Western States: 100 miles in 29 hours!

On June 23-24, I ran the Western States Endurance Run, a 100 mile run through the mountains of Central California from Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe) to Auburn, CA.

I couldn't have done it without my fantastic crew and pacers - Thank You!

All in all, the race went surprisingly predictably. Hammer Perpetuum provided a constant supply of calories, and my hydration and electrolyte intake was perfect as my weight never fluctuated by more than 2lbs. My Hardrocks were spectactular as always. Heat was not extreme and I handled it well, feeling surprisingly strong through the whole race (except for my usual late night low-spot).

The only issue was an early blister on my right heel. I actually started to feel the hotspot on the way up Squaw. I taped it up when I met my crew at Robinson Flat which kept things in check until the river crossing. Against my better judgement, I changed shoes & socks after crossing the river to keep the blister and covering dry. This turned out to be a mistake because my swolen feet disagreed with the new shoes and by the end of the race my left toes were pretty well beaten up. Fortunately, the foot/shoe/blister issues were minor and never close to becoming debilitating.

For this, my first Western States, the strategy was to take it easy until Foresthill, and pick things up from there. My primary goal was to finish, and I wanted to make sure I didn't push myself to a point where finishing was ever in doubt. There was so much I didn't know about this race that I figured a conservative strategy was best. I had enough left after the heat of the day and the big climbs out of the canyons to fly on the 9 mile downhill out of Foresthill - I even outran my pacer for about 20 minutes! After sprinting to the finish line, I certainly had gas left in the tank - so I know next time I can go harder.

Yes, there certainly will be a next time! Knowing what I know now, I look forward to the next Western States!

Me entering the Robinson Flat aid station:


John and one of his friends:


Me at the Finish Line Plaque on the track at Placer High School (the next day):