Competition at Western States
One of the things I love about running Western States is the depth of the competition. There isn’t a comparable 100 miler in this country in terms of quality of field and the fact that so many runners peak for this race. As the race is very difficult to get into, my goal each year has been to finish in the top ten so I can get an automatic spot to come back the following year and do it again. Each year I hope to be in position at the river crossing so I can compete for the coveted automatic entry. This year is no exception. I want to finish 10th man. Chicks in front of me don’t matter.
You’ve probably heard either me or AJW refer to Tommy Nielsen’s advice to run the end of 100 milers like there is somebody 3-4 minutes ahead that you’re trying to catch and somebody else 3-4 minutes behind trying to catch you. That is so true at Western States (unless you’re Hal or Jurek or Morton and you’ve run away from the field) and it can be a real source of motivation when you’ve gone 90 miles, pretty much everything hurts, and all you want to do is stop. I’ve had some great races in my five Western States finishes. In 2004 and 2005, the two years I was 10th man, I didn’t get into the 10th position for good until Brown’s Bar and No Hands Bridge, respectively. Let me tell you, it is a lot of fun fighting for that tenth spot. It can be a bit stressful, and in the heat of the moment I’ve told my pacer that it would be much easier if I was in 6th place, but I do love the added element of competition at the end of Western States.
I’ve referenced Jeff Johnson’s speech to the 2001 Borderclash runners before in this blog. I really like his speech to these high school cross-country runners. I like it so much that I even had the great Ed Willson from Eugene read it the night before the 2005 WS race to all the Eugene runners in Alpine Meadows. His perspective on competition is spot on. He quotes Al Oerter, the 4-time Olympic gold medalist in the discus:
“I’ve never competed against anyone in my life. I’ve always competed with people. To compete against people is a negative thing. To compete with people is a celebration, a celebration of human capability.”
He continues with his own words, “the worthy competitor is essential to the race, not as an enemy, but as a co-conspirator. The race, you see, is a secret form of cooperation. The race is simply each of you seeking your absolute best with the help of each other.” No matter whether you’re fighting for the win, the 10th spot, to break 24-hours, or simply to beat the cutoffs, I think we can all thank each other for conspiring to get the best out of each other. If I’m near you in the race, whether I’m in 10th or 50th, you can rest assured I will be giving it my all to help the both of us get the most out of ourselves.
In conclusion, I compiled the names and times of the 10th man in all of the Western States races since 1978. I’ve heard many people surmise that this year will be the most competitive of all WS races and I’ve been asked what I think it will take to get into the top ten. This field is very deep, thanks in part to the fires of 2008, but also to the Montrail Ultra Cup which allows elite runners to earn a spot to the big dance, but I still think 18:30 will get in the top ten men. Hope everybody racing has a memorable and enjoyable day.
| Year | 10th Man | Time |
| 2007 | Jae-duk Sim | 18:44 |
| 2006 | Glen Redpath | 21:03 |
| 2005 | Craig Thornley | 18:25 |
| 2004 | Craig Thornley | 18:46 |
| 2003 | Mike Sweeney | 18:49 |
| 2002 | Tom Lyons | 19:18 |
| 2001 | Dean Karnazes | 19:45 |
| 2000 | Dean Karnazes | 19:32 |
| 1999 | Mark McDermott | 19:45 |
| 1998 | Mike Tupper | 20:09 |
| 1997 | Kevin Rumon | 19:50 |
| 1996 | Jeff Hines | 20:50 |
| 1995 | Madero Herrera | 21:07 |
| 1994 | Rudy Goldstein | 20:16 |
| 1993 | Alfred Bogenhuber | 20:52 |
| 1992 | Bernd Leupold | 20:17 |
| 1991 | Dana Miller | 18:35 |
| 1990 | Bernd Leupold | 19:30 |
| 1989 | Alfred Bogenhuber | 18:53 |
| 1988 | Doug Latimer | 18:43 |
| 1987 | Jim Pomroy | 20:08 |
| 1986 | Dave Stevenson | 19:29 |
| short course | ||
| 1985 | Tim Twietmeyer | 18:42 |
| 1984 | Gard Leighton | 18:49 |
| 1983 | Charles Hoover | 18:44 |
| 1982 | John Kanieski | 19:41 |
| 1981 | Bill Davis | 20:35 |
| 1980 | Tom Zavortink | 21:46 |
| 1979 | Sid Christie | 19:05 |
| 1978 | Gordy Ansleigh | 22:40 |
18 Responses to “Competition at Western States”
June 22, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Craig,
Great post and a great quote by Al Oerter. Good Luck, Have Fun and Race Hard.
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June 22, 2009 at 10:51 pm
UCAN DOIT!!!
We will run the final 10 miles with only glow sticks in our hands!
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June 22, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I think 18:30 will get you 8th.
AJW
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June 22, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Go out and have the best time of your life Craig!
mom from cool
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June 23, 2009 at 7:54 am
I’d been waiting for someone to throw down a 10th place time guess. Nice revisiting of history to give a look at what it’s taken in the past.
My question becomes how many non-Californians will crack the top 10 this year? Looking at the entrant list I’m guessing more than 5 this year. Would that be the most ever in the history of WS?
Good luck to everyone this weekend. Have a great run
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June 23, 2009 at 8:18 am
Interesting. My expectations on these times would have been for it to show a trend of dropping over time. Doesn’t look like that happens.
Good luck Craig and to everyone running. Make sure you take time to enjoy the experience.
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June 23, 2009 at 10:50 am
18:30 ain’t gettin’ you anywhere near 10th. There will be 20 guys under 18 hours this year. But you will be one of them, because you are in the shape of your life!
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June 23, 2009 at 11:32 am
@Joe Talent - 20 guys under 18 hours? Wow, bold prediction. Especially with forecast highs in the mid-90’s. Care to make a list of the 20 guys?
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June 23, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts. And, @Joe Talent if there are indeed 20 guys under 18 hours that will be one heck of race to be a part of.
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June 23, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I bet there are more than 20 guys that *think* they will be under 18 hours.
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June 23, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I was just thinking about this same subject this week and I agree with you, LB. 18:30ish should be top-10.
Joe Talent - are you going to be one of those 20???
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June 23, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Craig,
Thanks for the excellent philosophy and information in this post.
May you have a great race on Saturday, and at least a 6th place finish.
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June 24, 2009 at 9:47 am
I will be at Peachstone Aid cheering you all on!
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June 24, 2009 at 1:19 pm
LB,
Enough elite runner talk(Love me, look at me, see how good I am) :).
How about some stats from the world I live in? How many will break 24?…I say a record high of 110. Imagine breaking 24, placing 100th, and 45% of the field drops? Oh, and here’s you buckle. Wait, sorry, we ran short this year, we’ll mail to you. If you pay the shipping.
@Jasper, that’s pretty funny, cuz it’s probably true.
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June 24, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@Grae Van Hooser - As I sit here on my mom’s deck in ALT looking over the American River Canyon, I predict the following:
The last runner to break 24 hours will run 23:something. This is probably a Ticerism although I’ve never heard him say it. I doubt they’ll run out of buckles since they didn’t give any away last year. Oh, and if they do, maybe this year they’ll present the buckles from the slowest to the fastest.
See you at Squaw.
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June 24, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Ah, yes, sipping one of those drinks with the little umbrella no doubt. Enjoying those toasty temperatures we’re now getting! I guess those little orgies you guys were having in the sauna are going to pay off for ya.
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June 24, 2009 at 10:36 pm
@Grae Van Hooser - A little taper-wonked are you? Actually, just drinking ice water. Probably going to be hyponatremic before I start. It was a little toasty on the drive down (103 near Redding), but it was only 89 by the time I got to No Hands Bridge at 7:30pm. Quite pleasant compared to the YMCA sauna. Bring on 100 degrees!
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July 1, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Sorry for the late response to this post, but work and chores have been keeping me too busy. I thought congratulations were in order, Craig, for having the fastest M10 finishing time (2005) in the last 31 years. Cheers!
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