Western States 100 Race Report

Race: Western States Endurance Run 100 Miles

Runner: Matt Urbanski (Team RunRun founder and coach)

Race Date: 06/29/2024

Location: Olympic Valley, CA, to Auburn, CA

Result: 22 hours 48 minutes, 72nd place overall

Strava link: Part 1 Part 2 (You know it’s a long race when there are 2 Strava files!)

Matt at the finish of Western States 100
Matt still smiling at the finish of the Western States 100, showcasing his “funky button down finisher shirt”!

3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
  1. My crew. I had such a good time with my crew and my pacers. Getting so many of my favorite people together is the best!
  2. The volunteers. The volunteer to runner ratio is amazing. I had people sponging me down with ice water at nearly every aid station!
  3. The race vibe. It just feels like a special race, and everyone realizes that we’re all fortunate to be there doing this together.
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?

Even though I didn’t achieve my primary goals for the race, I stayed positive throughout. While the outcome was unsatisfying, I never despaired and I never gave up. I stayed positive and made the most of a situation that was not what I was planning or hoping for. I’m especially happy that I was able to enjoy the last 20 miles with my brother pacing me despite having to walk most of that.

My short sad story is that my left hip flexor started hurting 3.5 hours into the race. I was mentally ready to start feeling tired at this point and to not feel great by the 15 to 20 mile mark of the race, but the feeling in my hip was not fatigue but more acute pain. I stopped briefly, rubbed it out, and then finally took some ibuprofen (I usually save that for way later in the race!). From then on, I was able to run easily for a long while – thanks to Chris Harrington, I was able to latch on and get into a steady groove.

At that point, I still believed I was able to run low 18s or even sneak into the 17s. But the hip kept coming back. Me and my crew worked hard to solve it, and even from Foresthill to Green Gate my pacer, Teddy, and I were moving well. But once it got dark, my hip pain got to be too much (the darkness wasn’t the cause, just coincidence!) so Jeff and I tried a walk run strategy for a bit, but eventually I had to just walk. My energy level was fine, my mind was fine, but I couldn’t lift my left leg to run.

I went through some more rationale negativity – it didn’t have the depth of despair that I’ve felt in other disappointing ultras. But I talked seriously about not wanting to race anymore. I questioned whether I had the fire to keep doing these when I’ve had so many unsatisfying races over the past few years. The disappointment that comes with not reaching my potential made me question my desire to keep trying. But there was no doubt I would finish this race. I knew I could and would finish the Western States 100. And I was able to walk quickly in and walk the track in with my awesome friends!

Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
  1. If you don’t live at altitude, be prepared to feel the elevation in the first 30 miles.
  2. It gets hot! Pre-race: heat train! Include sauna sessions and running when it’s hot. I did a lot of sauna sessions and think that it helped a lot. During the race: stay cool and keep wet! Wear a hat, use the ice available at aid stations, sponge yourself down with water and ice, keep hydrating often.
  3. There are so many runnable sections on this course, so be patient and save your energy for the sections that fit your strengths. There was more single track than I anticipated, so be prepared, and train to run faster on narrow trails that aren’t totally smooth.
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around

I would do more workouts on single track trails, trying to make faster running on narrow trails feel easier.

Matt putting his single track trail skills to the test.
Matt putting his single track trail skills to the test.
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race

Break the Western States 100 into three main parts:
1. The High Country. It was less smooth than I was anticipating. It isn’t overly technical or difficult, but it’s also not smooth. There were a number of sections with baseball-sized rocks strewn around the trail that made it necessary to be more focused than I was expecting. Some sections were more overgrown or difficult to see than I was expecting. Additionally, the higher elevation is noticeable for someone coming from sea level, so I had to be extra cautious and patient while up high.
2. The Canyons. The steepest climbs and descents are in this section and it feels hottest here. The two bigger descents were more narrow single track with rocks than I remembered, and coupled with my aching hip flexor, I took this section way slower than I would have liked. The two big climbs are the only sections I really felt like I needed to hike. Poles (not allowed) would have been great here.
3. The rest of the course. The Cal Street section from Foresthill to the river was not as fast as I was expecting. There were lots of little rollers and single track that kept me from really getting going fast. We worked well through here and I’m happy with it, but it was slower than I was expecting. I liked the climb up from the river. There was a lot of runnable faster stuff in the last 20 miles of the course that I walked given my hip, but knowing that there is a lot of runnable stuff to finish is key. This is why conserving energy and staying patient is important: if you have legs, you can really fly the last 20 miles!

Summary: There was more single track and rocks than I was anticipating. That said, there were still plenty of fast and runnable dirt roads.

Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?

It’s a great course with a lot of unique features. I loved the high country landscape, and I liked the canyons section – dry and sort of lonely – I wasn’t around a lot of runners during this section. Contrasted with the busy sections like the start, Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, and the finish, the mix of people and solitude was great! Another course highlight were the lovely sections by the river in the late afternoon/early evening light.

Looks are deceiving: don't be fooled, Western States 100 is one of the most challenging races in the US!
Looks are deceiving: don’t be fooled, Western States 100 is one of the most challenging races in the US!

Difficulty – Is it a tough course?

Definitely a tough course with unique elements! However, they’re all things that one could prepare for; they’re still difficult, but less so if you prepare.

Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?

The best! This race is dialed in. The only negative I heard was from my crew in that the driving directions were less clear than they could have been. Simply providing a GPS waypoint for Google Maps would have been helpful opposed to the “turn left and then go east” sort of directions.

Competition – Is there a strong field?

Undoubtedly! The Western States 100 is the most competitive and historic 100 miler in the US!

Matt still smiling at mile 62 coming through the Foresthill aid station.
Matt still smiling at mile 62 coming through the Foresthill aid station.
Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.

It’s not easy to get into the race as the field size is limited to only 375 runners. I started trying to get into the race in 2017 and finally got into the 2024 race – 8 years later!

Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?

There are 20 aid stations throughout the Western States 100, some allow crew and some don’t. The aid stations are great and stock a wide range of real food options including fresh fruit, trail mix, potato chips, candy, and more. I filled my bottles with GU Roctane Energy drink from the aid stations but otherwise used all my own gels. They had GU brand sports nutrition and I’m not a fan of GU. In hindsight, I would have taken the GU Chomps (chews) but I forgot about them and didn’t realize they were there until my brother grabbed some from the last aid station! I fueled mainly on Precision Fuel & Hydration gels, SiS Beta Fuel and Isotonic gels, along with some Skratch drink mix for electrolytes.

They had ice water and sponges at most aid stations. Some seemed to have some odd rules about runners not being allowed to touch the sponges themselves though. I wanted to just go for it and really douse myself but they often wouldn’t let me. But the service and the desire to help from the volunteers was huge and very felt amazing!

Weather and typical race conditions
Matt's crew of Teddy Bross, Ruby Wyles and Jeff Urbanski at the start of the Western States 100.
Matt’s crew of Teddy Bross, Ruby Wyles and Jeff Urbanski at the start of the Western States 100.

Be prepared for it all! The race starts early in the high country, making it cool and sometimes (not this year though) snow on the grounds, which can be a big factor to be prepared for! The toughest conditions happen in the middle where it’s blazing hot – expect over 90 degrees, plus the direct sun and humidity makes it feel even worse. We had a moderate year where it maybe got to the high 80s/low 90s, but it was still hot!

Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?

I wore a Naked Brand belt with two water bottles, Janji tight shorts with pockets for my gels, and a singlet with arm sleeves. Thankfully my crew had ice bandanas for me at aid stations which helped me stay cool.

I switched to wearing a Salomon ADV5 pack at Foresthill. My hip flexor on my left leg started giving me troubles 20 miles into the race and bothered me the rest of the day (I’m still not running 2 weeks post-race because it’s still messed up!). My crew thought that maybe it was the stress/pressure of the tight belt with the two bottles up near my front that could have been causing it, so I switched to a pack. The other advantage of the pack was that we filled the back part with ice for most of the remainder of the race.

Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?

We split our crew into two for the first half. Crew 1 went from the start to Duncan Canyon and Dusty Corners, while Crew 2 went to Robinson Flat and Michigan Bluff. This worked out great for me, but it did make for a long and tiring day for my crew, wife and kids! From there on, I saw my crew at Foresthill and Pointed Rocks, and then again at Robie Point.

The fanfare and energy on the course was awesome! At the same time, there were long stretches where I saw no one, including runners. The race spread out surprisingly quickly!

How’s the Swag?

Really impressive: a Hoka backpack and slides, Goodr sunglasses, a new pair of socks. Nike were even giving away free trail shoes to all Western States 100 racers! The belt buckle for finishers is sweet, and they gave a funky button down shirt to all finishers when we crossed the line – the shirt was totally my style too!

The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?

10 out of 10!

I’m bummed that I didn’t race well. I put a lot into training and I believed I could do more on race day. But I made the most of the day and will have good memories from it. The race itself is totally worth the hype and everyone should do it if they get the chance!

For more on the Western States Endurance Run, check out Matt’s pacer Teddy Bross’ own Western States 100 race report from his 2017 race.