The Western States Endurance Run is the oldest, most prestigious 100-mile trail race in the world. 100.2 miles from Olympic Valley (formerly Squaw Valley) to Auburn, California — across the Sierra Nevada and into the Auburn river canyons. 18,000 feet of climb, 23,000 feet of descent. Last Saturday in June. 24-hour gold buckle, 30-hour silver buckle.

The course, in three acts

Act I — High Country (Mile 0–30). A 2,500-foot climb out of Olympic Valley in the first four miles, up to Emigrant Pass at 8,750 ft. Snow until late June some years. Then a long ridge run with views of the Sierra crest. The climbing's done by mile 30; the runnable trail begins.

Act II — The Canyons (Mile 30–62). The canyons are the race. Three deep descents into river bottoms (Deadwood, El Dorado, Volcano) followed by 2,000-foot climbs out, in the heat of the afternoon. This is where most runners' races are decided. Temperatures can top 105°F at the bottom. The fast pace of the High Country is over.

Act III — The River and Auburn (Mile 62–100). Foresthill (mile 62) is the iconic crew stop and the start of the runnable rolling sections to the Rucky Chucky river crossing (mile 78). After the river, Green Gate, Auburn Lake Trails, Brown's Bar, Highway 49, No Hands Bridge, and into Placer High School track for the finish. Most of this is at night. Most runners walk the climbs in this section regardless of fitness.

By the numbers

  • Distance: 100.2 miles
  • Vert: 18,000 ft gain / 23,000 ft loss
  • Vert per mile: 180 ft/mi (moderate)
  • Cutoff: 30 hours
  • Aid stations: 21
  • Crew-accessible aid stations: 6 (varies by year due to road access)
  • Drop-bag stations: 4–5
  • Buckle: Sub-24 hours = "100 in 1" gold buckle. Sub-30 = silver.
  • Date: Last Saturday in June (typically)

How to qualify and enter

Western States is lottery-entry. To enter the lottery, you need a qualifying race finish from the WSER-approved list — generally a sub-30-hour 100-mile finish, or an equivalent 100K. The qualifier list updates yearly; check wser.org for the current list.

Each year you enter the lottery and aren't selected, you get an additional entry the next year (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 tickets). Most first-time entrants take 3–5 years of qualifying + lottery to get in. There are also 2 entry slots per year via the Golden Ticket races (top finishers at WSER-designated qualifiers earn auto-entry).

Gear strategy

  • Vest: 8–12L. Salomon Adv Skin 12 or Black Diamond Distance 12.
  • Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 6, Speedland SG, or Tecnica Magma. Cushion matters at mile 80.
  • Hydration: two 500ml soft-flasks plus crew refills. Sodium target 800-1,000 mg/hr in canyons.
  • Headlamp: Petzl NAO RL or BD Storm 500-R. You'll be in the dark for 5–10 hours.
  • Clothing: singlet + arm coolers + hat for the canyon heat. Long sleeve and beanie in the drop bag at Foresthill for the cool night miles.
  • Cooling: ice bandana, ice in your hat, ice in your sports bra. The canyons are decided by who manages heat best.

Pacing

The conventional WSER pacing wisdom: run conservatively in the High Country (don't chase aggressive paces over the snow), survive the canyons (walk every uphill, manage core temperature), then run the back half. Most sub-24 finishers run their fastest 20-mile split between miles 78 and 98.

Pacers are allowed from Foresthill (mile 62) onward. Most runners pick up their first pacer at Foresthill and a second at Green Gate (mile 79). Choose pacers who've been to mile eighty themselves; first-time pacers don't always understand how to handle low moments.

Crew strategy

WSER has six crew-accessible aid stations: Robinson Flat (mile 30), Michigan Bluff (55), Foresthill (62), Rucky Chucky (78 or 76 depending on year), Green Gate (79), Highway 49 (93). Drives between stations are long with traffic — plan for 2-hour buffers between meetings.

The Western States feeling

There's an aura around Western States that other 100s don't have. Maybe it's the history (since 1977, originally the Tevis horse race route). Maybe it's the difficulty of getting in. Maybe it's the finish — into a high-school track at dawn, with a thousand spectators and a bell ringing for every gold buckle. Most ultrarunners spend a decade trying to get in. Most who do call it the best 24 hours they'll ever spend in their lives. We agree.