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WSER and COVID-19

To the Western States community,

We continue to understand and share the concerns of people throughout the world regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and remain committed to your health and well-being.

We recognize that the situation is dynamic and evolves each day, with new information and understanding that informs the health and safety protocols issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Placer County Public Health. To the greatest extent possible, Western States will be implementing preventive measures and controls to ensure the health and safety of our runners, race volunteers, crew members and spectators. We continue to review and adapt our planning strategies as more is learned every day. All decisions regarding our event will be made in concert with advice and input from our partners in the health community, most notably Placer County Public Health and the State of California.

We do not anticipate cancelling or postponing our event at this time.

Since the situation is so dynamic, however, we will continue to regularly evaluate this decision based upon what the scientific community learns about coronavirus and what public health officials believe to be in the best interest of the communities they serve.

This is a challenging time for all of us. Perhaps the most important challenge of them all is to keep yourself and those around you healthy. We ask that you follow the protocols and information that are presented through the CDC’s website regarding good hygiene, travel abroad restrictions and what to do if you feel you are experiencing coronavirus symptoms.

Thank you for your support of Western States.

Sincerely,
The Western States Board of Trustees

Posted in General Interest, Race News, WSER Foundation | on: March 10th, 2020 by Craig | Comments Off on WSER and COVID-19

2020 Lottery Statistics

Last updated: December 6, 2019 at 10:59 am

The 2020 race lottery will be held on December 7, 2019 in front of a live audience at the Placer High School auditorium in Auburn, CA beginning at 8:30 a.m. PST. We expect to be done by 11:00 a.m. As names are pulled from the hat, they will be posted at https://www.ultralive.net/lottery as close to real-time as possible. There will also be a live video feed on our Facebook Page.

Demand for the race continues to grow. We have a record 6666 applicants entered in the 2020 race lottery — an increase of nearly 14% over the 5862 applicants for the 2019 race.

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 ONE ONE 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, and so on. The maximum number of years for the 2020 lottery is 8 years or 128 tickets.

You can view the 2020 applicants and their ticket counts. Applicants have until December 5 to notify us of any discrepancies. Here is the pdf of the tickets that will be printed, cut and then put into the barrel.

Beginning with the 2019 Lottery we introduced two different byes, or ways to sit out a lottery and not lose ticket counts. The generic One-Time Bye can be used by anybody for any reason as long as they have tickets to carry forward. This can only be used once in a lifetime and is only a one-year reprieve. The Pregnancy Lottery Deferral allows women with accrued lottery tickets who are pregnant or give birth during the qualifying period to re-enter either of the next two lotteries and maintain their consecutive lottery status. There is no limit to the number of times this can be used. Here are the lists of 2020 and 2019 Lottery Bye Declarations.

As we began in 2017, we are using a wait list model instead of overbooking like we had for decades to get the target 369 starters which is the number we are legally allowed to run through the Granite Chief Wilderness. 102 of those 369 are automatic entrants. 264 will be drawn in the lottery. The final three entrants to get to 369 will be drawn from those in the audience. We will also draw an additional 50 names for the ordered wait list. The probabilities of being selected as one of the 264 in the lottery or 50 on the wait list (314) are as follows:

  • 9 runners with 128 tickets, each has a 80.4% chance of getting drawn
  • 54 runners with 64 tickets, each has a 55.8% chance of getting drawn
  • 126 runners with 32 tickets, each has a 33.5% chance of getting drawn
  • 315 runners with 16 tickets, each has a 18.5% chance of getting drawn
  • 549 runners with 8 tickets, each has a 9.7% chance of getting drawn
  • 914 runners with 4 tickets, each has a 5.0% chance of getting drawn
  • 1447 runners with 2 tickets, each has a 2.5% chance of getting drawn
  • 3250 runners with 1 ticket, each has a 1.3% chance of getting drawn

So what are the chances of getting into the race if you are selected for the wait list? In 2019 the last person to get a spot on the starting line was drawn 31st. In 2018 the 36th person on the list got in, in 2017 the 39th person got in. Here is data for the 2019, 2018 and 2017 wait lists including when each runner was offered a spot.

Good luck to all.

Posted in General Interest, Race News | on: November 29th, 2019 by Craig | Comments Off on 2020 Lottery Statistics

HOKA ONE ONE NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WESTERN STATES CONTACT: Craig Thornley, WS 100 race director, rd@wser.org.

HOKA ONE ONE CONTACT: Gordon Wright, Outside PR, gordon@outsidepr.com

HOKA ONE ONE NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR OF WESTERN STATES 100

The world’s oldest 100-mile trail race announces presenting sponsorship agreement with HOKA ONE ONE®, including “Golden Ticket” races

AUBURN, Calif. – HOKA ONE ONE® has been named the presenting sponsor of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, WSER President John Medinger announced.

“As one of the leading premium running brands in the world, HOKA has a recognized place in our sport as an innovative voice for competitors of all abilities,” Medinger said. “In the past few years, HOKA has shown what a tremendous reach it has not only for trail runners, but in telling the human stories that are so integral to the heartbeat of our sport.”

“Every year part of Western States’ job is to provide the canvas that will help tell 369 individual stories. Our partnership with HOKA will unquestionably help us bring those 369 stories into greater focus.”

Added race director Craig Thornley: “We are extremely excited that HOKA has made such a strong commitment to our mission as an organization, which is to serve the ultra community as one of the thoughtful leaders in our sport and culminates each June with putting on the highest-quality, yet intimate 100-mile experience we can possibly present for all of our runners. As we visited with HOKA, it was clear that our historic mission clearly resonated with their values as well. This is an agreement that is going to greatly benefit the experiences of our runners.”

“HOKA was born in the mountains and gained an early foothold in the trail ultrarunning community, so it is only natural that we would help put on the original trail 100-mile race,” said Mike McManus, Director of Global Sports Marketing for HOKA ONE ONE. “The Western States Endurance Run is an iconic event with an incredible community behind it, and one where some of the best-known legends of ultrarunning are born. We are beyond thrilled and proud to be the presenting sponsor.”

Also as part of the agreement, the traditional “Golden Ticket” series of races will be re-branded the “HOKA ONE ONE Golden Ticket Races.” The series, which allows the top two female and male finishers in each race to gain entry to that year’s Western States, for 2020 will consist of January’s Bandera 100K in Bandera, Texas; February’s Black Canyon 100K in Spring Valley, Arizona; March’s 74-mile Georgia Death Race in Dawsonville, Georgia; April’s Lake Sonoma 50-miler in Lake Sonoma, California and The Canyons 100K in Foresthill, California.

ABOUT THE WESTERN STATES 100-MILE ENDURANCE RUN: The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, first held in 1974, is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail run. Held on the last weekend in June in Olympic Valley, Calif., Western States brings together runners from across the globe and from all 50 states on an iconic trail through the historic California Gold Country for what is considered the country’s most competitive 100-mile trail race.

About HOKA ONE ONE® 

HOKA ONE ONE® produces premium performance footwear for athletes of all types. Born in the mountains, HOKA ONE ONE shoes were initially distinguished by their oversized midsoles; today they are designed with the same enhanced cushioning, inherent stability and problem-solving inspiration to meet the running, walking, fitness and outdoor needs of a wide variety of users. With a bold and often unexpected approach, HOKA ONE ONE empowers athletes of all levels to feel like they can fly. For more information, visit hokaoneone.com or follow @hokaoneone #timetofly.

Posted in General Interest, Race News, WSER Foundation | on: October 30th, 2019 by Craig | Comments Off on HOKA ONE ONE NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR

2019 Runner Survey Results

Here are the results of the independent Western States Endurance Run (WSER) Runner Survey from the June 29-30, 2019 race, conducted by ultralive.net.

WSER runner registration takes place in Squaw Valley Friday before race day and 2019 allowed for another year of the ultralive survey team to be in position. Runners are happy to participate while they wait in line for check-in providing us a 94% participation rate of the 369 starters.

Here are the surveys from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Survey Questions

The runners were asked the following questions. Data was recorded by bib number allowing us to correlate the responses to finish times to make the analysis even more interesting. All data however is compiled and reported anonymously:

  • 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
  • Hydration System
  • Pack type/brand
  • Lighting brand
  • Watch brand
  • Did they pay for coaching services?
  • A few questions about lodging for the race to share with host sites

This year’s race saw a new course record and the top 10 men all finishing under 16 hours. Of the 369 starters we saw 319 finishers (86.4%) under 30 hours of which 130 (35.2%) finished under the coveted 24 hour mark for a Silver Buckle.

A total of 296 of the 319 finshers (92.7%) 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 completing the survey, 45 out of 130 (37%) finished in the 23rd hour of the race to get a silver buckle. In the last two hours of the race, there were 90 (30%) finishers. The busiest times on the track are typically between 4-5 AM and 9-11 AM on Sunday morning and 2019 proved no different. The graphs show the distribution of finishers by hour (14 hours to 29 hours).

The cool temperatures in this year’s race definitely attributed to the high finish rate of 86.4%.

Shoes

This is the sixth year Hoka was the most popular shoe (36.1%) for all finishers with Altra staying in second place with 24%. Salomon (9.5%) again was ahead of Brooks (6.8%) which was the second most popular shoe just four years ago (2015). The rankings remained the same for the top 3 most popular shoes with the sub-24 hour finishers as well. We acknowledge some runners did plan to change shoes during the race and may have changed to a different brand so we asked that they provide the brand they planned to start the race wearing.

Socks

Injinji was just barely the favorite over Drymax for the most popular sock choice for finishers. And it was Drymax over Injinji for the sub-24 hour finishers. The “other” category was quite large this year and runners seem to like a large variety of socks.

Paid Coaching Services

More than 30% of the runners use a paid coaching service overall. Sub-24 hour finishers were slightly less likely to use a coach. And it is interesting to see that nearly half of the runners with a DNF used a coaching service.

Memorial Weekend Training Camp

The training camp held on Memorial Weekend is a great weekend to get on the course for those running, supporting or spectating the race. Only a third of the runners in the survey attended the camp. However, attending camp does not seem to decrease the chance of a DNF as 38% of the runners who did not complete the race were at the training camp.

Lighting

Petzl’s remains the favorite light brand for all runners regardless of finish time (sub or over-24 hour) with Black Diamond second again. All the top 10 men completed the race (under 16 hours) and did not require a headlamp!

Hydration System

This was a new question this year and the most popular method is a combination of pack and bottles. Overall half the finishers surveyed used a pack in their hydration system. For sub 24 hour finishers just hand held bottles was the most popular method.

Packs

Salomon was the top choice for all runners (sub 24 and overall) with Ultimate Direction and Nathan in second and third.

Watches

Another new question this year was about what kind of watch (in most cases a GPS watch) would be used. Just the brand was noted and not the model.
Garmin was the most popular watch followed by Suunto. Interesting that many runners chose to run without a watch at all.

Crew and Pacer

The use of a crew and/or pacer are personal preference during a 100-mile race but may be more popular at WS – what are your thoughts? The following chart shows the correlation of using a pacer or crew to finish hour. Crew use is basically 90% regardless of finish time (or DNF).

Special recognition should go to the 12 runners in the survey with no crew and no pacer. Four (4) of them managed to finish in less than 24 hours to earn a well deserved silver buckle.

Data Accuracy

369 runners started the 2019 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 = 346 (93.7%) athletes though individual questions may vary if athlete did not answer or know answer. And also note that this analysis was done by amateur statisticians and inspired by the Ironman “bike survey” in Kona.

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 David Canfield.

Any feedback or insights are welcome!

Posted in General Interest, Race News, Surveys | on: October 6th, 2019 by Craig | Comments Off on 2019 Runner Survey Results

2019 WS Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: John Trent, media relations, (775) 842-4871, press@wser.org

SNOW YEAR? NOT QUITE … AT THE 2019 WESTERN STATES ENDURANCE RUN

Women’s champion Dauwalter and men’s champion Walmsley to defend titles against talented fields

The talk since the beginning of 2019 has been whether or not the Western States Endurance Run would be dramatically impacted by what seemed to be an endless Sierra winter. Although snow levels reached as much as 188 percent of normal earlier this spring, Race Director Craig Thornley reported earlier this week that the 46th running of the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race would not be using a re-routed or altered “snow course.” In fact, Thornley said, much of the snow from May had receded considerably for this year’s event, which starts on Saturday at 5 a.m. in Squaw Valley, Calif. The 100.2-mile event finishes at Placer High School in Auburn.

“There will be snow on the course, but the impact is going to be minimal compared to the way things looked during our Memorial Day Weekend training runs,” Thornley said. “We’ve had years where the snow was continuous for the first 25 to 30 miles of the course. That definitely won’t be the case this year.”

Based on reports from last weekend’s final trail maintenance work party, runners will encounter snow approximately four miles into the course for two miles, then in intermittent patches through Robinson Flat aid station at mile 30. Other than that, Thornley said the course is in “excellent” shape. Given a weather forecast that looks favorable on Saturday  – the National Weather Service is calling for a high of 78 for the 62-mile mark in Foresthill, California – this year’s race is shaping up to highly competitive.

“Both fields are deep, talented and should be exciting to watch,” Thornley said, noting that both men’s course record holder, 2018 champion Jim Walmsley of Flagstaff, Ariz., as well as 2018 women’s champion, Courtney Dauwalter of Golden, Colo., are back to defend their titles. “Jim and Courtney are running really well,” Thornley said, alluding to the world record for 50 miles on the roads Walmsley set earlier this spring in Sacramento, as well as Dauwalter’s dominant win at the Tarawera 100K in New Zealand in February. “Jim and Courtney are going to be challenged by a number of really talented runners from around the world, though. It should be a great race.”

Other top female entrants include 2018 runner-up, Kaytlyn Gerbin, of Issaquah, Wash., as well as third-place women’s finisher Lucy Bartholomew, of Melbourne, Australia, and fourth-place finisher Amanda Basham of North Logan, Utah. 2018 men’s third-place finisher Mark Hammond of Millcreek, Utah, along with fourth-place finisher Ian Sharman of Bend, Ore. (shooting for his 10th straight Top-10 finish) and fifth-place finisher and 2018 Hardrock 100 champion Jeff Browning of Logan, Utah, lead the men’s contenders.

This year’s Race will be one of the more internationally flavored events in recent memory, with 80 foreign-born entrants from more than 25 countries.

WSER will also feature a runner who is visually impaired, Kyle Robidoux, from Roxbury, Mass., as well as an amputee runner, Dave Mackey, of Boulder, Colo., who finished second overall in 2004 to Scott Jurek. Mackey will be vying to become the first amputee athlete to finish the race since Amy Palmiero Winters in 2010. Scott Mills, 68, of Oceanside, California, will attempt to become just the seventh runner in Western States history to finish the race 20 times or more.

2019 WSER will also feature a rare finish line scene. Due to Placer High School football field artificial turf installation, the iconic finish on the Placer High track will be run in a reverse direction. Runners will enter the LeFebvre Stadium gates and then run their final 250 meters on the track in a clockwise direction, which is a different direction than past years. Race organizers will utilize a large grassy area west of the traditional finish line for all Race activities, operations, and camping.

WHAT: 46th running of the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run

WHEN: Saturday, June 29, 5 a.m. start at Squaw Valley, Calif., finish at Placer High School, Auburn, Calif. Western States Endurance Run: https://www.wser.org

Posted in General Interest, Race News | on: June 26th, 2019 by Craig | Comments Off on 2019 WS Press Release