I may have bested @Jesse_Canfield’s time at the 100k Ultra Challenge, but I’m not lining up in Olympic Valley, California, this Saturday for the Western States 100 like he is. In addition to Jesse, Rochester runner Olga Huber and Lake Placid’s Sarah Keyes are in the start list. Sarah’s a national class ultra runner with a decent shot at making the top 10. Another elite in the field is former Cornell cross country and steeplechase standout Max King. Also, Yassine Diboun is pacing west coast elite Tyler Green in the later miles.
The Western States 100 is basically the Boston Marathon of American ultra running, with a long, storied history, top level competition, qualifying standards, and a huge demand for a limited number of entries.
Anyone interested in following the race can use the live tracker at ultralive.net for any/all runners, and follow @iRunFar on Twitter for real-time updates on the men’s and women’s top ten. The race starts Saturday at 8:00 a.m. EST (5:00 PST.)
Good luck, @Jesse_Canfield, and give our regards to all the ex-locals. Yassine was a fixture with FLRC for years, and I still remember a run with Max King when he came back to give a talk at @Ian’s store after winning the Syracuse Mountain Goat race. We’d had a chatty run at an easy pace up the dam at the Six Mile Creek Reservoir, but on the way back, Max decided to turn on the afterburners. I was with a friend who was a sub-16-minute 5K guy, and Max accelerated around a turn in the trail so quickly that we weren’t able to even catch sight of him again until we got back to the store.
Wow, I had no idea there was a photographic record of that run with Max (in front). I see you (blue shirt with yellow logo) and @Lorrie_Tily (bright green shirt) and @flnf10155 (stalking us from the back) and Chris Reynolds (headband)—can’t tell if the guy behind Chris is @Ian. I’m behind the guy in the gray shirt, and @joebaz’s head is just sticking out behind him too. Not sure who the guy in the gray shirt is, or the guy wearing the hat.
The race has a course livestream going, especially following runners to the finish line.
Tyler Green finished second, former Cayuga Trails winner Drew Holmen (Tyler’s Nike teammate) got third, Sarah Keys placed 12th in the women’s race just missing getting an AQ for next year.
Jesse is still out on course now and is about 10-15 miles from the finish.ultralive.net
It’s also fun to check into the livestream for the “Golden Hour” (1-2 PM EST) when the last runners make it in under the 30 hour cutoff. As an example back in 2015 there was a runner, Gunhild Swanson, that finished with seconds to spare: Gunhild Swanson's epic 2015 Western States 100 finish!! - YouTube
thank for the shout out Pete. Anxious and excited. Hoping that 100k effort was the keystone in a ok training cycle. It’s gonna be a hot one 
