On Saturday, ultra-trail fans were treated to the most competitive race in the history of Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Course record holder Jim Walmsley and last year’s second-place finisher Katie Schide made triumphant returns to the race in an astonishingly deep field of elite athletes. From the race start at Olympic Valley, Calif., to the final finishing moments around the track at Placer High School in Auburn, Calif., Schide and Walmsley (and everyone else) put on a show.
WSER, the oldest 100-miler in North America, traverses 5,000 metres of elevation over the 100-mile distance, and is notoriously hard to get into—runners must complete a qualifying race every year in order to get a lottery ticket. While tickets accumulate exponentially, many of the 10,000 annual entrants wait upward of seven years to have their names drawn. Last year’s race was a wild ride, with Leadville, Colo.’s Courtney Dauwalter not only demolishing a course record that had held for more than a decade (previously 16:47:19 set by British-Canadian Ellie Greenwood in 2012), but beating most of the men in the race, finishing in 15:29:33 and sixth overall.
Saturday morning saw runners kicking off in near-perfect conditions, with no snow in the high country; the rising temperatures later in the day tested all the runners. The high in Auburn, Calif., where runners cross the finish line, was more than 30° C, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already daunting course.
Walmsley is back and better than ever
Flagstaff, Ariz.’s Walmsley’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, marking his fourth victory in the oldest 100-miler in North America. After two years devoted to conquering the UTMB 171K in Chamonix, France, Walmsley set his sights once again on WSER, where he had previously set a blistering course record of 14:09:28 in 2019.
This is the first time in course history that we’ve had the top ten male finishers finish before sunset 🌅 🤯 #ws100 #seeyouatstates
— Liam (@aidstationfireb) June 30, 2024
The race unfolded under scorching conditions, with Walmsley and young contender Rod Farvard of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. jostling for the lead throughout. Farvard surged ahead during the early stages of the race, with Walmsley swiftly closing the gap, maintaining a relentless pace that kept him at the forefront of the pack. Their battle intensified throughout the 100-miler, with Walmsley being pushed like never before at the race. Farvard briefly gained a significant lead before Walmsley’s trademark endurance kicked in during the final stretch.
As temperatures soared, the competition remained fierce among elite runners, with a wildly close and competitive group of leading men. Farvard managed to hold off third-place finisher and fellow American Hayden Hawks, with the two finishing in a nail-biting sprint around the track. Farvard clocked in at 14:24:15, with Hawks just 16 seconds behind.
Top 10 men
Jim Walmsley 14:13:45
Rod Farvard 14:24:15
Hayden Hawks 14:24:31
Dan Jones 14:32:29
Caleb Olson 14:40:12
Jon Albon 14:57:01
Tyler Green 15:05:39
Jia-Sheng Shen 15:09:49
Jonathan Rea 15:13:10
Chris Myers 15:18:25
Schide is a force to be reckoned with
Katie Schide’s performance in the women’s race was nothing short of extraordinary. The American living in France, known for her strategic racing and endurance, aimed to challenge Courtney Dauwalter’s 2023 course record and did exactly that for much of the race. From the outset, Schide set a blistering pace, leading from the first climb and steadily increasing her gap over the competition.
Valiant effort and win by Katie Schide in the heat- well done 🐆🏆👏! #WS100 https://t.co/5z5Swtv0iR
— Camille Herron 🦸♀️ (@runcamille) June 30, 2024
By the time she reached Robinson Flat at the 30-mile mark, Schide was 21 minutes ahead of second-place Emily Hawgood of Zimbabwe and on pace to break the course record. Despite the challenging heat, she maintained her lead and composure, smiling and focused as she came through every aid station. Though she ultimately missed breaking the record, Schide finished in 15:46:57, the second-fastest women’s time in race history, nearly an hour faster than her own time from the previous year.
The women’s race saw impressive performances beyond Schide’s victory. Fu-Zhao Xiang of China secured second place with a time of 16:20:03, while Eszter Csillag of Hong Kong finished third for the second consecutive year, clocking in at 16:42:17. The depth of the field was highlighted by the top 10 women finishing significantly faster than last year’s top 10 and, with the exception of Schide, running very closely together for the entire race.
Edmonton’s Priscilla Forgie cracks top 10 once again
Despite the incredibly challenging group of women jostling for position over the entire distance, Forgie, fresh off a third-place finish at Chuckanut 50K in Washington, made the top 10 for the second year in a row, finishing ninth in 17:30:24. Like the other women in the top 10, Forgie’s ninth place finish was faster than her seventh place finish last year when she crossed the line in 17:46:34. Forgie was pace by fellow Canadian ultrarunner Jenny Quilty.
Top 10 women
Katie Schide 15:46:57
Fu-Zhao Xiang 16:20:03
Eszter Csillag 16:42:17
Emily Hawgood 16:48:43
Yngvild Kaspersen 16:50:39
Ida Nilsson 16:56:52
Heather Jackson 17:16:43
Rachel Drake 17:28:35
Priscilla Forgie 17:30:24
Leah Yingling 17:33:54
