My marathons

Western States Endurance Run

The organiser has not published a date. Olympic Valley
Ballot open
Palisades Tahoe
Palisades Tahoe. Photograph by Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The course

A U.S. Forest Service permit limits Western States to 369 runners, the number that started in 1984 when the Granite Chief Wilderness was created around miles 6 to 10 of the trail.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Why the field is 369 runnersA wilderness permit caps the field at 369 runners.
  • Olympic Valley to Auburn in 30 hours100.2 miles from Olympic Valley to Auburn, 30 hours for an award.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseCrowdWhy the field is 369 runnersA wilderness permit caps the field at 369 runners.

The Western States Trail crosses the Granite Chief Wilderness at about miles 6 to 10. The race was grandfathered into the 1984 California Wilderness Act on condition that it had no more runners than before, and 369 had started that year. To start exactly 369, the race has used a wait list since 2017. Places go by an annual lottery in which every failed application doubles a runner’s tickets for the next one, and the 2027 lottery is drawn on 5 December 2026.

Sourced

km 0 to 161.3GeometryOlympic Valley to Auburn in 30 hours100.2 miles from Olympic Valley to Auburn, 30 hours for an award.

The run begins at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday of the last full weekend in June, at the west end of Olympic Valley, and follows the Western States Trail to Auburn. The organiser describes it as the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race, run since 1974. The 2027 race is on 26 and 27 June, so the award cut-off is 10:59:59 a.m. on Sunday 27 June.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Olympic Valley

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
race
Ultramarathon

Race week

Timetable

Saturday 26 June Race day

  1. 05:005:00 AM

    100-mile start Olympic Valley. The run begins at 5:00 a.m. on the Saturday of the last full weekend in June.

Sunday 27 June The day after

  1. 10:5910:59 AM

    Award finish cut-off Auburn. Runners must reach the finish no later than 10:59:59 a.m. on the following day to be eligible for an award.

Times as published by the organiser, in Olympic Valley time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Olympic Valley time

Trip

Getting a place

Ballot open for the 2027 race Going by the dates read 15 October 2026.

Next: ballot closes, 2027 race, .

Past years and every way in
Every way in, year by year →
Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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