The Western States 100 begins Saturday with 370 runners set to leave Olympic Valley, Calif., and start the 100-mile run to Auburn. The race opens with Jim Walmsley back on the start list after missing last year because of injury, and with Kilian Jornet returning to a course he has already won once and nearly ruled again last summer.
That is why this weekend is drawing so much attention. WSER kicks off at 8:00 a.m. ET, and the men’s field includes six runners from last year’s top 10, even as last year’s champion, Caleb Olson, and runner-up, Chris Myers, are absent. Walmsley owns the course record of 14:09:28 from 2019 and has won the race four times, while Jornet, who was third in one of the fastest editions ever run in 2024, brings the kind of name recognition that turns a race into a reference point for the whole sport.
There is no shortage of depth behind them. Zach Miller makes his Western States debut after earning a Golden Ticket with a second-place finish at the 2026 Canyons 100K. Hawks is back for a fifth start after finishing second in 2022 and third in 2024, when he ran 14:24:31, still the seventh-fastest performance in race history. Hans Troyer, who was eighth in his 100-mile debut last year, returns after winning the 2025 JFK 50 Mile and setting the course record at the 2026 Black Canyon 100K. Vincent Bouillard, the 2024 UTMB winner, also returns after a DNF at Western States in 2025.
Walmsley is still the obvious benchmark. He missed last year’s edition because of injury and comes back with a sponsorship entry from Hoka, which leaves the biggest question centered on whether he can look like the runner who set the standard in the first place. Jornet is in a similar spot. He won Western States in 2011 and was third last year, but a knee issue this spring has made his buildup less straightforward than the start list might suggest.
That mix of proven winners, debutants and returning top-10 finishers is what gives this edition its edge. Adam Peterman, the 2022 champion, is back. Francesco Puppi will make his 100-mile debut. Jeff Mogavero, Ryan Montgomery, Daniel Jones and Hiroki Kai all return after top-10 finishes last year. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. ET, and fans can follow along on YouTube as Dylan Bowman and Corinne Malcom host the annual livestream. By the time the field reaches Auburn, one of the sport’s most storied 100-mile races will have another result to measure against Walmsley’s record, Jornet’s legacy and the pressure that comes with being the men to beat.
