Western States sets no rules for how clubs choose, but clubs typically select someone who has volunteered in the past.īe a badass senior citizen.Starting this year, Western States will grant the Greg Soderlund Silver Legend Entry to one outstanding applicant over age 60 on race day. Volunteer-and cross your fingers.Every club that crews an aid station (or does other volunteer work, like manning the radios) can designate one person to run the race. Twice a year, Western States draws up to five names through a charitable raffle. Needless to say, these options are out of reach for most of us. International elites can qualify via the Ultra-Trail World Tour. Place first or second at one of a few “Golden Ticket” races in the spring, and you’ll be headed for the big dance. There are other avenues of entry, though all of them are at least as difficult as the lottery:īe really fast. “I hate to say that,” he continues, “because sometimes-oftentimes-people apply for the first time and they get selected in the lottery, and it may be a little early in their ultrarunning career.”Įven so, Thornley adds, anyone who has made it past the challenging qualification process should be able to tackle Western States. “Because on average, it’s going to take four years, five years to get in the race.

“I hate to tell people to start applying as soon as they can qualify, but that’s probably what they need to do,” Thornley says. Unlike the Hardrock 100 lottery, which allots extra tickets for volunteer work, Western States gives runners no way to enhance their chances other than the passage of time. The number of tickets a runner has in the lottery rises exponentially for every consecutive year he or she has applied unsuccessfully. That leaves about 270 fiercely contested lottery spots.Įvery year a runner wishes to enter the lottery, he or she must complete one of the more than 90 qualifying races, all trail 100-milers and 100Ks “of significant difficulty.” About 100 of those spots go to elite runners, including those who have won “Golden Tickets” at one of six specific races, or non-elites who get in through some form of special entry (more on that later). The race’s permit caps its participants at 369. “The limited number of entrants allows it to be really special and unique,”. “Western States is just so different,” says race director Craig Thornley. Those factors contribute to making the Western States experience what it is. It’s also one of the biggest competitive events in trail running, year after year, with fields as deep as the course’s famed canyons. The race remains a cultural touchstone that connects modern runners to the sport’s early history. Ainsleigh’s run became legend, and sparked the creation of the country’s first 100-mile trail-running race. In 1974, Gordy Ainsleigh ran, on foot, what was then a 100-mile horse race. Western States plays a foundational role in the history of U.S. If you’re at the very beginning of that process-or even just considering it-what do you need to know? Here’s a quick guide for those California dreamers. Those odds mean that, for many runners, simply reaching the start line will be a years-long journey. In the most recent lottery, 4,248 people applied for 270 lottery spots. The two races share something else, too: They’re beasts to get into. The Western States 100-mile Endurance Run is sometimes compared to the Boston Marathon-a long-established tradition that’s both a major elite competition and a lifelong goal for serious amateurs. Get access to everything we publish when you

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