Western States 100 Victory: “The Last 6 Miles I Completely Blacked Out”

Anybody who tried to predict early how the women’s race would unfold at the 2019 Western States Endurance Run on Saturday was probably wrong—the 100-mile race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California, was dramatic and intriguing from start to finish and required Clare Gallagher, the champion, to race harder than she probably would have liked beginning at mile 94.

That’s when Gallagher took over at first place, but knew it wasn’t by much judging by the echo of cheers from the aid station below her at the river crossing, signaling Peterson’s arrival.

“The last 20 miles, I was running very scared,” Gallagher said, during her finish line interview now posted at iRunFar, earlier cracking that, “The last six miles, I completely blacked out.”

At the Pointed Rocks check-in point at mile 94.3, the duo were neck-and-neck and remained so until about mile 97. Then Gallagher opted not to stop at the No Hands Bridge aid station, simply dropping any excess gear she didn’t need for the final stretch.

“And then chasing Clare, which was pretty awesome and just super epic to get together at Highway 49,” she said, adding, “and brutal.”

Gallagher’s preparation for Western States was also nontraditional. She devotes her life outside of training to environmental advocacy and during the two weeks leading up to the 100-miler, was on a mountaineering and packrafting expedition in the Arctic Refuge.

“I stopped eating from pretty much the last 20 on, which I don’t condone,” she said, adding up until then she consumed mostly gels. “And coke and ginger ale and frappucino and fried rice.”

David Roche, who is Gallagher’s coach, said in an email to Women’s Running, that Gallagher immediately turned to the crowd after her finish to “tell them how much she love them.”

“When she was caught at mile 95, she threw down some of the fastest splits I have ever seen, closing on that track at five-minute pace around the final bend,” Roche wrote. “When I saw her, she screamed, ‘What just happened?!’ I wasn’t too sure either—I just know I saw one of the best athletes in her element, fueled by lots of love.”

On the men’s side, Jim Walmsley, 29, from Flagstaff, Arizona, earned his second Western States victory, beating his own course record by 21 minutes, in 14:09:28. Jared Hazen, 24, who is Walmsley’s roommate in Flagstaff, was runner up, also beating the previous course record and finishing in 14:26:46. Tom Evans, 27, of Great Britain, was third.