The oldest 100-mile trail race in the world, and the one every other American hundred-miler still gets measured against.
Quick facts
- Location: Olympic Valley, CA to Auburn, CA
- Date: Last full weekend of June, 5:00 a.m. Saturday start
- Distance: 100.2 miles, point-to-point
- Cutoff: 30 hours (10:59:59 a.m. Sunday)
- Website: wser.org
- Contact: admin@wser.org · WSER, PO Box 99, Auburn, CA 95604
- Organizer: Western States Endurance Run Foundation
Course description
Starts in Olympic Valley at 6,200 feet, climbing 2,550 feet in the first 4.5 miles to Emigrant Pass at 8,750 feet — the high point of the course. From there the trail runs west through the Granite Chief Wilderness and the high Sierra country before dropping into the canyons of the California gold country, where the race is actually decided. The course crosses the Middle Fork of the American River at Rucky Chucky (mile 78), then finishes on the track at Placer High School in Auburn.
Elevation change
Roughly 18,000 feet of climbing and 23,000 feet of descent over 100.2 miles.
Aid stations
20 aid stations total, including 10 major medical checkpoints. The four crew-accessible stations that matter most:
- Robinson Flat — mile 30.3, first major crew point
- Michigan Bluff — mile 55.7, deep in canyon country
- Foresthill — mile 62, the biggest, most accessible crew point on the course
- Rucky Chucky — mile 78, the river crossing
Special conditions & average temps
Course temperatures swing from 20°F at the high-altitude start to well over 110°F in the canyons — the single biggest factor in the race, historically responsible for more DNFs than the climbing. The Rucky Chucky river crossing (mile 78) is cold-water wading, often waist-deep, usually done in the dark. Altitude at Emigrant Pass (8,750 ft) is enough to affect breathing and pacing early for runners not acclimated.
Recent results — top 3, men & women
2026
- Men: 1. Vincent Bouillard 13:46:15 · 2. Francesco Puppi 13:51:08 · 3. Ryan Montgomery 13:53:55
- Women: 1. Jennifer Lichter 15:28:05 · 2. Riley Brady 15:42:14 · 3. Marianne Hogan 15:51:44
2025
- Men: 1. Caleb Olson 14:11:25 · 2. Chris Myers 14:17:39 · 3. Kilian Jornet 14:19:22
- Women: 1. Abby Hall 16:37:16 · 2. Fuzhao Xiang 16:47:09 · 3. Marianne Hogan 16:50:58
2024
- Men: 1. Jim Walmsley 14:13:45 · 2. Rod Farvard 14:24:15 · 3. Hayden Hawks 14:24:31
- Women: 1. Katie Schide 15:46:57 · 2. Fuzhao Xiang 16:20:03 · 3. Eszter Csillag 16:42:17
Registration deadline & how to get in
Entry is lottery-based. The application window runs November 1–21, with the drawing held in early December. A qualifying race finish within the prior year is required just to enter the lottery — Western States maintains its own list of accepted qualifying races. A limited number of automatic entries exist outside the lottery (past top finishers, Grand Slam runners, and a small number of Golden Ticket-style qualifying races), but the lottery is how the vast majority of the field gets in.
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