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WSER Mission

Vision
The Western States Endurance Run is committed to strengthening our tradition as the world’s preeminent 100-mile trail run.

Goals

  • Set the standard for personal challenge and event organization of 100-mile endurance runs
  • Consistently provide a safe, supportive venue for challengers to test their limits
  • Support and promote medical research to increase understanding of the effects of endurance sports on the human body
  • Support our communities through scholarships, volunteerism and cooperative partnerships

Values

  • Respect for every athlete, volunteer and crew member who participates in the Western States Endurance Run
  • Responsibility to our communities
  • Commitment to medical research
  • Concern for the environment and stewardship for the land through which the Western States Endurance Run passes

Community Involvement

The Western States Endurance Run maintains a tradition of community involvement. Since its inception, the Run has supported local communities through scholarships, participation in and donations to community service programs, membership in community organizations, and trail maintenance.

Our contributions include the following:

  • One million dollars in retail sales annually to Placer County restaurants, motels and hotels, gasoline stations, grocery stores and other retailers.
  • An annual donation to the Placer High School athletic department and scholarship program, the California Conservation Corps, the Foresthill Trails Alliance, and the Sweep Riders of the Sierras.
  • In a coordinated effort and partnership with the Western States Trail Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service, funding trail projects and providing and managing countless hours annually to trail maintenance and improvements.
  • The WSER maintains membership in the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, Foresthill Chamber of Commerce, Golden West Historical Society, Endurance Capital Task Force Committee and is affiliated with the Foresthill Trails Alliance.
  • The WSER out-sources a variety of its needs to businesses in the Auburn Area.

Medical Research

The Western States Endurance Run is committed to conducting, supporting and encouraging scientific and educational research in the field of human medicine through the testing and study of long-distance runners who participate in the Run, and to reviewing, analyzing and publishing this scientific data for beneficial use by the sports medicine research community. The Western States Endurance Run spends several thousand dollars on medical research each year, and in our history, we have funded and/or conducted more than two dozen medical studies. Some examples are below.

  • Electronic microscopy of muscle biopsies: a study of muscle damage vs. cellular death in Run participants.
  • CPK enzyme studies to identify Run participants with significant myoglobin in their blood, which can lead to renal failure.
  • Hyponatremia with seizures: with close case studies to identify causes and prevention.
  • Osteoporosis study in Run participants.
  • Immune system suppression due to stress of the Run, performed in conjunction with Appalachian State University, Department of Human Performance.
  • Testosterone suppression in male Run participants.
  • PSA screening for cancer of the prostate in male Run participants.

The WSER is grateful to the Roseville Community Hospital, Lodi Memorial Hospital Laboratory, Sierra Nevada Hospital Laboratory and Sutter Auburn Memorial Hospital for their generous assistance on many of these studies.