As an award-winning sports journalist and 11-time finisher of Western States, John Trent has built an arsenal of memories, facts and statistics about the storied race. So when planning began for the 50-year celebratio...
Tag: Western States 100
An accomplished alpine skier, mountaineer, adventurer and all-around athlete for his entire life, France’s Nico Mermoud is intimately familiar with being at the forefront of innovation. After being heavily involved w...
We all know how fleeting the passage of time can be and each year, turn to Western States to see how a poignant journey can remind us there will be moments of transcendence and grace. Time can be shaken and shattered...
Welcome to the Three Dot Lounge, where we ruminate on all things Western States and focus on quirky statistics and geeky trivia. . . At Western States, the weather is always the number one topic of conversation. This...
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from “Second Sunrise: Five Decades of History at the Western States Endurance Run,” by UR columnist and longtime Western States Board of Trustees member John Trent (Broad Boo...
Far too often, we look at champions as if they are made from a sinewy type of steel. When they win, it is because they are far different than any of us – more talented, mentally tougher and physically stronger, filled...
Far too often, we look at champions as if they are made from a sinewy type of steel. When they win, it is because they are far different than any of us – more talented, mentally tougher and physically stronger, filled...
If your venture into ultrarunning has you dreaming of running Western States one day, I hope you’ve had the chance to be there in person to spectate, crew or pace. While I have run it 12 times, I have had the pleasure of...
ABC’s Wide World of Sports crushed its weekend time slot for 37 years on network television from 1961 to 1998. The premise was simple: people would love to watch sports coverage that went beyond standard baseball, footba...
Beth Pascall crossed the finish line of the 2021 Western States Endurance Run in 17:10:42, placing first woman and seventh overall. Her time was the second-fastest women’s finish in Western States history. Le...
The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction upon completing your first 100-mile endurance run is very special. It’s usually the culmination of months or years of training, and preparation to conquer challenges that most...
Even if it was cool by Western States standards, the compelling severity of what lay before him was on the mind of Jim Walmsley as he walked slowly to the start of his fourth Western States Endurance Run.Talk in the days...
With its hot temperatures and a fast pace, the bright spotlight of Western States can really showcase athletes while also being an Achilles heel for others, especially when it comes to nutrition. I asked a collection of...
Western States is cult-like in how it completely sucks you in and takes over your life. It is with you every day during the six-month training process and then strips you down to your soul over the 100-mile journey on ra...
Diana Fitzpatrick has run many races, including qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials three times, finishing among the top 10 women twice at the Western States Endurance Run, and outright winning the le...
At mile 99 I kept glancing at my watch. I heard myself whimper, “Am I going to make it?” The sun was radiating fire so hot that I swear I could hear my skin sizzling. I was so tired that my eyes were begging for a moment...
Welcome to the Three-Dot Lounge, where we annually regale you with Western States deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon mots… First and foremost in everyone’s mind every year is the weather. Heat is what makes Western State...
The small wood table of broken dreams sits not far from the 78-mile checkpoint on the course of the Western States Endurance Run. There is a step-over for horses at a pole gate nearby, and as you pass by the quiet of...
Front-runner Jim Walmsley, his lean body strip-mined of all excess after six months of incredibly focused training, and already on course record pace, transitioned from the snow at 8,200 feet to the dirt single track lea...
Bob Shebest will be the first to tell you that he’s always on the lookout for inspirational quotes to help fuel his training and racing…and his life. Yet there is more to Shebest’s appreciation of memorable lines than...