Craig

WS 100 announces new “Wait List” feature for 2017 event

Although much of the same entry process remains in place, the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees announced on Monday, July 25 a new “general wait list” to accompany the field of 369 runners chosen during the race’s lottery on Dec. 3, 2016.

The 50-person “wait list” will also be chosen during December’s lottery. If any entrant withdraws from the race for any reason, the spot will be given to the next runner on the general wait list. A refund structure with corresponding deadlines has also been instituted for runners who choose to withdraw prior to the event.

According to Western States Board President John Medinger, the structure of a wait list will help the Run stay at its Forest Service permit limit of 369 runners.

“We realize the odds of being chosen in our general lottery are still pretty low – last year we had a record 3,510 applicants,” Medinger said. “In the past, we’ve ‘overbooked’ our initial entry list, anticipating that some runners will drop out due to injury or other factors. But it’s become increasingly difficult to forecast how many. With our new wait list, we’re ensuring that we will start exactly 369 runners.”

Much of the Run’s qualifying process remains the same. Runners are still required to complete a qualifying race in the allotted time during the qualifying period (the 2017 Run has a Nov. 9, 2015 through Nov. 6, 2016 qualifying period).

Once individuals have submitted their online applications from Nov. 5-12, 2016, entrants will be selected via lottery on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 in Auburn, Calif.

Once the field of 369 runners has been set, 50 more applicants will be selected from the lottery for an ordered general wait list. If any entrant withdraws from the race for any reason, the spot will be given to the next runner on the general wait list.

The only exception to this is if a sponsor or aid station designated runner withdraws from the race; the sponsor or aid station will be allowed to designate another qualified runner who has qualified and applied for the 2017 Run. If no replacement is designated, then the spot will be given to the next runner on the general wait list.

The refund structure for runners who withdraw is as follows:

Entrants who withdraw from the Run by May 1 will receive a 75 percent refund of their entry fee (not including the online fee);

Entrants who withdraw from May 2-June 9 will receive a 50 percent refund;

Entrants who withdraw from June 10-June 20 will receive a 25 percent refund;

Entrants withdrawing after June 20 will not receive a refund.

Runners who are not chosen in the original lottery remain “in the hat” for the next year’s lottery. Runners on the wait list who decline the opportunity to join the field of 369 will maintain ticket counts in the next lottery. If an individual is entered in the race at any point – e.g., is part of the 369-runner field – ticket counts will start over at the next year’s lottery.

The 44th presentation of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run will be held on June 24-25, 2017.

Craig In General Interest, Surveys

2016 Runner Survey Results

Here are the results of the independent WSER Runner Survey from the June 25-26, 2016 race, conducted by ultralive.net.

All runners have to go through check-in the day before the race in Squaw Valley and the survey team was positioned at the entrance of the check-in. Participation was completely voluntary and 94% of starters took some extra time to answer the questions. And we were able to correlate the data to finish times to make the analysis even more interesting.

Here are the surveys from 2014 and 2015.

Survey Questions

The runners were asked the following questions:

Number of 100’s completed
Number of years running ultras
Will they use a crew?
Will they use a pacer?
Did they attend the Memorial weekend training camp
Shoe brand
Sock brand
Pack Type
Lighting system
Did they pay for coaching services?

For 2016 edition of the WSER, there were 353 official starters, 280 finishers (79.3%) in under 30 hours, and 102 finishing (28.9%) under 24 hours for the coveted Silver Buckle.

The survey had 351 participants and all of the sub 24 hour finishers are included in the survey. A total of 277 of the 280 finshers (99%) are in the survey.

Note: All graphs show numbers related to runners who participated in the survey and finished the race. DNS and DNF are not included in the final graphs.

Finish Hour

For sub 24 hour finishers, 30 out of 102 (29.4%) finished in the 23rd hour of the race to get a silver buckle. In the last two hours of the race, there were 113 (40%) finishers. The busiest times on the track are between 4-5 AM and 9-11 AM on Sunday morning. The graphs show the distribution of finishers by hour (15 hours to 29 hours). The first graph shows the average number of years running ultras compared to finishing time. The data implies that the number of years of experience does not correlate to a faster or slower finish time. The second graph shows the number of runners utilizing a crew or pacer compared to finishing time. Of the survey participants, 25 finished without a crew and 36 finished without a pacer. And 17 hardcore participants finished without a crew and pacer (NCNP). And finally, 4 of the 17 NCNP earned a Silver Buckle.

Shoes

For the third year in a row Hoka was the dominant shoe for all finishers regardless of the group. Altra is now a strong second shoe of choice regardless of the finish time. Brooks fell to third most popular shoe with the overall finishers. Some runners did plan to change shoes during the race and may have changed to a different brand, but the data reflects only the brand that they started the race wearing.

Socks

Injinji was the clear choice again for all finishers. Drymax’s popularity increased since last year though it still remained a close second in both groups.

Paid Coaching Services

There was a slight increase in the number of athletes using coaching services but it is still a relatively low percentage of the finishers. Maybe because a lot of the coaches actually ran the race this year. Or ultrarunners are an independent bunch and don’t like a training schedule. The percentage was nearly identical to last year (2015 – 17.2%)

Although most of the data presented here reflects only finishers, it is interesting to include that of all starters, 40% used a coaching service.

Memorial Weekend Training Camp

The training camp held on Memorial Weekend was well attended by both types of finishers and both groups had nearly identical percentages. While previewing the course definitely helps it is not required to finish the race.

Lighting

For the second year in a row, Petzl was the favorite light brand for runners finishing the race.

This year only first place finisher Andrew Miller (sub 16 hours) ran without the assistance of a light as compared to 5 in 2015.

Packs

Ultimate Direction dominated again as the choice of pack for both sub 24 hour and overall finishers. For the faster runners (sub 24), the Salomon pack was second favorite and Nathan was third. This order flip-flopped for the overall finishers.

Handhelds: many runners did not carry a pack. 32% of the sub 24 hour finishers preferred this method. Only 19% of the overall finishers used handheld bottles.

Data Accuracy

353 runners started the 2016 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
Ultralive.net team surveyed a majority of those runners through the registration process at Squaw
Final survey reflects N = 351 athletes though individual questions may vary if athlete did not answer or know answer
All graphs reflect data from the group of athletes who completed the race (277 of the 280 finishers completed the survey)

Credits

The team would like to thank all of the runners who took time to talk with us and answer these questions.

Many thanks to the ultralive.net survey team: Kara Teklinski, Emily Yu and Jessi Goldstein.

Analysis by Kara Teklinski and Ted Knudsen.

Craig In General Interest, Race News

Western States is Now Cup-Free

This year WSER is dumping the cup. In other words, aid stations will no longer provide cups for drinking. Instead, runners and pacers will need to carry their own cups, or better yet simply rely on their water bottles or hydration packs in order to drink beverages at the aid stations. Collapsible cups will be available at the WSER store for runners who may wish to purchase one before the race.

Our new cupless initiative is just one small step in our continuing effort to adopt more sustainable event practices. It will keep an estimated 21,000 disposable cups out of the waste stream and save the race approximately $900 in operation expenses each year.

WSER is also continuing to partner with Placer County and members of the Placer High School Music Boosters to recycle as much as we can. Special containers will be placed at all aid stations and throughout the finish line area to collect aluminum and plastic beverage containers, which the Boosters redeem to support student participation in Placer High School’s various music programs.

The remainder of our race’s garbage is processed through Placer County’s One Big Bin recycling program. Placer is one of only six counties in California that operates a mixed waste Materials Recovery Facility also known as a dirty MRF which functions to separate recyclable materials from the waste stream. The MRF has enabled the county to achieve a 100% participation rate in its recycling program, and successfully diverts up to 50% of the overall materials it collects from our landfill.

Craig In General Interest, Race News

Updated Performance Rule 18 (PEDS)

For the past several months, the community of ultra runners has been actively engaged in a dialogue regarding the place of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the sport of ultrarunning. The question of how to keep ultrarunning a clean and drug-free sport is one of the defining issues in our sport today. In an effort to address this issue, the members of the Western States Endurance Run Foundation Board of Trustees today voted unanimously to adopt the following new performance rule, now known as “Performance Rule 18.”

Performance Rule 18 reads:

“The Western States Endurance Run has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Any athlete who has been determined to have violated anti-doping rules or policies, whether enforced by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), or any other national sports federation is ineligible for entry into the Western States Endurance Run.

“The Western States Endurance Run reserves the right to conduct pre- and post-competition testing for any and all performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) listed on the current WADA Prohibited List. Any athlete who refuses to submit to anti-doping controls, if selected for testing, shall be disqualified and subject to a lifetime ban from the Western States Endurance Run.”

Craig In Race News

2016 Lottery Statistics

Last updated: November 26, 2015 at 19:11 pm

There are 3510 applicants entered in the December 5, 2015 lottery for the 43rd running of the Western States Endurance Run on June 25-26, 2016 (a.k.a. the 2016 Lottery). This is a 37% increase from the previous year. Recall that we tightened the qualifying standards beginning with the 2015 lottery and saw a slight reduction of applicants.

As described on our lottery page, 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 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 consecutive 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, 5th year = 16 tickets, 6th year = 32 tickets, 7th year = 64 tickets. 2010 was the first year we started accumulating tickets so maximum number of years for the 2016 lottery is 7, or 64 tickets.

Here is final list of 2016 lottery applicants and the pdf of the tickets that will go into the barrel.

We expect to draw 270 unique names, and have calculated the probabilities of being selected as follows:

5 folks with 64 tickets, each has a 90.8% chance of getting drawn (4.5 estimated to be drawn)
14 folks with 32 tickets, each has a 69.7% chance of getting drawn (9.8)
71 folks with 16 tickets, each has a 44.9% chance of getting drawn (31.9)
171 folks with 8 tickets, each has a 25.8% chance of getting drawn (44.1)
377 folks with 4 tickets, each has a 13.8% chance of getting drawn (52.2)
639 folks with 2 tickets, each has a 7.2% chance of getting drawn (45.9)
2233 folks with 1 ticket, each has a 3.6% chance of getting drawn (81.6)

2016 Lottery Monte Carlo Simulation

The lottery will take place at the Placer HS auditorium, in Auburn, CA. We will begin introductions a little before 8:30 a.m. PST and then begin drawing names shortly thereafter. We expect to be done by 11 a.m.

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

Good luck to everyone.

Craig In General Interest, Race News

Altra Named Exclusive Footwear Sponsor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Craig Thornley, WS 100 race director, rd@wser.org. and
Colleen Logan, VP Marketing, clogan@iconfitness.com

ALTRA NAMED EXCLUSIVE FOOTWEAR SPONSOR OF WESTERN STATES 100

The world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail race announces partnership with Altra Footwear

AUBURN, Calif. – Altra Footwear has been named the exclusive footwear sponsor of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Western States 100 President John Medinger announced today. Altra is also the sponsor of the Altra 6K Uphill Challenge, beginning at the Western States start line and ending at High Camp. The Challenge takes place at 10 am on Friday, June 24 and is free and open to all.

“Over the course of the past several months, we talked to several footwear companies about their vision for a partnership with our Run,” Medinger said. “It became increasingly apparent, in our discussions with Altra Footwear Co-Founders Jeremy Howlett and Brian Beckstead, that Altra has a compelling vision for a partnership that we feel will immensely benefit our Run, the runners who come from across the globe to run our race, and the Western States community of friends and volunteers who have an incredible personal investment in what we do.

“Altra is a company that is clearly on a rapid and exciting trajectory. They are a company of high ethical grounding that appeals to all ability levels. And, they have a keen eye for where the sport is headed. They really do ‘get’ what we stand for as an organization, and they’ve made it very clear that our partnership will not only benefit our Run, but the sport in general.

“We are incredibly pleased to announce this partnership.”

Altra, which is located in Utah, traces its roots back to the work of founder Golden Harper, Beckstead and Howlett, who began experimenting with a better performing shoe which they named “ZeroDrop™” – the name refers to the lack of differential between the shoe’s heel and forefoot area. The shoe is also known for its distinctive FootShape™ toebox instead of the constrictive V-shaped toe box of virtually every other brand of running shoes.

“Altra Running and Western States Endurance Run are a natural combination, because we are both true pioneers in our respective fields,” said Brian Beckstead, Altra co-founder and VP of sales. “Western States invented the ultra-running race with the first ever 100-mile race in 1974. Altra pioneered running shoe design with a roomy foot-shaped toe box and a zero drop platform.”

Altra’s first – and only – product in their first line of shoes won “Best Debut” by Runner’s World in March 2012 and “Editor’s Pick for Most Innovative” by Competitor magazine in September 2011

When the line expanded to trail running shoes, the Altra Lone Peak was named “Editor’s Choice” by Runner’s World. Most recently, in Spring 2015, the Altra Superior 2.0 trail shoe won Editor’s Choice from both Runner’s World and Trail Runner. In Fall 2015, Altra Lone Peak Neoshell won “Best Weatherproof” from Competitor magazine, “Best Trail Running Shoes of 2015” from Men’s Journal and was selected for the Summer Gear Guide by Outside magazine.

The shoe’s unique Foot-Shaped toe box was an immediate hit with the ultra-running community, who necessarily spend continuous hours on their feet.

At the 2015 Western States 100, Altra shot to third place in the official shoe count at 16% of all finishers and 16% of all sub-24 finishers. In just a little more than 4 years, Altra has catapulted to the third largest trail shoe brand in the Run Specialty channel and now has 3 of the top 10 selling shoes in the industry, according to research from NPD.

“Ultra runners really appreciate Altra’s FootShape Toebox. It allows your toes to spread out which provides a relaxing comfortable place for your feet to be and provides a stable base over rocky terrain. At Mile 87 it’s particularly effective!” said Beckstead, who completed UTMB, Ultra Trail Mount Blanc in August in Chamonix, then two weeks later ran the Wasatch 100 in less than 30 hours.

The Western States 100-Mile Endurance run, first held in 1974, is the world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail run. Held on the last weekend in June in Squaw Valley, Calif., Western States brings together runners from around the globe and from all 50 states for what is considered the world’s most competitive 100-mile race.

Craig In General Interest, Surveys

2015 Runner Survey Results

Here are the results of the independent WSER Runner Survey from the June 27-28, 2015 race, conducted by ultralive.net.

All runners have to go through check-in the day before the race in Squaw Valley and the survey team was positioned at the entrance of the check-in. Participation was completely voluntary and 94% of starters took some extra time to answer the 10 questions. We were able to correlate the data to finish times to make the analysis even more interesting.