The Western States Experience | Day 2!

by Chase & Nikki Parnell — June 25, 2021

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I don’t know how much of an outlier I am, but I’m having an absolute blast down here, soaking it all in and nerding out hard on all the Western States storylines, history, and superstars. One of the craziest things so far is just how accessible it all is. If you walk through the Olympic village here, all the pro ultra runners are just right there hanging out. I know this isn’t the NBA but it still feels a little wild that as a fan you can literally walk up to any one of them and get chatty. I mean, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was taken back to high school a little bit, the cool kids circled up in the hallway, but then again, these are ultra runners, odds are they’re probably pretty chill.

I started off the day attending the live interviews again from 9-11am. The line-up was Hayden Hawks, Brittany Peterson, Magda Boulet, president of the Western States board Diana Fitzpatrick, Jim Walmsley, and race director Craig Thornley. Here are my primary take-aways if you don’t have time to watch the full two-hour coverage.

Hayden Hawks talked up how much he reaches out to the best runners in the sport for mentorship. He even went to Flagstaff for a month so he could run with the Coconino Cowboys and hit the Grand Canyon a bunch. He’s a student of the sport and a great runner, but I got the sense that he still views himself as the mentee, not the mentor. Hard to tell if he truly believes he can run with Walmsley and Hazen. Maybe this’ll be the race he really comes into his own.

Brittany Peterson has a great attitude and fielded the questions about her epic loss to Clare Gallagher at the 2019 running of Western States with grace and levity. She really imparted the importance of her team and how integral they are to her success. I think she’s hungry for a win, I’m just still slightly worried that she might have overcooked herself with that 52 mile training run on the Western States course on June 8th. But then again, I just looked at her Strava and her taper was solid. She really shut it down right after that run. I’m definitely rooting for her and I hope she takes the win.

Magda Boulet is a big time fan favorite. She’s a captivating speaker and has an incredible body of work as a 2008 Olympian in the marathon and the 2015 Western States champ. I don’t know how fit she’ll be this year but with her level of talent you have to think she can be in the mix if she’s having a great day. She said she hasn’t raced since February of 2020 so this will be a hell of a rust buster. Can’t wait to see her in action on Saturday!

Diana Fitzpatrick is the first female president of the Western States board of directors and from what I could tell she’s carrying that mantle well. The most poignant moment for me was when she acknowledged that the world looks at Western States to set the example and that she views the complex issues as opportunities to affect change. Western States has been a front-runner in their anti-doping policy, their pregnancy deferral policy, and their transgender entrant policy. They are doing the heavy lifting, crafting protocols, and leading the way for other races. There is so much going on behind the scenes. It was a pleasure to listen to her speak.

Jim Walmsley is a star. His reception was on another level, the whole crowd grinning from ear to ear listening to him talk about his training and past experiences on the Western States course. Jim discussed his injury and noted that he was only able to run in the Grand Canyon twice during his build because starting with a descent was problematic. At first this worried me a little because of the big net downhill course that is Western States, but then, at some point during the day, Jim unlocked his Strava training data from the last five weeks, and I was like, oh damn, he’s fine. He had a 125 mile week with 42,000 feet of climbing!

Craig Thornley impresses me. The race director of Western States is a big job and you have to wear a lot of different hats. Sure, this is ultrarunning and it’s acceptable to be a dirt bag trail runner, but when there’s this much at stake, you kinda want the guy who’s running the show to be pretty savvy, be able to impress sponsors, and have an ironclad grasp of all the facts and details and logistics about EVERYTHING that’s happening. And after listening to him speak for awhile, he seems like the man for the job. He’s confident, he’s passionate, and he doesn’t beat around the bush. I loved it when he said that the easy decision would’ve been to cancel the race. The hard decision was to do what he and the board did, proceed with the event and white-knuckle it through the pandemic’s ebbs and flows. Sure glad they did!

Okay, this post is already getting pretty long-winded. Thankfully for you maybe, I ended up putting together a YouTube video capturing what I did after the interviews, my first run out of the Olympic Valley. I hit the escarpment of course, the iconic first 3.5 miles of the Western States course, gaining 2,400 feet to start the race off with a bang. Enjoy this video and then Nikki will take it from here as she recounts her experience attending the Trail Sisters panel. One final note: we capped the day off with some beers and pub food down in Tahoe City right on the water and got to thinking, you know, this wouldn’t be a bad place to live. One can dream.

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The Women of WSER Panel Recap

by Nikki Parnell

Yesterday evening I got to attend The Women of WSER Q&A Panel hosted by Gina Lucrezi of Trail Sisters. On the panel were some awe-inspiring women in our sport who are running Western this year such as Mireya Vargas, Kelly Teeselink, Kara Teklinski, Magda Boulet, Abby Hall, and Audrey Tanguy. 

The first question asked was, Why Western? The women spoke of the culture of the race, the emotions and the energy that this race has being the oldest 100 mile race in the world and one of the most competitive. I was reminded right away that Western States is often the first 100 miler people hear about. It is the gateway, bringing people into this sport, sucking them in with its stories of magic and history and life-changing experiences.

There were other questions regarding topics like heat training – we all had a good chuckle after many of the panel discussed their preparation for the heat this year and then Audrey Tanguy’s turn came around and she said, “I did a sauna yesterday… that’s it!”

We heard about nutrition strategies, thoughts on the recent China tragedy and how that might change the sport moving forward (does the answer lie in heftier required gear lists? Education about the dangers of mountain running?) and if our panel women had ever experienced threatening trail situations. There were a couple stories, not as many as I had expected since these women put so many miles on remote trails. Kelly told the tale of a fall on a trail that resulted in “leg guts” hanging out… how’s that for imagery.

I loved getting to hear more from Kelly, the Executive Director of Girls on the Run, about what the program teaches young girls. A big message they drive home is how to recognize negative self talk and turn it into positive self talk. This is something I’m sure everyone has struggled with in their life, whether the talk whispers in their head or screams out loud for all to hear, negative thoughts fester and it takes conscious practice to release them from their strongholds. Kelly will be taking those teachings with her on the trails tomorrow when the low points come. 

The last question from Gina was if anyone has noticed changes in the sport, regarding inclusion and equality, especially after last year. Mireya mentioned how as a Mexican American, there is a great lack of representation for people of color in competitive ultra running and how that trickles down to youth. Kids could get into this sport but the lack of resources, mentorship and examples makes it unattainable to many. She reminded us that it isn’t for lack of talent. “Talent is talent” but many have a longer and harder road to go down just to enter this world of running.

The fact that this panel happened speaks to Western States prioritizing gender equality in ultra running. Having a Q&A with strong women role models sharing their experiences and stories is part of the change. And to prove that point, the first audience question out of the gate was asked by a courageous young girl. In between nervous giggles she said, “I’m eleven and I want to run Western States… So how do I train for it?!”

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Sky’s the limit, young girl, sky’s the limit.

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