Western States Endurance Run

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Olympic Valley, CA – March 12, 2025 – This June, trail running enthusiasts will experience an unprecedented 10-day adventure in the stunning Palisades Tahoe as three iconic events—Broken Arrow Skyrace presented by Salomon, TrailCon presented by On, and the legendary Western States Endurance Run presented by HOKA—join forces to create an immersive and inspiring celebration of the sport.

Kicking off June 19-22, the Broken Arrow Skyrace presented by Salomon, will challenge runners with a three-day, nine-distance event, where elite and recreational athletes alike will experience the thrill of “where the mountains meet the sky.”

Following this, the inaugural TrailCon presented by On (June 24-25) will bring together thought leaders, industry brands, and passionate runners for two days of engaging discussions, networking, and community building. The event features keynote speakers, interactive breakout sessions, a Vendor Village with 60+ innovative brands, and the debut of the TrailCon Hall of Fame Awards—all designed to inspire and elevate the trail running community.

The excitement culminates June 28-29 with the world-renowned Western States® 100-Mile Endurance Run presented by HOKA, the planet’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail race. A true test of endurance, Western States has captivated runners and fans since 1974, solidifying its place as the pinnacle of ultra-distance racing.

This historic collaboration underscores a shared vision to strengthen and unify the trail running community, transforming Olympic Valley into the ultimate global destination for trail running every June.

“Western States is honored to partner with TrailCon in creating a 10-day experience filled with running, storytelling, and knowledge-sharing that will inspire and unite our sport like never before,” said Craig Thornley, Western States Race Director. “Most importantly, we believe this collaboration will build an even stronger sense of belonging in the trail running community.”

Topher Gaylord, Western States Board President, echoed this sentiment: “With three independent, community-driven organizations working together, Olympic Valley will become the epicenter of the trail running world. TrailCon’s innovative approach perfectly bridges the excitement between Broken Arrow and Western States, creating an unmatched 10-day experience.”

Brendan Madigan, Founder & Race Director of Broken Arrow Skyrace, added: “Our vision has always been to complement the iconic Western States 100, ensuring that everyone—from runners to families, pacers, and crew—can experience the beauty of Palisades Tahoe. With the addition of TrailCon, there’s no better place to be in late June than North Lake Tahoe.”

With this powerful collaboration, Palisades Tahoe is set to become the Spring Trail Running and Ultra Capital of the World, offering an unforgettable experience for runners, fans, and industry leaders alike.

For more information, visit:

Broken Arrow Sky Race
TrailCon
Western States Endurance Run

Media Inquiries:

Rachel Christison
Rachel.christison@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WESTERN STATES AND HOKA ANNOUNCE CONTINUATION OF PRESENTING SPONSOR PARTNERSHIP

AUBURN, Calif. – The Western States Endurance Run and HOKA have announced the continuation of the presenting sponsorship agreement between the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race and one of the fastest-growing performance footwear and apparel brands. The agreement extends the current presenting sponsorship partnership, originally formed in 2019 between the two organizations, through 2029.

“Western States has always focused on partners that have shared values and commitment to building our community and elevating the dreams of all runners throughout all of our sport” WSER President Diana Fitzpatrick said. “HOKA has engaged with Western States at every level of our organization to support our shared values, elevate the runner experience, and reach the global community through our live race day broadcast.

“We are thrilled that this partnership between Western States and HOKA will continue on for many more years to come.”

Added WSER race director Craig Thornley: “Alignment is critical to any successful and productive partnership between a run and a presenting sponsor. I’ve been so impressed over the past five years with HOKA’s understanding and championing of our mission in all aspects of what we do – our run, the runner experience, trail stewardship and medical research as well as the growth of a more inclusive sport for all runners. HOKA holds the same organizational values as WSER, and this shared commitment for the health and growth of the sport of ultra running has made for some of the most unforgettable years in Western States’ long history.”

“As the oldest 100-mile trail race in the world, Western States has demonstrated leadership and community building for its entire 51-year history. We are honored to continue our partnership with this outstanding organization that tests the best athletes in the sport and creates a transformative experience for every runner” said, Mike McManus, Director of Global Sports Marketing at HOKA. 

The new five-year agreement between WSER and HOKA also continues the highly successful “HOKA Golden Ticket” series of races. The HOKA Golden Ticket races allows the top finishers in the races that comprise the yearly series to gain entry into that year’s Western States. The 2025 schedule of Golden Ticket races was announced last week and includes six events from around the globe:

• CCC – HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc 100K France, Italy, Switzerland, August 30, 2024 (top three Male/Female)
• Javelina Jundred Presented by HOKA 100M Arizona, October 26, 2024 (top two M/F)
• Black Canyon Presented by HOKA 100K, Arizona, February 8, 2025 (top three M/F)
• Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB 102K New Zealand, February 15, 2025 (top two M/F)
• Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB 120K, Italy, March 22, 2025 (top two M/F)
• The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB 100K, California, April 26, 2025 (top three M/F)

ABOUT WESTERN STATES: First held in 1974, the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run has a 369-runner field from throughout the United States and more than 30 countries. Western States is considered one of the world’s preeminent 100-mile trail races, WSER believes in staging a transformational and quality world-class event for its runners, as well as performing trail stewardship and conducting medical research studies for the betterment of the sport. Held on the last full weekend in June from Olympic Valley, Calif., the 100.2-mile event travels through the Sierra high country and the canyons of the American River on the ancestral lands of the Washoe and Nisenan tribes, before finishing at Placer High School in Auburn, Calif.

About HOKA®

HOKA® is one of the fastest-growing performance footwear and apparel brands in history. Conceived in the mountains, HOKA footwear delivers an unprecedented combination of enhanced cushioning and support for a uniquely smooth ride. Every day, HOKA pushes the innovation and design of its footwear and apparel by teaming up with a deep roster of world champions, taste makers and everyday athletes. From finish lines to everyday life, HOKA fans love the brand for its bold and unexpected approach, and its belief in the power of humanity to create change for a better world. HOKA empowers a world of athletes to fly over the earth. For more information, visit HOKA.com or follow @HOKA. #FlyHumanFly.

The 2024 race lottery will be held on December 2, 2023 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 a live video coverage of the lottery on our Youtube Channel beginning at 7:00 a.m. PST.

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 years. Each runner who enters the lottery and fails to gain entry into the Run (and otherwise doesn’t gain an entry via other means such as an aid station, sponsor, or HOKA Golden Ticket spot) will have additional tickets in the hat when entering the lottery the following year, thus improving the probability of being selected. Every lottery applicant will receive 2^(n-1) tickets in the hat where n is the number of years entering the lottery without gaining entry. That is, 1st year applicants = 1 ticket, 2nd year = 2 tickets, 3rd year = 4 tickets, 4th year = 8 tickets, and so on. The maximum number of years for the 2024 lottery is 9 years or 256 tickets.

You can view the final 2024 applicants and their ticket counts.

After the cancellation in 2020 and then starting fewer than our allowed 369 starters in 2021, the US Forest Service is allowing us to start 375 runners in 2024. As we began in 2017, we are using a wait list model instead of overbooking like we had for decades to get the target number of starters which is the number we are legally allowed to run through the Granite Chief Wilderness. 105 of those 375 are automatic entrants resulting in 270 lottery spots. 267 of those will be selected in the lottery proper. The final three entrants to get to 375 will be selected from those in the audience. We will also select an additional 75 names for the ordered wait list. The probabilities of being selected as one of the 270 in the lottery or 75 on the wait list (345) are as follows:

• 8 runners 256 tickets, each has a 85.2% chance of getting selected
• 70 runners with 128 tickets, each has a 61.6 %
• 147 runners with 64 tickets, each has a 38.0 %
• 256 runners with 32 tickets, each has a 21.3 %
• 420 runners with 16 tickets, each has a 11.3 %
• 606 runners with 8 tickets, each has a 5.8 %
• 1231 runners with 4 tickets, each has a 2.9 %
• 2216 runners with 2 tickets, each has a 1.5%
• 4434 runners with 1 ticket, each has a .7 %

So what are the chances of getting into the race if you are selected for the wait list? In 2023 we went down to the 56th person on the list. In 2022 we exhausted the wait list of 75. In 2021 we exhausted the wait list of 50 which was rolled over from 2020. In 2019 the last person to get a spot on the starting line was selected 31st. In 2018 the 36th person on the list got in, in 2017 the 39th person got in. All the historical data from the wait lists can be found here.

Good luck to all.