100M

100M

A hundred and sixty-one kilometres and 5,550 metres of climbing, run mostly on the Western States trail and almost entirely in and out of river canyons that hold the heat long after dark. The route works south through Deadwood and the crossing of El Dorado Creek, up the wall to Michigan Bluff, through Foresthill and down the long runnable miles to the river. The last hour is the one every Western States runner knows by heart: No Hands Bridge, then the climb to Robie Point and the streets of Auburn.

The time limit is 35 hours, which means most of the field runs through a full night in the canyons with a headlamp and a crew waiting somewhere above. On Livebib that wait has a screen: the course drawn as a ridgeline, the runner’s live position on it, splits at each aid station and an arrival estimate for the finish that updates as the pace changes.