The 52nd Western States Endurance Run sets off from Olympic Valley before dawn on Saturday 27 June, and the start list assembled for the 100-mile journey to Auburn is among the strongest the sport has ever seen. Around 370 of the world's best ultrarunners will tackle the historic point-to-point course, but it is the depth at the front, rather than any single name, that has the trail community convinced this could be a vintage edition of the oldest 100-miler of them all.
Much of the anticipation centres on Jim Walmsley, the four-time champion and course-record holder, who has accepted a sponsor entry to chase a fifth title and reassert his authority on the terrain he has shaped more than anyone in the modern era. Standing in his way is Kilian Jornet, whose rare appearances on American soil always reorder the conversation, alongside Hayden Hawks and a clutch of younger contenders who have grown up racing against Walmsley's splits rather than in awe of them. Defending champion Caleb Olson, who stunned the sport in 2025 with a 14:11:25 finish, the second-fastest in race history, returns determined to prove the result was no anomaly.
The women's race carries its own intrigue, headlined by Riley Brady, the non-binary runner from Boulder who arrives on the back of consecutive Golden Ticket victories and a reputation for racing aggressively from the gun. Tara Dower, who set the overall record on the Appalachian Trail last summer, brings extraordinary durability to the distance, while New Zealand's Caitlin Fielder makes a closely watched 100-mile debut armed with the kind of road and shorter-trail speed that has increasingly rewritten the women's record book.
The course remains the great equaliser. The route climbs roughly 18,000 feet and, more punishingly, drops some 23,000 feet, a relentless sequence of descents that shreds quadriceps long before the finish and routinely undoes runners who arrive in the canyons with too much ambition. Heat is the other variable: the exposed middle third regularly bakes in triple-digit Fahrenheit temperatures, and the river crossing at Rucky Chucky has historically marked the point at which races are won, lost or salvaged.
For all the star power, Western States rewards judgement over bravado, and the smartest pacing rather than the fastest early miles. The depth of this field means a mistake will be punished immediately, with several runners capable of capitalising the moment a favourite falters. Whether Walmsley reclaims his throne, Jornet adds another chapter to his legend or a debutant springs the surprise, the 2026 edition looks set to deliver the kind of attritional drama that has made the silver buckle the most coveted prize in trail running.