The countdown is nearly over for the 2026 Western States Endurance Run, with 370 athletes due to set off from Olympic Valley before dawn on Saturday 27 June for the 100.2-mile journey to Auburn, California. The sport’s oldest 100-miler once again anchors the trail-running calendar, sending runners over roughly 18,000 feet of climbing and more than 22,000 feet of descent on a historic, net-downhill course through the Sierra Nevada. With a deep international entry list and several marquee names returning, this year’s edition promises one of the most competitive races in the event’s storied history.
The men’s race is loaded with pedigree. Four-time champion and course-record holder Jim Walmsley returns to the canyons he knows better than anyone, while Kilian Jornet — third here last year — chases a victory fifteen years on from his 2011 win. Former champion Adam Peterman is back and reportedly in strong form, and Italy’s Francesco Puppi steps up to the 100-mile distance for the first time as a genuine podium threat. With six of last year’s top ten men expected to line up, the depth behind the headliners may prove just as decisive as the star power at the front.
The women’s field is, if anything, even deeper. Defending champion Abby Hall returns alongside two-time runner-up Fu-Zhao Xiang, with nine of last year’s top ten anticipated on the start line. The intrigue is heightened by two newcomers: Jennifer Lichter, who set a new Black Canyon 100k course record earlier in the year while beating several Western States contenders, and Molly Seidel, the 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medallist making a hugely anticipated move to the trails. The clash of road speed, ultra experience and rising mountain talent makes the women’s outcome especially hard to call.
As ever at Western States, the weather may write the story. Temperatures along the course can swing from around 20 degrees at altitude to well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the exposed canyons, and finishing times are heavily dependent on the heat. On a hot day, the leaders can lose anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour against cooler-year benchmarks, and the difference between a controlled early effort and an aggressive one is often the difference between a strong finish and a long walk to Auburn. Hydration, cooling strategy and patience through the canyons will be every bit as important as raw fitness.
The race also carries its usual blend of elite drama and grassroots endurance, with the vast majority of the 370 starters chasing personal milestones and the coveted sub-24-hour silver buckle rather than the win. Live coverage will once again allow fans around the world to follow the action from the start in Olympic Valley to the finish on the Placer High School track. With a 30-hour cut-off stretching the event into Sunday morning, Western States remains both a championship-calibre showdown and a celebration of what the 100-mile distance asks of everyone who toes the line.