American ultra-trail runner Caleb Olson emerged as a surprise winner of the demanding Western States Endurance Run on Saturday, conquering the scorching canyons of Northern California to secure victory.
He finished ahead of Spanish star Kilian Jornet, who placed third in the highly competitive 100-mile (161-kilometre) race.
Billed as one of the most competitive editions in its 52-year history, this year’s event lived up to expectations.
Approximately 15 elite runners reached the course’s high point, around 2,600 metres (8,600 feet) above sea level, shortly after a 5:00 am (1200 GMT) start at Olympic Valley.
After navigating chilly snowfields in the Sierra Nevada mountains, participants then faced the brutal heat of the canyons, where temperatures neared 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). This unforgiving combination of extreme heat, rugged terrain, and approximately 5,500 metres of climbing took its toll on many in the field.
Maintaining an impressive average pace of nearly 12 kilometres per hour, the 29-year-old Olson surged to the front midway through the race and held his lead. He crossed the finish line at Auburn High School in 14 hours, 11 minutes, and 25 seconds, just two minutes shy of Jim Walmsley’s course record of 14:09:28.
Walmsley, a three-time winner, did not participate in this year’s race.
Olson’s victory, following his fifth-place finish in 2024, solidifies his position among the elite ultra-trail runners.
The Salt Lake City native had previously achieved top-20 finishes at the “CCC,” the 100-km sister race to the renowned Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
Chris Myers secured second place after running shoulder-to-shoulder with Olson for much of the race. Spain’s Jornet, 37, finished third, mirroring his result from the 2010 Western States.
Jornet returned to the event 14 years after his sole victory, aiming to test himself against a new generation of athletes on California’s fast, exposed trails.
Despite his renowned mental toughness, Jornet was unable to close the gap during the hottest sections of the course. Over the past 15 years, he has significantly contributed to raising the profile of trail running, broadening the appeal of this niche endurance pursuit.
Even with elite preparation and advanced cooling strategies, the challenges of the Western States prove formidable. Simply gaining entry to the event, which is limited to just 369 entrants, is a significant accomplishment in itself.
Elite runners can qualify by earning one of the 30 “Golden Tickets” awarded at select races. For others, entry depends on an annual livestreamed lottery that draws nearly 10,000 hopefuls, some of whom wait a decade for their name to be called. For first-time applicants, the odds of entry hover around 0.04 per cent, improving only with years of patience and additional qualifying ultras.
Despite overcoming the hurdles to entry, some runners are unable to complete the course. Among those forced to withdraw this year was American David Roche, a rising star who had won both of his previous 100-milers.
Greeted by cheers at the Foresthill aid station at mile 62, Roche appeared visibly shaken and eventually withdrew. His father, Michael Roche, expressed concern, stating he had “never seen him in that kind of state.”
