Western States 100

The Western States 100 is the oldest 100-mile trail race and one of ultrarunning's hardest entries. The point-to-point run starts in Olympic Valley and finishes at Placer High School in Auburn, so Marathon Scout is treating it as an experimental ultra row, similar to Cocodona, because runner demand for tracking and results is high.

The course follows the Western States Trail for 100.2 miles from the Sierra high country to Auburn. Runners climb from Olympic Valley to Emigrant Pass early, then deal with long descents, hot canyons, remote aid stations, the Rucky Chucky river crossing, and the Placer High track finish inside a 30-hour limit.

Late June can give runners cool mountain air near the start, then heat and sun exposure in the canyons before the overnight push toward Auburn. Snowpack, river conditions, and canyon temperatures can all change how hard the same course feels from year to year.