The Western States Endurance Run has implemented the following changes to the annual lottery, effective immediately:
1. Runners will no longer need to have consecutive qualifiers to keep their ticket count in the lottery. Each runner will keep their ticket count active after failing to get drawn in the annual lottery. The next time they qualify and apply, regardless of when that is, their ticket count will double per the WSER 2^(n-1) formula.
All runners who entered the 2020 race lottery (held Dec 2019) will keep their 2020 ticket count. Runners who exercised their One-Time Lottery Bye in 2020 will keep their 2019 ticket count. All women currently using the Pregnancy Lottery Deferral can reenter the lottery at any time and will maintain their ticket count from the year they declared the deferral. All other runners will start at zero, and receive one ticket when they first qualify and apply.
Example
Mia has previously qualified four consecutive years and did not get drawn in the most recent lottery (the 2020 lottery, held December 2019). She had 8 tickets in that lottery. The next time she qualifies and applies to the WS lottery – regardless of whether that is next year, 2025, or 2032 – her ticket count will be 16.
2. The One-Time Lottery Bye is eliminated as it is no longer necessary.
3. The Pregnancy Lottery Deferral is eliminated as it is no longer necessary.
4. Entrants who withdraw from the Race before 1 p.m. on the day before the Race will maintain their ticket count from their most recent lottery the next time they enter the lottery. (Previously, entrants who withdrew from the Race prior to Race day would start over at one ticket in their next lottery.)
5. The Pregnancy Entry Deferral (for women entered in the Race who become pregnant prior to Race day) remains in effect, except that there is no time limit on how long a woman may defer her entry into the Race. To reenter the Race, they must run a qualifier and inform the Race Director of their intention to enter prior to the lottery for that year’s Race.
