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Granite Chief Land Purchase Completed

With escrow closed, 10,000-acre purchase area near Granite Chief Wilderness opens to public, preserving Tevis and Western States events on historic Western States Trail

 AUBURN, Calif. – A year-long fundraising and negotiating effort to help the American River Conservancy purchase a strategically vital 10,000-acre parcel for public use has been completed, the Western States Trail Foundation and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Foundation announced on Tuesday. Escrow for the $11 million purchase of old-growth forest and mountain meadows near Granite Chief Wilderness and the Western States Trail closed late last week.

“Both of our boards are extremely pleased that this acquisition has been finalized,” Western States Trail Foundation president Tony Benedetti and Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Foundation president John Trent said in a joint statement. “Opening the entire 100 miles of the Western States Trail to hikers, runners and equestrians has been one of the overriding goals of this effort. Now that this 10,000-acre area has been acquired by the ARC and is no longer a private holding, the public is the clear winner. Both the Tevis Cup 100-Mile Ride and the Western States 100-Mile Run will now have perpetual guaranteed access to the last privately-held section of the Western States Trail, ensuring no disruption for the future of either event. In addition, the acquisition now enables the United States Forest Service to complete its National Trail designation for the Western States Trail.”

The ARC, of Coloma, Calif., having partnered with Northern Sierra Partnership of Palo Alto, Calif., and the Nature Conservancy earlier this year, was able to reach its fundraising goal of $11 million in late July. Through fundraising and matching efforts of their own, the Western States Trail Foundation ($250,000) and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Foundation ($100,000) contributed to the ARC’s total.

“We are so appreciative for the generosity the Ride and Run communities have shown over the past year,” Benedetti and Trent said jointly. “Our stakeholders have recognized the importance of this project. They’ve stepped up to the plate with donations, and with their overwhelming support in making sure we were able to cross the finish line for this project. It’s been quite an effort over the past year to organize, to raise money, and to make sure that the interests of our stakeholders were well-represented throughout the entire process.”

The 10,000 acres, located immediately west of Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley, Calif., had been previously owned by a timber investment firm. It includes 1,200 acres of mountain meadow and is considered a vital part of the State and Federal water delivery system to 23 million Californians. The area includes four “blue-ribbon” trout streams and three popular trails, including the hiking/running and equestrian trail used by the Tevis Cup and Western States 100 events, as well as the Picayune Valley Trail.

Western States Trail Foundation

Western States Endurance Run

 

 

 

In Memoriam: Ruth Anne Bortz

Ruth Anne Bortz was more than just a runner, though her age-group accomplishments made her one of the country’s finest competitors throughout the final three decades of her life. She was a mother of four, grandmother of nine, and wife to Dr. Walter “Wally” Bortz for 62 years.

And, as was evident for more than 30 years, she and Walter were the drivers – the graceful symbols of aging gracefully – behind the oldest female and male finisher awards presented each year following completion of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

Ruth Anne, 84, with Wally presented the oldest finishers’ awards three weeks ago at Western States’ annual ceremony. She passed away on July 14 at her Portola Valley, Calif., home.

Ruth Anne, Wally, and Gunhild Swanson at the finish of WS.

Ruth Anne, Wally, and Gunhild Swanson at the finish of WS.

She was remembered by longtime Western States board members Mo Livermore and Tony Rossmann as a kind and gentle woman who, despite her 5-foot-2, 100-pound frame, was also a strong, determined runner.

Her Western States legacy, both Rossmann and Livermore agreed, was the pioneering path Ruth Anne blazed, both as a competitor and as inspiration for runners of all ages who run Western States.

“Ruth Anne was an extraordinary presence throughout her life,” Livermore said, noting that Bortz’s 1986 finish at age 56 in the time of 24:34 was one of the Run’s age group highlights. At the time, Bortz became only one of a handful of women over the age of 50 to ever finish the Run. “Ruth Anne’s buckle at Western States meant a great deal to her; the awards, which she and Wally have provided to the oldest finishers over three decades and have served as inspiration to the larger running community, seemed to mean even more. The Bortzes’ loyalty to the WSER has been constant, and the event has been enriched by their enthusiasm.”

Added Rossmann: “Ruth Anne embodies the Western States spirit to us all, and especially to me, who was privileged to train with her in that magical spring and summer of 1986, camping out in Foresthill before the first official Western States official training camps and runs. Although she ended her 1986 campaign as one of the then-oldest women to finish our race, and darned close to the sub-24-hour mark, she was still a young college kid at heart. Her vibrant spirit enriched her marriage to Wally, and enriched us all. We are grateful that Wally will continue to present their awards in the years ahead.”

Ruth Anne excelled at an early age. She grew up in Boston and was a star athlete and president of student government at the Brimmer and May Schools. She was a 1952 graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, marrying Walter Borz in 1953.

The two had met at summer school at Harvard.

Walter Bortz, a world-renowned physician whose research and writing has appeared in all of the major health and medical journals as well as the mainstream media and whose professional mantra has been to dare all to live past 100, wrote in a Huffington Post essay published on July 18 of the couple’s meeting: “We met during college days, summer 1949. I after my second year at Williams, and she after her first year at Mt. Holyoke. We met at Harvard Summer School, romanced, and were affiliated for the next 65 years. Such an experience is for few to experience.”

Added Livermore: “Theirs was a great, lifelong love affair.”

Bortz recalled that his wife, after raising the couple’s children, became enamored with running during the first significant boom of popularity for the sport in the late 1970s. Ruth Anne was 48 years old, and running, her husband recalled warmly, “became the bastion of her life.”

Ruth Anne and Wally ran races all across the globe over the next 30-plus years. Ruth Anne was a first-place age-group finisher at age 60 at the Boston Marathon, and again at age 70, and was the second at age 80.

She was a two-time finisher of Western States; her first finish came in 1984 when she ran 28:11.

In his Huffington Post essay, Wally wrote candidly about Ruth Anne’s ascendancy in the world of running.

“I had begun running as a grief reaction to dad’s death several years before,” he wrote. “She did not really accept my running, and figured that at my age it was not decent to be running around the neighborhood in my underpants. She felt it was inappropriate for a distinguished gray-haired physician to be so much on display. But she became infected with the running bug, and my little, sweet, retiring wife became committed. ‘You can’t do that!’ ‘WATCH!’”

After the couple’s son, Walter III, had finished Western States, it was only a matter of time, the elder Bortz said, before his wife found her way to the starting line at Squaw Valley as well.

“In a flash, it seems, Ruth Anne and we were gathered at the starting line, under the chairlift at Squaw Valley ready to run to Auburn, 100 miles over the mountains,” Wally Bortz wrote. “‘You can’t do that.’ ‘Watch.’ In 1986, at the age of 56 she completed the 100 miles in 24 hours and 34 minutes – truly unreal for my tiny Boston-born bride. Her feats were widely celebrated in the major women’s magazines and every local news outlet – Ruth Anne Bortz, famous long distance runner. MY WIFE.”

In a recent conversation, Wally recalled to friends how much he enjoyed watching his wife run. He said she had the most “lovely” stride – a little knock-kneed, “almost like a fawn” but also determined and efficient.

“Watching her run was one of the great pleasures of my life,” he said. “She was so damn good at it. And she made it look so easy. It was truly lovely to watch her run, to listen to her talk about her training, to help her prepare for her next race. Finishing Western States was one of those milestones that was remarkable – remarkable for Ruth Anne, remarkable for our family, and remarkable for me, too, to see my wife do something that few people in the world can do. From age 48 on, she was the star athlete in our family – and she deserved every accolade she got.”

Bortz added in his essay: “She made her mark, and in so doing gave vivid evidence of the human potential, my mantra.”

Ruth Anne is survived by her husband, Walter; by her daughters Danna Breen of Portola Valley and Gretchen Lieff of Montecito, California; sons Edward Bortz of Portland, Oregon, and Walter Bortz of Ukiah, California; her sister Joan Bryson of Weston, Massachusetts; and nine grandchildren. In lieu of a memorial, Wally Bortz plans to assemble Ruth Anne’s friends and admirers for a group run near their Portola Valley home.

2015 Race Recap

2015 Western States 100, June 27-28, 2015

Krar repeats, Boulet makes smashing debut … but Swanson steals the show 371 starters and 254 finishers – 68.5%

Rob Krar defended the men’s title with one of the most memorable runs on record, finishing in 14:48:59 after breaking the race open with a dramatic move from Michigan Bluff. Krar was only two minutes behind Timothy Olson’s course record on a day when temperatures were warm from the start and reached well into the 90s at the river crossing. Magdalena Boulet, 41, of Oakland, Calif., and a 2008 U.S. Olympic marathoner, rebounded from a wrong turn not long after the Robinson Flat aid station to win the women’s race in her WS 100 debut in 19:05. And yet, it was the Run’s final moments that captured the attention of all. First, with a little less than four minutes to spare before the 30-hour cutoff, the Run’s youngest female finisher, Katie Trent, 22, of Reno, Nev., finished. Youth had been served, but age had yet to be fully recognized. Gunhild Swanson, 70, of Spokane Valley, Wash., was vying to become the first over-70 female to ever finish the race. Swanson, who was joined over the final mile by several friends and supporters, including Krar, who had run stride-for-stride with Swanson in his flip-flops once Swanson had cleared the final Robie Point aid station, entered the track with a little less than two minutes to spare. The sun-baked Placer High crowd then rose to its feet as Swanson had less than 50 meters to go. With the fevered cheering of the crowd reaching an absolute, chaotic and magical crescendo, Swanson determinedly rushed across the finish line in the history-making, age-defying time of 29:59:54, which then sent the crowd into utter pandemonium. The race’s 254th and final finisher had not only made race history, she had stolen the show in what observer called, “our finest hour … ever.”

Full Results

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More Videos

WSER Sponsor Profile: Julbo Eyewear

A favorite of the running community, Julbo Eyewear is synonymous with mountain running. We caught up with runner, climber and CEO of Julbo USA, Nick Yardley in the days leading up to this year’s race.

Julbo has been a sponsor of the WSER for years. Why keep coming back? What about the race compels the brand to be involved?

2015 will be our 3rd year sponsoring the WSER and it started for us after I ran the race in 2012 (finished in 22:56), When I crossed that finish line I just knew that Julbo needed to be part of this wonderful event moving forward; it was one of the most profound and rewarding days of my life. As the granddaddy of all Ultras in the US, the WSER draws an incredibly talented field of top athletes and has a bigger atmosphere than other races. It remains THE race that those new or old to the sport aspire to completing.

The event itself has a wonderful feel, mixing history, welcoming volunteers, great organization, positive energy and terrific scenery. Even the toughest soul will feel the emotion welling up some time over the weekend and the need to shed a tear.

NickWSER2012

Nick Yardley at WSER in 2012

You went from mountaineer to ultra runner, talk about the similarities in mountain culture that push each scene and how that culture is present at WSER.

While it may be hard for many who have never climbed to believe, at the core of both sports there is an incredible connection and similarity. The type of climbing I love most is alpine climbing, moving fast and light over mountainous terrain, often for many hours or even days at a time, seeking the zone where mind and body work as one and all else has no meaning.

Ultra running is really the same thing, it’s a beautifully simple sport and the goal is to move light and efficiently through wild terrain in search of that zen spot. As I had less and less time to climb, I needed another outlet. I knew I could suffer for a long time if needed so ultra running seemed like a great opportunity to explore and I’m still at a loss for words at all the wonderful experience and incredible folks the sport has brought me into contact with.

Who are the heavy hitting Julbo athletes taking on WSER? Any race favorites?

Well all the Julbo athletes are my favorites! We are extremely lucky to have some of the very finest athletes in the sport wearing our glasses, I’m going to be rooting hard and loud for every single one and see them all as real contenders.

The well-known names to look out for though are Rob Krar, Stephanie Howe, Ian Sharman, Gina Lucrezi, Dylan Bowman, Denise Bourassa, and Mike Wardian.

Julbo pushes the technical aspect of product. Anything this year that’s tailor made for the WSER?

It looks like it’s going to be a mother of a hot race this year, sun protection is going to be really key to success. Runners are going to be wanting well vented glasses with lenses that they can wear slogging up the escarpment at the start of the race and down the through the heat of the canyons where you’re constantly popping in and out of the shade I think the Zebra lens is likely to be the model most popular in the Venturi frame – but I do know some folks will be cruising in their vintage Megeve’s and getting style points.

Anything to add?

As a running community we’re lucky to have such a great event to aspire to. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Craig Thornley (RD) the board and all the volunteers that make it possible.
Julbo_2012

Jerry Gordon 1937-2015

Jerry Gordon, Michigan Bluff aid station captain, passes away at age 78

Jerry Gordon, for 25 years the aid station captain at Michigan Bluff, passed away on June 21. He was 78.

For many, Jerry will be remembered for the wit, wisdom and warmth he provided at the Michigan Bluff aid station from 1983-2007.

jerry

Jerry and Norma Gordon

John Medinger, Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees member and past president, recalled on Monday Jerry’s smile and sense of humor whenever the two men crossed paths.

“We were always very jocular with each other,” Medinger said. “For the several years I was president of Western States, I would usually go to Michigan Bluff during the race. Jerry would invariably come up to me and say, ‘I hope you’re not here to tell me what to do. This is my aid station. I’m in charge here.’ And I would always respond, ‘Don’t kid yourself, Jerry. Norma (Jerry’s wife) is in charge here.’”

Medinger added: “There would be laughter all around, much clapping on shoulders. It was so predictable that I’d see him sometimes on training runs from the Bluff and ask him if he was in charge today and, if so, was it ok if I ran to Last Chance and back? … Jerry was simply a great guy. He loved Western States, everything about it, everyone involved in it.”

Outpouring of sentiment regarding Jerry’s passing was heartfelt on social media, as dozens of his friends and acquaintances – many of them from past Western States – recalled how his presence at Michigan Bluff made a profound difference for them.

Fourteen-time Western States women’s champion Ann Trason wrote:

“Sadly, Jerry Gordon (Aid Station Co-captain) of Michigan Bluff Aid Station for over 25 years, passed away today. He was born May 28th, 1937. Proud father, Grandfather and great Grandfather, husband of Norma Gordon and wonderful friend to so many runners of the Western States Run and Trail. Built his home himself, at Michigan Bluff, over 25 years ago. … You will be missed Jerry, and thank you for your support the 16 years I passed through Michigan Bluff during the race and for those last 10 years, you were my neighbor.”

Craig Thornley, race director of Western States who, along with a group of runners from Oregon and northern California trained and vacationed at Michigan Bluff for many years, remembered the painstaking attention to detail that Jerry brought to his duties at Michigan Bluf: “One story I remember him telling us was that he had figured out the perfect soup for the aid station was ‘Campbell’s Chicken and Stars’ because the noodles were small enough that runners could actually drink the soup from a cup. The longer noodles required a spoon or were otherwise too difficult to drink. Jerry was a big joke-teller, too. He was a great guy. We are really going to miss seeing him at Michigan Bluff on race day. For many of the runners who go out on training weekends in the winter and spring and pass through Michigan Bluff, I know the experience without seeing Jerry there will never quite be the same again. He helped all runners, all the time. He always loved talking to the people who were out on the Trail.”

Details regarding a memorial service and other next of kin are still forthcoming. Trason said she will have a card for Norma and Jerry’s family for all members of the WS community to sign at Squaw Valley this week, available at the UltraRunning tent. She will also have a card at Michigan Bluff for all to sign at Michigan Bluff on race day.

Jerry Gordon at Michigan Bluff

2015 Ultra-Trail World Tour Press Conference

MEDIA ALERT

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

WESTERN STATES 100, ULTRA-TRAIL WORLD TOUR, TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE, FRIDAY, JUNE 26

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AUBURN, Calif. – Media are invited to attend a joint press conference, sponsored by the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and representatives of the Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) on Friday, June, 26 in Squaw Valley, Calif.

The event will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be held at the Squaw Valley Conference Center.

Several of the world’s finest ultra runners, along with representatives from the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, UTWT, and WS 100 Presenting Sponsor Montrail will be on hand to discuss this year’s Western States 100-Miler, the UTWT, and the future of the UTWT — series of 11 races held throughout the world with rankings for runners of all abilities who finish the races. Topher Gaylord, President of Mountain Hardwear, Inc., and a longtime WS veteran who has been one of the sport’s thought leaders for more than two decades, will lead the proceedings.

Western States is the only North American stop for the UTWT.

WHAT: Press conference, “State of the Sport,” sponsored by WS 100 and UTWT.

WHERE: Squaw Valley Conference Center, Squaw Valley, Calif.

WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Friday, June 26.

2015 WS 100 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WESTERN STATES 100-MILE ENDURANCE RUN FEATURES STELLAR FIELD FOR 42nd RUNNING

The world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail race returns defending men’s champion Krar and women’s champion Howe

The top trail runners in the world, including defending men’s champion Rob Krar and defending women’s champion Stephanie Howe, will embark on the 42nd running of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, June 27-28.

Western States is the world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail run. The race features a field of more than 360 entrants from more than 30 countries, and more than 40 states. Runners start from Squaw Valley, Calif., the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. They climb and descend about 40,000 feet through the alpine beauty of the Granite Chief Wilderness and the deep, equally picturesque, yet infernal canyons of the historic California Gold Country, then cross the Middle Fork of the American River before finishing at Placer High School in Auburn, Calif. The 100.2-mile race has a 30-hour time limit.

Krar, 38, of Flagstaff, Ariz., ran one of the more memorable races in race history last year. After breaking open the men’s race with a record-setting split time of 2 hours, 3 minutes on the critical 16-mile Cal Street section from Foresthill, Calif., at mile 62 to the mile 78 mark at the Ruck-A-Chuck river crossing, he finished in 14:53 – only seven minutes off Timothy Olson’s 2012 course record.

Howe, 31, of Bend, Ore., took the lead in the women’s race shortly after the 30-mile mark and ran to a commanding victory. Her 18:01 finishing time was the fourth-fastest in race history.

Both Krar and Howe will be pressed by two of the deepest men’s and women’s fields in race history. Nine of the top 10 finishers in last year’s men’s race return; all 10 of the top 10 finishers in the women’s race from 2014 are entered. The men’s returners are led by runner-up Seth Swanson, 36, of Missoula, Mont., who finished in 15:19, and third-place finisher Dylan Bowman, 29, of Mill Valley, Calif., who ran 15:36.

In addition to Howe, past women’s champions entered include 2013 winner Pam Smith, 40, of Salem, Ore.; Nikki Kimball, 44, of Bozeman, Mont., a three-time women’s champion (2004, 2006, 2007); Anita Ortiz, 50, of Eagle, Colo., who won the race in 2009. 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathoner Magdalena Boulet, 41, of Oakland, Calif., will be making her WS 100 debut.

Other runners of note include:

Gordy Ainsleigh, 68, of Meadow Vista, Calif. Ainsleigh , who has finished the race more than 20 times, was the first runner to complete the 100 miles between Squaw Valley and Auburn in 1974 when he joined the horses in the 100-mile Tevis Cup;

Meghan Arbogast, 54, of Cool, Calif., eighth last year and generally considered the finest veteran (over 50 years old) runner in the world;

Gunhild Swanson, 70, of Spokane Valley, Wash., who established the race’s over-60 record in 2005 in 25:40. If Swanson finishes this year, she will become the first over-70 female runner to do so.

“Last year was a pretty remarkable day – we had temperatures that weren’t bad (89 degrees was the high), Rob and Stephanie ran remarkably strong races, and we had 296 finishers, including 129 silver buckles (for sub-24-hour finishes),” race director Craig Thornley said. “This year has the potential to be even better. The men’s race will be exciting with Rob and a host of talented runners running to beat him. And our women’s race may very well go into the books as our deepest and most competitive field ever.”

“We had a relatively dry winter in the high country, so conditions are snow-free and potentially fast. Thanks again to the Montrail Ultra Cup, (which has provided an avenue for qualification for many of sport’s elite runners through a national series of qualification races), there are probably close to a dozen to 15 runners with a legitimate shot at winning either our men’s or women’s race.”

WHAT: 42nd running of the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run

WHEN: Saturday, June 27, 5 a.m. start at Squaw Valley, Calif., finish at Placer High School, Auburn, Calif. More than 360 trail runners from more than 30 countries and more than 40 states to compete.

ARC Granite Chief Fundraising Update

Dear Western States stakeholder,

It has been a few months since our last update regarding the Granite Chief fundraising campaign that Western States embarked upon last fall with the Western States Trail Foundation (“The Tevis Cup”) and the American River Conservancy.

Here is the latest news:

Western States has successfully met its fundraising goal of $50,000. Your contributions, matched by the Western States trustees from our reserves created for purposes just as this most vital one, produces a total Run community support exceeding $100,000. Thanks to all of you for the generosity and interest you’ve shown in this effort. Your support is yet another example of the wonderful community and truly remarkable spirit that envelops all aspects of the WS 100.

According to the American River Conservancy, about $7.5 million of the overall fundraising goal of nearly $11 million needed for the Granite Chief acquisition has been achieved. The project’s deadline (escrow closure with the present owner) has been extended until July 31, which will allow ARC to complete the effort toward its fundraising goal. The ARC is now partnering with the Northern Sierra Partnership, of Palo Alto, Calif., and the Nature Conservancy, to advance the project, which we hope to achieve by the end of July.

On behalf of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees, thank you again for your generosity in helping move this important initiative forward. We will of course continue to keep you advised of further developments.

Sincerely,

John Trent
President
Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees

2014 Runner Survey Results

Here are the results of the independent WSER Runner Survey from the June 28-29, 2014 race, conducted by ultralive.net.

All runners have to go through check-in the day before the race in Squaw Valley and we positioned the survey team at the end of the process: right after the “mug” shot and right in front of the entrance to the Western States store. Participation was very good (93% of starters) and we were able to correlate the data to finish times to make the analysis even more interesting.

Survey Questions

The runners were asked the following questions:

  • Number of 100’s started
  • Number of 100’s completed
  • Number of WSER started
  • Number of WSER completed
  • Number of years running ultras
  • Crew and Crew Size
  • Will they use a pacer?
  • Did they attend the Memorial weekend training camp
  • Shoe/Sock brand
  • Lighting system and brand
  • Hydration system

For 2014 edition of the WSER, there were 376 official starters, 296 finishers (78.7%) in under 30 hours with 129 finishing (34.3%) under 24 hours for the coveted Silver Buckle.

The survey had 352 participants (93% of the entrants) including nearly all of the elite runners. Of the survey participants 276 finished (78.4%) and 116 finished in under 24 hours (32.9%).

Finish Hour

For sub 24 hour finishers, 37 out of 116 (31.8%) finished in the 23rd hour of the race to get a silver buckle. In the last two hours of the race, there were 75 (27.2%) 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 (14 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. Basically everyone uses a crew and pacer and the numbers correlate directly with the number of finishes in a given hour.  Of the survey participants, 22 finished without a crew (7.9%) and 27 finished without a pacer (9.7%). And 10 (3.6%) hardcore participants finished without a crew and pacer.

survey_2014_finish_years

survey_2014_finish_crew_pacer

 

Shoes

Hoka was the dominant shoe for all finishers regardless of the group. Of note, Brooks was a strong second when you look at all finishers but not a big contender for the sub 24 group. Pearl Izumi was in the top 3 for both groups of finishers.

survey_2014_shoes

survey_2014_shoes_24

Socks

Injinji was the clear choice for both the overall and sub 24 groups. Drymax was second in both groups as well. Nearly half the finishers wore these two types of socks.

survey_2014_socks

survey_2014_socks_24

Training Style

Either you don’t need a coach to finish WSER or there is a huge untapped market out there for the coaches. You decide. With or without a coach your chances of a sub-24 and finishing are about the same.

survey_2014_training

survey_2014_training_24

Lighting

Petzl is the clear leader with Black Diamond a strong second. Almost everyone uses some kind of headlamp and about a quarter of the finishers use both a handheld and headlamp.

The first 9 finishers of the race didn’t need a headlamp as it wasn’t dark enough yet. M10 was the first “headlamp” finish.

The winner, Rob Krar, didn’t even pack a headlamp. Go big or go home.

survey_2014_lighting

survey_2014_lighting_24

survey_2014_lighting_brand

survey_2014_lighting_brand_24

Hydration

Bottles are the predominant mode of hydration in the race. Nearly three-quarters of finishers (overall and sub 24) use a bottle. It seems that the hydration belt is definitely out of favor these days when you have such a large selection of hand held bottles and/or hydration packs to choose from for carrying liquids.

survey_2014_hydration

survey_2014_hydration_24

Data Accuracy

  • 376 Runners Started the 2014 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
  • Ultralive.net Team surveyed a majority of those runners through the registration process at Squaw
  • 12 responses were removed due to data capture error (6 bib numbers had two rows of data with different responses, attributed to misreading Excel line number line instead of bib number)
  • Final survey reflects N = 352 athletes though individual questions may vary if athlete did not answer or know answer
  • Most graphs reflect data from the group of athletes who completed the race (276 in the survey finished)

 

Credits

Many thanks to the ultralive.net survey team: Kara Teklinski, Monique Winkler and Dana Katz.

Final statistics compiled by Kara Teklinski and Ted Knudsen.

 

 

2015 Lottery Results

The 2015 Lottery was held in front of a live and remote audience on December 6, 2014 in Auburn, CA. The master of ceremonies was five-time champion, 25-time sub-24 hour finisher, past WSER president and current vice president Tim Twietmeyer.

Tim Twietmeyer, Master of Ceremonies, with Devil's Thumb AS Captain Denis ZIlaff

Tim Twietmeyer, Master of Ceremonies, with Devil’s Thumb AS Captain Denis ZIlaff

As described in my presentation before the drawing, the target for total number of entrants this year is 387: 114 automatics, 270 in the lottery drawing, and 3 in the bonus lottery.

114 Automatics

  • 27 Race Admin (aid stations, trail crew, etc)
  • 25 Montrail Ultra Cup (20 top runners, 5 others)
  • 18 Top Ten Runners from 2014
  • 16 Sponsor slots
  • 11 Raffle Winners
  • 6 UTWT elite foreign athletes
  • 5 Foreign Consideration
  • 2 WSER Trustees
  • 2 Runners going for 10th finish
  • 1 Special Consideration
  • 1 Founder (Gordy)

 

WSER Awards Coordinator Gloria Takagishi Draws Names

WSER Awards Coordinator Gloria Takagishi Draws Names

270 Lottery Drawing

With 2566 entrants and their 6601 tickets, our pre-lottery monte carlo simulations matched closely to what we actually drew.

  • 1427 first year with 1 ticket – predicted 67.7, actual 65
  • 641 second year with 2 tickets – predicted 59.2. actual 55
  • 281 third year with 4 tickets – predicted 49.6, actual 49
  • 136 fourth year with 8 tickets – predicted 43.8, actual 46
  • 57 fifth year with 16 tickets – predicted 30.8, actual 37
  • 24 sixth year with 32 tickets – predicted 18.9, actual 18

We drew 49 duplicate names for a total of 319 total draws to get the 270 unique names. Predicted was 313 draws.

As we always do, there were 3 additional names drawn in the Bonus Lottery at the end to give those in attendance a last chance. Those three lucky folks are:

  • Sarah McGinn
  • Jeff Boutte
  • David Rhodes

Congratulations to all who were selected.