100 Friends, One DayĪ belt buckle would be nice, but I wouldn’t trade the relationships I built along the way for anything (though if someone wanted to forge me a “100 Friends, One Day” buckle, I’d wear the heck out of that). Being hyped for States meant believing that I was fully capable of having a good day-a great day, even-and embracing that hype now means that a good, or even great day, still lies ahead. I was a different person before I ever reached the start line because I had finally given myself permission to level up so that I could meet States on her own terms, and when she demanded excellence, I let myself chase it.Įmbracing the States hype means embracing hype for myself, and for my own potential. RELATED: Western States Endurance Run Announces 2024’s Golden Ticket Races and a Beast Coast Entry I ate with a gusto that can only be called “Ben and Jerry’s Radical Self Belief Swirl.” And at night, I dreamed about running the smooth trails around Cool, California. I strength-trained until I needed to replace the step-up box that had seen me through the pandemic. I heat trained, befriending the cedar planks of the gym’s sauna until 200 degrees felt like home. I set better boundaries with work, because the canyons put the fear of God in my quads, and a few unanswered emails no longer seemed that scary compared to the prolonged descents’ carnivorous instincts. I finally gave myself permission to take my training seriously, and to dream recklessly. I started behaving and carrying myself like someone who could, in fact, run Western States. While the workouts and long runs were a step above what I’d been doing previously, the biggest change was in my own head and heart. The six months of training leading up to Western States were the most transformative of my athletic career. I got lucky and received a sponsor spot after running a qualifying race. Qualifying, then getting picked in the lottery (or racing one’s way in by earning a Golden Ticket) is a process, and one that can take athletes years, and upwards of 160 lottery tickets to achieve. There may no longer be gold in the hills around Auburn, but giving yourself over to their magic is its own kind of alchemy. And while you can’t see Patti Smith live or hear a Kerouac book reading, you can still see the best athletes of our time gallop up the Escarpment at sunrise, and that’s pretty dang special. Sometimes these special places capture something vital about the culture they reflect back. It’s a scene the way CBGB was a scene, the way City Lights was a scene. What’s not to love about a race directed by someone who proudly, and professionally goes by Lord Balls across all social media platforms, and whose origin story ( brilliantly reported by Sarah Lavender Smith, which should get a Pulitzer for Excellence In Twitter Handle Investigation ) reveals that the course humbles even its RD. RELATED: Nine Training Takeaways from Adam Peterman, World Champion and Western States 100 Winner Is that Ruth Croft, drinking a cappuccino, in broad daylight, as if she isn’t one of the greatest athletes of all time? And just like good princes and princesses, they’ll even take a beaming selfie with their loyal subjects while we try to soak up their speed through osmosis. In the days prior to the race, Olympic Valley is the Disney World of endurance sports, where the princesses and princes walk among us. It was a scene, in the best way possible. Galloping from one shakeout run to another, doing strides between panels and film screenings and gear giveaways and happy hours and quasi-recreational VKs. Everyone seemed to be jogging everywhere. When I first arrived into Olympic Valley, I felt a tectonic shift. Honestly, I approached it with a bit of a shrug and an eye-roll, because, well, isn’t it so overdone? Isn’t Western States a bit played out, and over-hyped? I first came to States as a young reporter, covering the race for this publication. Here’s why I’m all-in on the Western States Stoke Train. Even though I DNF’d at mile 80 (a profound thank you to the resident near Green Gate who so generously gave me a ride in his Subaru so I didn’t have to hobble-cry my way out of the aid station), training for and participating in WSER made me level up as both a human and an athlete, and it brought me closer to the trail community than ever. The process of getting ready for that race changed my life, and it made me fall even more in love with the sport. Last year, I trained for and raced (most of?) the Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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