For hours, Katie Schide (pre-race interview) chased ghosts. For hours, Jim Walmsley (pre-race interview) and Rod Farvard chased every different. And after all, after 100 brave, gutsy miles at some of the global’s maximum iconic ultramarathons, it was once Schide and Walmsley who received a quick, dramatic 2024 Western States 100.
Schide, an American who lives in France, was once on tempo to damage the path listing till past due within the race, whilst American citizens Walmsley and Farvard battled all over many of the moment 1/2 of the race, alternating the lead as past due as mile 85.
Schide’s successful time was once 15:46:57, simply over 17 mins in the back of Courtney Dauwalter’s 2023 path listing, virtually an hour quicker than her personal time ultimate yr, and the second one quickest girls’s time ever. Walmsley, in the meantime, received his fourth Western States in 14:13:45, the second one quickest time ever — most effective in the back of his personal listing of 14:09:28 that he set in 2019.
2nd and 0.33 within the males’s race got here right down to an epic dash end at the observe between Farvard and Hayden Hawks (pre-race interview), who completed in 14:24:15 and 14:24:31, respectively.
Within the girls’s race for the rostrum, Fu-Zhao Xiang (pre-race interview) completed moment in 16:20:03, and Eszter Csillag (pre-race interview) took 0.33 for the second one time in a row, in 16:42:17.
Each races featured some of the inner most and best fields in race historical past, with the boys’s most sensible 5 all coming in quicker than ultimate yr’s successful time, and the ladies’s most sensible 10 completing slightly below 40 mins quicker than ultimate yr’s extremely aggressive most sensible 10.
At 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, they had been all some of the 375 runners who started the ancient direction from Olympic Valley to Auburn, California, traversing 100.2 miles of path with 18,000 ft of elevation acquire and 22,000 ft of loss. After ultimate yr’s cool temperatures, the elements at this yr’s race was once somewhat hotter, albeit with a notable loss of snow within the excessive nation. The excessive temperature in Auburn was once within the low 90s Fahrenheit.
A distinct because of HOKA for making our protection of the Western States 100 conceivable!
Thank you additionally to Fractel for sponsoring our race protection.
Learn on for the overall race tale.
The beginning of the 2024 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2024 Western States 100 Males’s Race
In his go back to the race that propelled him to the heights of worldwide path working and his first extremely on American soil in 3 years, Jim Walmsley (pre-race interview) demonstrated why he’s, as soon as once more, the king of Western States. Sooner than the race, Walmsley exuded a calmness that in all probability eluded him all over his first makes an attempt on the race, when he attacked it with an obsessive depth that led him to famously take a incorrect flip after which chucking up the sponge in back-to-back years.
“We’ll simply roll with what performs out and simply roughly see what occurs within the race,” he stated in his pre-race interview. There’s a marked distinction when in comparison to his remarks from his interview earlier than the 2016 race.
What took place within the race was once this: In his fourth Western States, Rod Farvard had the race of his lifestyles to push Walmsley like he’d by no means been driven earlier than in his lengthy historical past with the development.
Farvard — a 28-year-old from Mammoth Lakes, California, who has advanced his end every yr on the race, from a DNF in 2021 to forty first position in 2022 to eleventh position ultimate yr — put himself in a powerful place from the beginning, main a big pack of runners that incorporated Walmsley on the most sensible of the Escarpment, the two,500-foot climb within the first 4 miles of the race. For the following 45-plus miles, Farvard remained within the most sensible 10, a part of a chase pack of American Hayden Hawks (pre-race interview), Kiwi Dan Jones (pre-race interview), and Chinese language runner Guo-Min Deng, amongst others.
Dan Jones (left) and Hayden Hawks rolling thru Robinson Flat all over the 2024 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On the Robinson Flat help station at mile 30 — the symbolic finish of the runners’ time within the excessive nation, which options a median elevation of round 7,000 ft — Walmsley, who began the race conspicuously dressed in all black, got here thru in 4:24 taking a look rapid and clean, now dressed in an ice-soaked white blouse. Jones, the 2024 Tarawera 102k champion and fifth-place finisher in his Western States debut ultimate yr, and Hawks, who set the path listing at February’s Black Canyons 100k after chucking up the sponge of ultimate yr’s Western States, adopted about 90 seconds later. The 2 runners, common coaching companions, ran in combination often all over the day, with Hawks steadily foregoing ice at help stations.
After the trio of Walmsley, Hawks, and Jones went thru Closing Probability at mile 43 in combination, Walmsley put just about two mins on them up the climb to Satan’s Thumb. “I used to be with everyone on the backside,” he stated, consistent with the race’s legitimate livestream.
About midway thru, at mile 49.5, the order remained the similar: Walmsley within the lead with an elapsed time of 6:58, adopted through Jones one minute again, Hawks two mins again, and Farvard simply over two and a 1/2 mins again. The remainder of the highest 10 had been ultimate yr’s Seventeenth-place finisher Dakota Jones; 2024 Transvulcania Ultramarathon champion Jon Albon (pre-race interview), who’s from the U.Okay. however lives in Norway; 2023 fourth-place finisher Jia-Sheng Shen (China) (pre-race interview); 2023 Canyons 100k champion Cole Watson; Western States specialist Tyler Inexperienced (pre-race interview); and Jupiter Carera (Mexico).
Cole Watson (left, in orange) and Tyler Inexperienced (proper) working thru Robinson Flat. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Then started an exciting, chaotic moment 1/2 of the race — that includes a gripping back-and-forth between Walmsley and Farvard, a wildfire close to the path, a two-man river crossing, and a dash end at the observe.
It began when Walmsley entered Michigan Bluff at mile 55, once more taking a look calm and in keep watch over, converting shirts and getting doused with ice. Farvard got here in simply in the back of him and left the help station first, main the race for the primary time because the first climb up the Escarpment. The similar regimen happened seven miles later at Foresthill: Walmsley coming into first, Farvard leaving first.
Rod Farvard completing the climb to Michigan Bluff in moment all over the 2024 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
For the following 18 miles, the 2 runners alternated within the lead. By means of mile 78, they had been so shut that they had been crossing the American River on the identical time. Their struggle underscored the entire intensity of the sector at this yr’s race: At mile 80, the highest 5 males had been inside 16 mins of each other.
Rod Farvard crossing the American River in first with Jim Walmsley at the a long way financial institution. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Round then, the 15-acre Creek Hearth, which began now not lengthy earlier than, was once visual from the river and crews had been briefly now not approved to go back and forth to the Inexperienced Gate help station at mile 80 since the path to it handed on the subject of the hearth. Ultimately, a reroute was once established for crews to get to Inexperienced Gate and, later, after the wildfire was once managed, the common direction was once reopened.
At Inexperienced Gate, Farvard got here thru within the lead, with Walmsley 4 mins again and taking a look like he was once hurting. It was once then, in all probability, that the idea entered other people’s minds: May just Farvard in point of fact take down the champ?
However Jim Walmsley is Jim Walmsley for a reason why, and he once more proved why he is likely one of the global’s easiest. In opposition to the ropes, dealing with one in every of his first actual demanding situations within the race that formed him, he delivered, coming into the following help station, Auburn Lake Trails at mile 85, greater than a minute previous than Farvard. He had made up 5 mins in 5 miles.
Walmsley by no means trailed once more, expanding his result in 11 mins through the Pointed Rocks help station at mile 94 after which choosing up his team, together with his spouse, Jess Brazeau, at Robie Level to run the overall mile with him. He entered the observe at Placer Top College to loud cheers, his loping stride nonetheless taking a look clean, preventing a couple of steps wanting the tape to wave to the gang and lift his palms in triumph. He had accomplished it once more.
Jim Walmsley, 2024 Western States 100 champion. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
In the back of him, Farvard was once fading however decided to cap an bizarre race with a second-place end. Hawks, who had made up 5 mins on Farvard between Pointed Rocks and Robie Level, was once at the hunt, and by the point he stepped at the observe, Farvard was once inside sight.
It was once then that lovers had been handled to one of the distinctive points of interest in all of ultrarunning: After 100 miles of racing, two males had been sprinting in opposition to every different on a observe. After all, Farvard’s lead held, and he completed 16 seconds forward of Hawks. He collapsed on the end line — a becoming finish to an epic efficiency.
Dan Jones ended a powerful race with a fourth-place end in 14:32:29, with Caleb Olson capping an excellent moment 1/2 of the race — from eleventh at mile 53 to 5th in 14:40:12 on the end. All 5 males ran a time that will have received the race ultimate yr.
Dan Jones being aggressively cooled down through his pacer all over the river crossing. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
In the back of Olson got here Jon Albon, working 14:57:01 in his 100-mile running-race debut, adopted through the surgical Tyler Inexperienced, who completed in 7th for his fourth immediately most sensible 10 end on the race. Inexperienced’s time of 15:05:39 additionally marked a brand new males’s masters path listing, breaking the 2013 Mike Morton listing of 15:45:21.
Rounding out the highest 10 had been Jia-Sheng Shen in 8th with a time of 15:09:49, Jonathan Rea in 9th who methodically moved his means up all over the ultimate 60 miles to complete in 15:13:10, and Chris Myers in tenth in 15:18:25.
2024 Western States 100 Males’s Effects
- Jim Walmsley (Hoka) – 14:13:45 (pre-race interview)
- Rod Farvard (The North Face) – 14:24:15
- Hayden Hawks (Hoka) – 14:24:31 (pre-race interview)
- Dan Jones (Adidas Terrex) – 14:32:29 (pre-race interview)
- Caleb Olson (Nike ) – 14:40:12
- Jon Albon (The North Face) – 14:57:01 (pre-race interview)
- Tyler Inexperienced (Nike) – 15:05:39 (pre-race interview)
- Jia-Sheng Shen (The North Face) – 15:09:49 (pre-race interview)
- Jonathan Rea (Hoka) – 15:13:10
- Chris Myers (Salomon) – 15:18:25
Jupiter Carera representing Mexico up at Robinson Flat all over the 2024 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2024 Western States 100 Girls’s Race
During the excessive nation, into and out of the canyons, and alongside the river of the arena’s oldest 100-mile path race, Katie Schide (pre-race interview) raced most effective the ghosts of the clock and historical past. Smiling all over, she appeared unaffected through the solitude and the enormity of the chance that lay earlier than her: to try to wreck the path listing of some of the global’s maximum iconic path races.
Schide, an American who lives in France, got here into the race because the transparent favourite, and for excellent reason why: She completed moment ultimate yr, breaking Ellie Greenwood’s up to now untouchable 2012 path listing through greater than 3 mins and shedding to just Courtney Dauwalter, who broke Greenwood’s listing through an astounding 78 mins on her method to a ancient Western States-Hardrock 100-UTMB triple win. Schide, winner of the 2022 UTMB and 2023 Diagonale des Fous 100 Mile, spent the ultimate two-and-a-half months in Flagstaff, Arizona, coaching for Western States, successful this yr’s Canyons 100k in an excellent tune-up and setting up a monster coaching block.
In her pre-race interview, Schide stated that she had thought of techniques to strengthen her race from ultimate yr, which in all probability will have to were the primary caution to her festival. The second one, then, was once her speedy separation from the ladies’s chase pack: She summited the Escarpment, a 2,500-foot climb all over the primary 4 miles, in first position and not regarded again. By means of the primary help station — Lyon Ridge at 10 miles — she was once already 12 mins underneath path listing tempo, and through Robinson Flat at mile 30, she was once 21 mins forward of second-place Emily Hawgood (pre-race interview), from Zimbabwe however dwelling within the U.S.
Katie Schide in keep watch over within the excessive nation at Robinson Flat all over the 2024 Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The lead most effective ballooned from there. By means of Dusty Corners at mile 38, Schide was once an improbable 26 mins underneath path listing tempo, and despite the fact that she misplaced a couple of mins from that tempo by the point she climbed as much as Michigan Bluff at mile 55, her smile had now not waned even fairly. She easily entered the enduring help station, doused herself with ice, modified shirts, and was once quickly on her means. She by no means sat down.
Twenty-seven mins in the back of her was once Hawgood, taking a look to construct on back-to-back fifth-place finishes. Eszter Csillag (pre-race interview), a Hungarian who lives in Hong Kong, adopted quickly after, in the similar 0.33 spot she completed in ultimate yr.
Fu-Zhao Xiang cruising thru Robinson Flat. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
After them ran a dense pack of girls: Simplest 16 mins separated Hawgood in moment from Lotti Brinks in eleventh.
Ida Nilsson working her long ago into subsequent yr’s Western States 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On the midway level, the highest 10 had been Schide, 33 mins up in an elapsed time of seven:26; Csillag; Hawgood; Chinese language runner Fu-Zhao Xiang (pre-race interview), the fourth-place finisher finally yr’s UTMB; Lin Chen (China); American Heather Jackson, a flexible former triathlete who lately completed 5th at a aggressive 200-mile gravel motorbike race; ultrarunning veteran Ida Nilsson (pre-race interview), a Swede dwelling in Norway; Becca Windell, moment on this yr’s Black Canyon 100k; 2023 CCC winner Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway); and Rachel Drake, working her 100-mile debut.
Schide, simply identifiable in her red blouse, maintained her massive lead all over the second one 1/2 of the race, last calm, managed, and upbeat all over the harsh canyon miles. By means of Foresthill at mile 62, she was once 19 mins forward after all listing tempo and 48 mins forward of the second-place Xiang. Schide’s stride nonetheless regarded clean as she waved to lovers or even high-fived a cameraman.
Schide’s competitive tempo sooner or later slowed — through Inexperienced Gate at mile 80, her lead at the path listing had dissipated — however her spirits didn’t. After a handy guide a rough sponge tub at Auburn Lake Path air station at mile 85, she fell in the back of course-record tempo for the primary time all day, most effective 15 miles remained till the end.
Schide entered the observe a few hours later, working along with her team and no headlamp. She would end earlier than darkish. She stopped for a hug at the ultimate straightaway and lifted the tape with, after all, a grin.
Katie Schide, 2024 Western States 100 champion. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Xiang had methodically pulled clear of Hawgood and Csillag all over a shockingly sturdy moment 1/2 to win the struggle for moment. She completed in 16:20:03 for the 0.33 quickest time in race historical past. Chen, who dropped out at mile 78, was once some of the few elite runners who had a DNF on this present day, which was once classified through a loss of attrition in each the ladies’s and males’s elite races.
Eszter Csillag got here in about 22 mins in the back of Xiang in 16:42:17 for her moment consecutive third-place end, a 30-minute growth from ultimate yr — a statistic that in all probability exemplifies the rate of this yr’s race higher than some other.
Eszter Csillag taking part in(?) her crossing of the American River. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The struggle for fourth and 5th was once just about as shut as Farvard and Hawks’s race for moment within the males’s race a few hours previous.
At Pointed Rocks at mile 94, Hawgood led through slightly two mins, working exhausting and immediately in the course of the help station. Kaspersen, in the meantime, was once ingesting Coke and made up virtually a minute through Robie Level.
Western States rookie Yngvild Kaspersen ran a wise race en path to striking 5th. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Emily Hawgood’s lead in the long run held, and he or she completed fourth in 16:48:43 to strengthen her end from prior years through one spot. Yngvild Kaspersen was once lower than two mins again in 16:50:39. Ida Nilsson capped a powerful day to complete 6th in 16:56:52 and wreck Ragna Debats’s masters path listing through virtually 45 mins. That suggests the highest six girls all completed in underneath 17 hours in a race that had most effective ever had 3 girls end underneath that mark — and two of them, Dauwalter and Schide, had been ultimate yr.
The remainder of the highest 10 had been Heather Jackson in 7th in 17:16:43, and, in shut succession, Rachel Drake in 17:28:35, Priscilla Forgie (Canada) in 17:30:24, and Leah Yingling in 17:33:54.
The highest 10 girls had been all quicker than the Twelfth-fastest time in race historical past going into the day.
Leah Yingling making her means around the American River. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2024 Western States 100 Girls’s Effects
- Katie Schide (The North Face) – 15:46:57 (pre-race interview)
- Fu-Zhao Xiang (Hoka) – 16:20:03 (pre-race interview)
- Eszter Csillag (Hoka) – 16:42:17 (pre-race interview)
- Emily Hawgood (Adidas Terrex) – 16:48:43 (pre-race interview)
- Yngvild Kaspersen (Adidas Terrex) – 16:50:39
- Ida Nilsson (Craft) – 16:56:52 (pre-race interview)
- Heather Jackson (Herbalife) – 17:16:43
- Rachel Drake (Nike) – 17:28:35
- Priscilla Forgie (Leap) – 17:30:24
- Leah Yingling (Lululemon) – 17:33:54
Heather Jackson (entrance) and Ida Nilsson crossing the American River in combination, with the ladies’s masters listing in play for whomever would end quicker.