With only 18 days to go before the WS lottery on December 5, there are 1687 applicants.  1687!  With maybe 200 automatics and a total of about 400 selected, the odds of getting picked out of the GUBrew bucket (did you miss the memo that it’s not called GU2O anymore?) are about as good as [...]

Guest Post by White Trash
LAGOS, NIGERIA.
ATTENTION: GOOD AND HONORABLE CRAIG THORNLEY
DEAR SIR,
CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL
HAVING CONSULTED WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE NIGERIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO TRANSFER MY ENTRY INTO THE 2010 WESTERN STATES ENDURANCE RUN INTO YOUR POSSESSION. [...]

Guest Post By lowercase
Craig’s note: While this report was written some time ago, I thought it would be fun to post this at the start of the 2010 Western States 100 entry period.  Go to ultrasignup between Oct 1 and Oct 15 to put your name in the GU2O bucket for the drawing on Dec [...]

The Pacific Northwest has lost an ultrarunning legend this past weekend.  Below is the email Steve Smucker, longtime training partner, sent out to the nwultra list this morning announcing the loss of Dave Terry from Portland, Oregon:
It is with great sadness that I post this notice that Dave Terry has
passed away.  A ten time finisher [...]

Guest Post by Alan Abbs
The White Trash Diaries, Vol 2
My Western States 2009 race report begins back in time — all the way back in December 2007. I make it through the selection process and get in, and I’m determined to get down toward that 20-hour mark, having done 3 straight sub 22-hour races, including [...]

“When you see grown men crying at the finish, you know you’re doing something that is important,” said Western States Board President Tim Twietmeyer at the start of the awards ceremony on Sunday after the 2009 WS 100 Mile Endurance Run.  I imagine it sounds corny or ironic to some that a 100 mile run [...]

Before I get to writing my full race report, I thought I’d share some of the highlights from Western States last weekend.

Pre-race anxiety/excitement in Squaw Valley is high with the competitive field and the increasing temperature forecasts for race day.
Toenail color is Melon of Troy.
I lead the race after the first 50 or so runners [...]

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 [...]

by Means of Western States 100, or the Preservation of Safety in the Struggle for a Finish
As the sport of trail ultrarunning becomes more and more popular, the eyes of the world are beginning to notice us. And what do they see? A bunch of eccentric, whacked-out, non-serious joggers who must be running away from [...]

Instead of all this talk about who’s gonna be in the top five or top ten, I thought us taper-wonked WS runners might want to make some lighter predictions for the race.  If you get named specifically, consider it an honor.
1. Who will wear the Sexiest Outfit?
This is easy.  Jenn Shelton for the ladies and [...]

Guest Post By Laurie Thornley
So, you’ve volunteered to crew for Western States. Now what? Don’t panic. It’s actually a relatively simple process. If your runner has done his job, he will have provided you with adequate instructions for what he expects. All you need to do is follow his instructions, show up when and where [...]

I’m sure you’d rather read about the training secrets of guys like Hal and Graham who’ve actually won WS, but since neither of them is likely to reveal his secrets (although lc did get a handful of gems this weekend from Hal) this will have to do for now.  Below are ten WS training secrets [...]

Here are the answers to the Michigan Bluff Trivia Contest.  Not sure of the exact score but I’m going to give shirts to Paul Charteris and Anthony Brantley.  Carol without an E also did very well, but she already has a shirt and I got most of these answers from materials that were in her [...]

At mile 55.7 of the Western States Endurance Run course you enter the quaint little town of Michigan Bluff, California. As many towns in the foothills of the Sierra, their rich history began after gold was discovered in 1848 at nearby Sutter’s Mill in Coloma.  These towns boomed with activity as thousands of miners chased [...]

Do you remember where you got drunk for the first time?  At a party?  A friend’s house?  The prom?  I was late to the partying scene compared to my friends as I was a goodie-goodie in high school: only one B, student body president, athlete … and it wasn’t until the end of my senior [...]

All you WS runners, tell me you’re as tired as I am.  I am one old cooked goose.  Actually, it’s been a couple of weeks now. Sleep requirements have skyrocketed (10 hours last night).  My easy runs have included bits a walking in between 8-10 minute mile shuffles. My races and workouts have been going [...]

Guest Post by Greg (Cougarbait) Eyerly
Problems are part of the plan.
“If you plan to have problems, then when you have problems, problems are part of the plan. “ I said this quote last week. It had nothing to do with ultrarunning, rather I was explaining to the City Manager and Mayor of Cedar Rapids [...]

As one might expect, since the Western States Endurance Run (WSER) evolved from the Western States Trail Ride (a.k.a. The Tevis Cup ride) – after Gordy Ainsleigh started and finished the 1974 ride without a horse – many of the traditions from the horse race found their way into the run. There’s the 5 a.m. [...]

Guest Post by Tim Twietmeyer
Hey folks, thanks for the insights on the course change question. The reason I ask is not some kind of indictment of Cool or Julie as that was a great event and we need more race directors like Julie willing to pour their heart and soul into race management (she’s also [...]

Answers to WSER Course Trivia Contest
Who would have thought the second WS trivia contest would be over within an hour of posting it?  Who would have thought that Greg Soderlund, RD, would want a Conduct The Juices t-shirt?  And who would have thought that Soderlund would school AJizzleWizzle in WSER course trivia?  I mean, AJizzleWizzle [...]