nearly 2,000 applicants. Working closely with presenting sponsor Montrail and the Montrail Cup series of Western States qualifying races, Soderlund’s efforts have fostered greater competitive depth of the elite men’s and women’s fields. In addition, the race’s trail maintenance efforts, volunteer ranks, medical research agenda and sponsorships are all at record levels.

The 2012 edition of Western States was just one example of Soderlund’s focused, athlete-centered race direction. Men’s and women’s course records were set by Timothy Olson and Ellie Greenwood, while the race also saw a record number of finishers and the most sub-24-hour silver belt buckles ever awarded in the race’s 39-year history.

“Greg has set an incredible standard for 13 consecutive race cycles,” Western States Board of Trustees President John Trent said. “Our race has been blessed to have someone of Greg’s abilities directing our race. I may be a bit biased, but I believe that Greg is the best race director in the country.

“The thing I will remember most about Greg is his belief that every runner who toes the starting line at Squaw Valley on the fourth Saturday of June should have the experience of a lifetime while running our race. Amazingly, for 13 historic race cycles, he’s always been able to accomplish that goal. For that reason, and much more, Greg’s legacy is simply remarkable.”

Posted in Race News | on: September 7th, 2012 by Craig | Comments Off