When I signed up for Canyons By UTMB in November, it was originally to get an entry to UTMB in August. However, it also happened to be a Western States Golden Ticket race, which gives you direct access to the Western States 100 Miles in 2024.
I didn’t know if I would take the ticket if I got it. My first priority was to do a good race and qualify for UTMB. But the question kept coming up in conversations, “Will you race Western States if you get the ticket?”
I played with the thought and talked about it at length with Nora. I decided that if I got the ticket, I would take it. Getting an entry to Western States 100 Miles could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a huge honor, so I did not want to miss that chance. It became a big motivation before and during the race.
When Drew Holmen handed me the ticket, I was so happy and honored so I did not want to take this opportunity for granted. I canceled my plans for an FKT project up and down Mont Blanc, which would have taken place in early June, and instead focused on training and getting myself in the best shape for Western States in eight weeks. I progressively worked myself back into training, not running much the first two weeks after Canyons but focusing on strength and cross-training. My plan was to slowly increase the running week by week and have my biggest week two weeks before WSER before tapering down in volume.
From Chamonix, we traveled to Mammoth Lakes, CA, to train at altitude and get acclimatized to the heat. We stayed with our teammate Dani Moreno, and I also got the opportunity to train with Rod Farvard and Tim Tollefson before we headed to Olympic Valley.
The Western States 100 is a race full of traditions and history. It is a non-profit organization, and its origins trace back to the early 1970s when it was initially part of the Western States Trail Ride, a 100-mile horse race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California. In 1974, a participant named Gordy Ainsleigh, whose horse went lame, decided to cover the distance on foot, completing it within 24 hours. His successful endeavor marked the inception of the Western States 100 as a foot race. The start is held in Olympic Valley (Squaw Valley), site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The trail ascends from the valley floor (elevation 6,200 feet) to Emigrant Pass (elevation 8,750 feet), a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4½ miles. From the pass, following the original trails used by the gold and silver miners of the 1850s, runners travel west, climbing another 15,540 feet and descending 22,970 feet before reaching Auburn, a small town in the heart of California’s historic gold country.
Western States is also a lot like a team race. The pacers and crew that support the runners are a big part of the Western States tradition and one reason why the race feels so special. After we raced Canyons by UTMB together, I asked Eric and Stephen if they would like to pace me for the race, and I couldn’t be happier to have them with me. Nora, Julia, Tabor, Lasse, Cordis, and Abby became my crew and support during the race.
As is tradition, Paul Lind, who took over after his father passed away, fired his shotgun into the sky at 5:00 AM to start the 2024 Western States 100. We were still a big group when running up the Escarpment and into the highlands. I felt okay, the pace was not that high, so it felt controlled and easy to be up in the front group. Right after we went over the pass, I hit my front foot on a rock and somersaulted onto the side of the trail. I hit my back, twisted my foot and elbows in the fall, and felt a big rush of adrenaline and shock. I managed to catch up to the front group and tried to recover from the fall. I started to stumble more and more; my knees and ankles felt weak and sore, and I had trouble running at all. I just managed to hang on to Lyons Ridge aid station, trying desperately to get things to work—eating, walking differently, sprinting, cooling with snow I found on the side of the trail—but everything just went downhill.
I came into the first crewed aid station at Duncan Canyon, where I got support from teammates Abby and Cordis. They gave me a lot of comfort and support, but I was already far behind and knew this would be a long and hard day if things didn’t turn around quickly.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. I was moving along slowly and painfully. I was angry and frustrated to be out of the race so early and in this way, feeling so slow and unable to do my best performance. But I promised myself to finish the race, to keep trying, to smile, and do my best no matter what.
I kept going slowly and came into Robinson Flat, where I met Nora for the first time. It was so good to see her and the rest of the crew. I told them what had happened, but I would keep going. I changed shoes to Agravic Speed to see if I could get more movement into my foot and kept on going. It felt better, but I still felt a lot of pain. Suddenly, my teammate Emily Hawgood caught up with me. I managed to stick with her, and we ran, chatted, and enjoyed the trails and atmosphere in the aid stations together. It was so nice to not be alone, to be running with a friend, and to do it together. I got more motivation and energy back, and the road to Auburn didn’t seem as long anymore. We ran through the canyons together until going up to Michigan Bluff. My spirits were higher, and I felt that I might be able to turn it around. When running into Foresthill, I was met with so much energy, and my confidence grew. It was time to pick up my first pacer, Eric LiPuma.
We ran at a good pace together, and I felt like things were moving well all the way to the river crossing at Rocky Chucky. It was so nice to run with someone, and Eric has such a good humor and lifted my spirits even more. After the river crossing and before going up to Green Gate, Nora joined us on the road and told us that, because of a wildfire, Stephen couldn’t make it to Green Gate to pace me from there. So we made some quick decisions, and Nora jumped in as a last-minute pacer from Green Gate to Pointed Rocks.
It was so special running together with her through the forest, and it was one of the most beautiful parts of the whole course. We passed four runners on our way, and she left me at Pointed Rocks to leave the remaining part of the race to Stephen Kersh. He helped me empty the last bit I had in the tank. We moved up two more places, and from Robbie Point, the whole team ran with me to the finish line for the last mile, finishing after 16h 22min on 13th place.
It was a special moment I will never forget. It may not have been the result or performance I wanted, but it was the experience I needed, and I was so delighted to have finished my first 100-mile race. It also feels special and unreal that it was Western States that became my first 100-mile race.
Congraturlations to all finishers, to Jim Wamsley and Katie Schide to amazing wins and my team mates Daniel Jones (4), Emily Hawgood (4) and Yngvild Kaspersen (5).
Thank you, Adidas TERREX and all my sponsors, for all your support, to all the volunteers and supporters around the course, and to Western States 100!
Special thanks to:
Eric
Stephen
Nora
Julia
Abby
Cordis
Lasse
Tabor
Nik
Robert
And photo Sebastian Scholtysik and Dan King
Equipment
Adidas TERREX Agravic Speed
Adidas TERREX Prototype T-shirt and shorts
Adidas TERREX Prototype Trail Vest
Adidas TERREX Hat
Adidas Stella Mcarney Socks
Coros Apex Pro 2
Nutrition
Aid Station | Distance (Miles) | Liquid | Gels | Other |
Olympic Valley | 0 | 2*(Maurten 320) + 1 empty flask 320 | 2* Maurten Gel 100 (100) + 1Maurten Gel 100 CAF (100 CAF ) | |
Lyon Ridge | 10,3 | Refill 1 Soft Flask (SF) | ||
Red Star Ridge | 15,8 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Duncan Canyon | 24,4 | 1*320 With flavor + 1 SF WATER | 1*100 + 1 * Gel 100 CAF | Redbull, 10 Haribo |
Robinson Flat | 30,3 | 1*320 With flavor + water + 1 empty flask | 1*100 + 1 * 100 CAF | Maurten 160 Bar, Cold Water with electrolytes |
Miller's Defeat | 34,4 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Dusty Corners | 38 | 1*320 With flavor + Water + 2 empty flask with 320 | 2*100 + 1 * 100 CAF | 1/2 Banana |
Last Chance | 43,4 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Devil's Thumb | 47,8 | Refill 1SF | ||
El Dorado Creek | 52,9 | Refill Coke | ||
Michigan Bluff | 55,7 | 1*320 + 1 RedBull | 1*100 + 1 * 100 CAF | Maurten 160 Bar Oat milk smoothie, (Banana, Moonvalley Chocolate protein powder) |
Foresthill | 62 | 1*320 With flavor + 1 water + 2 empty flask with 320 | 2*100 + 2* 100 CAF | |
Dardanelles (Cal-1) | 65,7 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Peachstone (Cal-2) | 70,7 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Ford's Bar (Cal-3) | 73 | Refill 1 SF | ||
Rucky Chucky | 78 | 1*320 | 1*100 + 1 * 100 CAF | |
Green Gate | 79,8 | 1*320 With flavor + RedBull + 2 empty flask with 320 | 1*100 + 2 * 100 CAF | Maurten 160 Bar,Coke |
Auburn Lake Trails | 85,2 | Refill 1 SF | Water Mellon with salt | |
Quarry Rd | 90,7 | Coke | Water Mellon with salt | |
Pointed Rocks | 94,3 | 1*320 | 2 * 100 CAF | Coke |
Robie Point | 98,9 | |||
Placer High School | 100,2 | A Burger |
Comments