Edgewater’s Kyle Pietari sixth, Durango’s Kyle Curtin ninth and Colorado Springs’ Alex Nichols tenth in men’s race. Boulder’s Abby Hall top Colorado female in 14th.
After a year’s hiatus, the big dance, the Western States 100, was back for its journey on the historic Western States Trail in California.
For many runners, it was the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to line up with a deep and competitive field, and relative fitness levels were unknown. Some racers had made a point of trying to run a spring tune-up race, while others used the break from racing as an opportunity to focus on long training blocks with only Strava runs as indicators of their form. Based on the competitive and exciting racing by both the women and the men, neither form nor racing memory suffered from the pandemic.
The lack of snow in the high country set the course up for a fast run this year, but the heat played certain spoiler. What began as a mild day in the higher reaches of the Sierra Nevada turned into a broiler afternoon with the official high temperature on the course soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the end, it was the U.K.’s Beth Pascall and Flagstaff’s Jim Walmsley who weathered the elements better than everyone else, taking home respective victories.