Run to Win

Due to concerns for runner and volunteer safety, the Western States 100 mile trail race has been canceled. It’s a huge disappointment for all of the runners who are making their way out there right now, and hopefully they are given an opportunity to run next year. This race is extremely limited in the number of people that can be allowed onto the course.

Since the beginning of more than 840 wildfires statewide, 312 wildfires in northern California and more than 3,200 lightning strikes in the Tahoe National Forest alone on June 21, the race’s organizers have worked closely with a variety local, county and state agencies in determining the best course of action for our race. It has become apparent that given our race’s paramount concern – the safety or our runners – holding this year’s race would pose too great a risk to our runners, to our aid station personnel and to our volunteers. Given the close proximity of at least two fires that are within two miles of our race course and a critical access road, as well as the deteriorating air quality stretching from our start in Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif., the board has determined that cancellation, rather than postponement or the use of an alternative course, represents the safest and most prudent decision for our 2008 event.

This year’s lottery was held in December, and Jamie Anderson was the only Trail Monster to get a slot in the race. He’ll lose his entry fee, which isn’t a huge deal, but if he loses his chance to run in the race then he is going to be really bummed out. At least he’s already registered for the Vermont 100 next month.

(More Information: Western States 100 – Hat Tip: Jamie Anderson)

The lottery for the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was this afternoon, and there were 3 Mainers attempting to get in through the lottery.

Jamie Anderson made it through the lottery after having been chosen within the first 20 picks. James Demer and Stephen Wells were not one of the 191 lottery entrants.

Jim Eckert will also represent Maine. He bypassed the lottery because he was guaranteed a slot at the race after having won last year’s raffle.

There were approximately 1350 applicants to run the race this year. There are only 357 slots available for runners, and 166 of those slots were filled by automatic qualifiers who had either won a raffle from the year before, had “lost” in the lottery for the past 2 years, or who were in the top 10 finishers for male or female last year. The race includes entrants from 13 different countries and 40 different states, with the vast majority of runners coming from California.

The Western States Lottery coincided with the ultramarathoners apple pie baking contest today. Chuck Hazzard tried to sway the judges by bringing his pie straight from the oven to the contest, so it was still warm when judging began. No clear front runner could be decided between his pie or Jamie Anderson’s, which had been baked earlier that morning. Everybody seemed pretty happy with both pies.

(Click here to view the 2008 WS 100 Lottery Results)

Brian Morrison of Seattle was disqualified after winning the Western States 100 Miler because he received help maintaining forward motion in the last quarter mile of the race. Graham Cooper of Oakland was then awarded the first place accolodes.

The Western States 100-mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees released the following statement regarding the disqualification: “In his last quarter mile in the stadium, runner number 320 (Brian Morrison), consistently staggered and fell on the high school track. Several times he was lifted, carried, and thereby assisted to maintain forward momentum. It was not a single episode of helping a runner to his feet, but instead a series of material forms of assistance. The actions of runner 320’s crew and others was not given for bad motive; indeed by facilitating his arrival in the medical area, their action likely prevented a life-threatening seizure.”

Congratulations, Graham Cooper. Probably not the way that he wanted to win, and I would hate to be in Brian Morrison’s shoes right now, but it is still a win. Of course, I would not want to be in any of their shoes right now, because (a) I am not in the sort of shape I’d need to be in to run a 100 mile race and (b) the just over 50% finisher rate due to the high heat made for one hell of a brutal race this year.

(Source: Tahoe Daily Tribune via Trail Running Blog)