2015 Western States 100 mile Race

In the world of ultra-marathons there are a few iconic races that are on most runners bucket lists. Being the oldest and one of the most competitive 100 mile races in the world, Western States is one of them.

For years I've been dreaming of running WS. I read articles and books about it, watched YouTube videos and even spent money on buying a movie about the race. You would be right by saying I was a bit obsessed. After all it was the No. 1 on my list...

For the past couple of years ultra-running has experienced a boom and races are clear indicators of this. Once the registration opens, some of them fill up in hours. There are less than 400 places each year at WS for runners as the event runs through a protected wilderness area but there are 5x more applicants. There are a couple of places for top competitors and race admins. So for the average runner like me the chance to get in is fairly slim.

 
First the runner has to run a qualifying race to show the organisers that he/she has what it takes and has a good chance of finishing in general... Then register and go through a lottery system. For runners applying for the first time the chance to get in is about 3-4%... But I thought it would be wise to at least start the process - as every consecutive year you apply your chances are increasing.

With this in mind I registered last year. Then came the lottery at the beginning of December and boy, Christmas came early for me. I was following the lottery online and couldn't believe it when my name appeared - thinking it must be a mistake. Then shortly the confirmation email came and it was official, I am one of the selected few who can toe the start line in Squaw Valley, California. 

For a few days I was panicking, realising what I’d got myself into. 100.2 miles, 18,000 ft of ascent and 23,000 ft of descent through the Sierra Nevada mountains, 30+ degrees heat, crossing the ice cold American River, the possibility of running into wild life and who knows what else... I knew that training for this was going to be difficult and would take up all the free time I had. Also I thought that giving up smoking would be useful, so on the 31st of December last year I had my last cigarette and went cold turkey...

Training started in January, slowly easing back into running after 3 months of down time. I thought that since the Stortford area is lacking mountains I would gain strength by running a lot. I planned that by April I would build up my mileage to 100 miles a week; keep it high until June and then taper for 2-3 weeks.

Along the way Oliver Last, whom I met in Coffee Corner, convinced me to join the running club and for that I can't thank him enough! Training became easier, running with others felt great! Before I was a lone wolf but now I had found my pack. I gained a lot from the interval sessions, running with faster guys on social group runs and races. But I gained the most from the  support of others! Every member was just super friendly and welcoming. Two of them stand out, they deserve special credit. I ran with them the most and talked about training and preparation the most (brainstorming most of the time). But their enthusiasm was a huge push and help for months. Huge thanks to Oliver Last and Jonathan Haynes! Couldn't have done it without these guys...

June came and it was time to fly to California! Packed my bags and flew to Los Angeles on the 21st - a week before the race. I wanted to give myself time to get used to the time difference and climate. Also I planned to visit a few places before and after the race. 

I rented a car and made my way to Yosemite National Park. I wanted to camp there so I stopped at an outlet centre to buy a few things like sleeping bag, tent and other stuff.

In this outlet centre there was an Asics shop and since I love their shoes I couldn't help myself and looked inside. No surprise, everything was super cheap and the range was impressive. Seeing the prices I thought it would be a sin not to buy a trail shoe. I knew, wisdom says not to try anything new on race day. I was planning to run WS in my roadrunners but I was a bit unsure. I thought I could break in the new shoes on one of the trails in Yosemite or at least I would have a backup. (Trashed 2 pairs on races before) So I walked out from the shop with a big smile and a pair of Asics Fuji Racer trail shoes!

After arriving at Yosemite I headed for some trails. I found the Four Mile trail which is 4.8 miles with over 3000 ft climb. I thought this would be a good testing ground for my new shoes! And they worked brilliant! With not even 10 miles on them, I decided to run WS in them and my road shoes became the backup. 

I arrived at Squaw Valley 2 days before the start. There were some conferences, expo and other events related to the race. Runners and their crews started to pour into the small village and an exciting vibe started to develop. After checking in to my hotel I took a walk around the area, had a coffee and grabbed a bite (pizza). 

I was totally amazed by the surroundings - huge mountains wherever I looked. It was a ski resort. The 1960's winter Olympic Games took place here, and my race started here too! It was intimidating to say the least. After I got over this shock and finished my pizza, I found the registration HQ and store. I bought a couple of t-shirts and a pair of arm-sleeves. Another new thing on race day as I’d never worn arm-sleeves before. But I thought that I could stuff them with ice and it would help me to get through the heat during the day and then would keep me warm once the sun went down.

As I paid for my purchase a guy walked in and I recognised him straight away. It was Michael Wardian, an idol of mine. I asked him for a picture and he turned out to be a genuine, down to earth, really nice guy. We had a drink and I chatted with him for over an hour. I did  some food shopping afterwards and returned to my hotel. I jumped into the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing; I knew the next day was going to be tiring, not to mention the following! I went to bed early and had a solid 7 hours sleep. I woke up excited the next morning. It was registration day! I had a coffee and some toast then headed for race reg. As I left my hotel I passed the drop-bag area and saw another hero of mine, Tim Twietmeyer. The guy has finished WS 25 times in under 24 hours, winning it 5 times. He is an absolute legend he is and, of course, I had to shake hands with him and take a picture. Then I went to register for the race and picked up my swag. As I hung around I felt like a 10 year old in Disneyland. During the day I've met some of the legends of ultra-running. Gordy Ainsleigh, Rob Krar, Ann Trason, Stephanie Howe, Nikki Kimball, Krissy Moehl and many others. It was like walking next to giants! After this overload I returned to my hotel room and prepared my drop bags. I decided to send my running pack ahead and run the first 55 miles with two handheld bottles. I also my head torches, spare shoes, socks and club vest into the drop bags. Once the dropbags were sorted, I turned my attention to the gear I would actually wear the next day.

I laid out everything on the floor -  shoes, socks, underwear, shorts, belt, t-shirt, arm-sleeves, buff, sunglasses, hat (new item) and bottles. Problem was, only one of my bottles had a strap and I learned from a previous race that this is essential! So I jumped into my car and drove to the next town, Tahoe City and bought a new handheld I wasn't familiar with. But that was the only one they had in store so I had no other option...
I'm sure, by now you are convinced that I'm a loony! 

After all this I retired and spent the rest of the afternoon in my room. Made some pasta, had a really loooong shower and watched TV. I tried not to stress about what was coming in a couple of hours. I tried but didn't succeed, I got really nervous. I fell asleep after midnight and was awake by 3 am. I was a little bit worried, running 100 miles with only 3 hours sleep... Anyway, I got dressed and made my way to the start where I picked up my bib and had breakfast with the other runners. It was 4 am, still dark but everyone was buzzing! I don't know if it was the coffee or the nerves but I felt the need for a toilet visit. I felt lighter and more relaxed afterwards and started to enjoy the experience. 

We started to gather behind the start and the next thing I knew, we're counting back from 10, 9, 8... It was 5 am and the 371 of us started the journey to Auburn, where the race would finish, 100.2 miles away.
I started really slowly. I ran hardly for minute and changed to a hike. The first 4 miles were a 2400ft uphill section, which takes the elite just over 40 minutes. It took me 1:03. There were people cheering all the way to the top and once I reached the top an amazing view appeared in front of me. Seeing the sun rising and realising that I was part of the Western States history, gave me the goose-bumps. Next, a long downhill section. For the first few miles I felt really good and was in a chatty mood. I shared some words with other runners and, because of my t-shirt (Thames Path 100), I had to explain to everyone that although I'm Hungarian I live in Bishops Stortford. I met some of these guys later in the race, and as I passed them, they cheered me on as "the Hungarian Hammer"! Lol!

I reached the first aid-station at mile 10ish in 2:17 and I was kinda happy with that. A volunteer filled my bottles; I grabbed some fruit and a gel, thanked the guys and continued the race. From the beginning I paid extreme attention to my calorie intake and made sure that I had 4 gels on me at any given time. Every 30-40 minutes I squeezed a gel into my mouth, no matter how I felt. Because of this, I have never felt low on energy and didn't hit the wall. 

Not everyone felt as good as I did. Not even 15 miles into the race I saw a girl next to the trail throwing up. I stopped for a moment to check if she needed some help - which she didn't - so I left her.
It was getting warmer by the minute and instead of drinking, I was splashing my water on my face and body. From Duncan Canyon (mile 23.8) I started putting ice into my arm-sleeves and hat. This actually worked really well and will do this in future races to fight the heat...

I was sweating buckets and as a result of the heat it evaporated quickly, leaving salt behind on my skin. This is a big problem where skin rubs, in my case between my thighs. I could hardly wait to reach the next aid-station and get lubed up with some vaseline. From Robinson Flat I used vaseline at all the aid-stations until Green Gate. Chaffing is really painful and can end a race.

The Sierra Nevada is part of the Rocky Mountains, and it’s called that for a reason. Some parts of the trail were really technical, with loose rocks where I had to pay attention to my foot placement. At first it was fun running these parts but as they continued on and on I got concerned. I had had problems with my shins before in races and soon my left shin started to flare up. First it was discomfort that would come and go in my lower leg area. Then my ankle started to hurt, followed by my neck as I kept my sight down to see where I was stepping. Things started to become worse and worse... I was passing Dusty Corners, running in reddish, ankle deep powder which ended up in my nostrils. As I tried to blow my nose, I felt something flowing from my nose. Blood was dripping down my face - covering my white arm-sleeves and t-shirt. I tried to wash it out with my leftover water so as not to scare people who might have thought that I was dying or something. At Last Chance, I applied vaseline as usual, had some water melon, and filled my bottles. I was about to leave the station when three ladies invited me into the shades. They had an industrial spray and buckets of ice water. 

They drenched me completely. Man, it felt like heaven, I almost proposed to all three of them. The hottest part of the day came and I reached the steepest climb on the course. The climb up to Devil’s Thumb seemed endless and the heat was something I've never experienced before. First thing I've reached for on arriving at the aid-station was a bucket ice-water and sponges. I cooled down a bit and sat down for the first time (mile 48) with a cup of cold veggie soup. The guys had a few tents set up with some bunk beds and chairs. I saw people wrapped in space-blankets, IV fluid in arms, people covered in wounds from falls. It was a bit like a war-zone with wounded soldiers. I was hurting but didn't feel as bad as some other runners. So I thanked the guys and left. A steep downhill part came and it felt worse than climbing! My shin was done, I walked the downhill part until Eldorado Creek in 1:30ish, runners passing me along the way. The pain and frustration started to get to me and I found myself in a dark space. This feeling stayed with me for more than 15 miles. I couldn't run even the gentle downhills. I got to Michigan Bluff where I've sent my first dropbag, inside were my running pack, head-torch, gels, and a long sleeve top. I just took the pack and torch, leaving the rest. Here the aid-station captain, Kevin Sawchuk had a chat with me. He told me I was 20 minutes behind the 24h runners but if I still had my legs and I stopped wasting time I could get a silver buckle. So he rushed me out and I was on the trail again. Still in pain but moving forward. I’d been on my feet for more than 12 hours and felt awful. Everything was hurting, I was tired and it didn't seem to cool down despite being late afternoon. I finally reached Foresthill, a major aid-station where runners could pick up their pacer. If they had one that is - you guessed it, I did not have one. When I was in my chatty mood, talking to others I've told them I was doing this on my own. No crew, no pacer and it’s my first time. All of them said the same, that I was nuts and insane. Anyway, as I reached Foresthill, a volunteer ran towards me asking if I needed medical attention. I said yes, he gave the thumbs down notifying people that something was wrong. I sat down next to the medical tent and I told them about my shin. They shouted for someone and a blondie appeared for my pleasure!   I spent 30 minutes in the chair, got my shin taped which was firm and felt great! There and then I made a decision that I was going to give whatever I had and run my heart and soul out. And that’s what I did. From mile 62 I was passing runners and their pacers. I just filled a single bottle up with water to save time and just grabbed 1-2 gels that I tore open in mid-run. I was out in 60 seconds in the remaining aid-stations. 

I was running where on my left was a rock wall and on the right bushes covering a drop. I was flying, not feeling tiredness or pain, suddenly I spotted three guys. Two runners and a pacer. Two of them were trying to pull the third guy back on the trail, saving him from sliding down the hill through barbed-wire like plants and bushes. Apparently the runner was so tired that he almost ran off the trail. If it wasn't for his pacer who caught him and the other runner catching up to them, he would've had a really bad day!

I have reached a section where the grass was as tall as me and and couldn't really see what was in front of me. I came up on another two guys just before a right hand turn. They looked a bit hesitant, standing in one place but I didn't give it any thought and passed them. As I took the turn I saw an animal on the trail in front of me. The others must have seen it too, hence stopping... My heart stopped beating for a second. Then I realised it was only a skunk, so I continued. It’s not unheard of to see bears and cougars and rattlesnakes on this course, so I felt lucky with the stinker. Couldn't risk getting sprayed so I kept some distance and we ran together for a short period. Finally it left the trail, disappearing into the thick grass and I could pick up the pace again. 
The sun went down but didn't get much cooler and now I ran with a head-torch. To my surprise, not once did I miss the trail and get lost! Passing others made me feel strong and powerful and I felt better than at the beginning when I was fresh. I ran the downhills as hard as I could and power-hiked the uphills. Finally I've reached Rucky Chucky, the river crossing at mile 78. Got my fluorescent ring on my neck, a life-vest and into the river I charged. It was cold, freezing cold. The guys said the water is waist deep, I wasn't their height, and it came up until my chest at places. The footing was unstable, rocky and slippery. Holding my bottles in one hand and hanging on to the rope with the other, it took me a few minutes to get to the other side but I made it somehow. I felt really stiff getting out from the water and felt cold for the first time during the race. On the far side of the river my 2nd drop-bag was waiting for me with a new pair of socks and shoes. I just changed socks, my brand new trail shoes were working brilliant and didn't need changing! At mile 85 the medic asked me, when was the last time I peed? I couldn't answer. I didn't remember, it was that long ago, clearly I was dehydrated badly. I promised that I would drink more and assured him that I felt fine. Although feeling fine, I got a bit concerned, so I forced down both bottles of water before reaching the next aid-station and even peed. I was relieved that I still had my kidneys! 

I was cruising and knew that I was getting closer to the finish-line with every stride. I ran through the last two aid-stations without stopping, not taking water or gels. I  reached Auburn, still had an hour for the 24hour cutoff so I relaxed and walked a bit. Kids were on the street despite being 4:xx am. They were cheering and high-fiving us runners. I reached into my pack and got my BSRC vest out, thinking it would be nice to do the final mile in club colours. Then finally I spotted the entrance of the Placer Highschool's track, where the race finishes. As I ran the final metres I had a huge smile on my face. I threw my bottles and pack on the grass and glided around the track towards the finish. I crossed the finish line with my arms in the air and felt like I’d won the race. 23:38:28 A race official gave a pat on my back and hung the finishers medal around my neck. Finally I could stop and not have any stress to move forward. I grabbed a bottle of water and picked up my stuff that I'd thrown away, then headed for the massage tent. I had a short and extremely painful session. Then the tiredness took over and I laid down on the grass and had a 3 hour power-nap. I woke up around 8ish, had breakfast three times then took a long shower. It was bitter-sweet, there wasn't really hot water and the raw bits of my thighs were stinging but I felt cleaner and fresher afterwards. I watched the golden-hour of the race then had to wait for the awards ceremony. Finally I got my sub 24 hour, silver belt buckle that I've been dreaming of for so long! 

After the ceremony, I got a ride back to my hotel where I took a proper, hot shower. Later, as I laid on my bed many things went through my mind, emotions became loose, it started to sink in what I'd just done. I curled up into a ball and cried myself into sleep...

Janos Orsos