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Back country is setting for Western States 100 (Part 1 of 3) |
(Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series).
At the urging of “Endurance Capital of the World” cheerleaders, I ventured out to cover the Western States Endurance Run for the first time and I came away with a newfound respect for the athletes who take part in this grueling challenge.
The Western States Trail is a narrow, rough, deep back-country path
that runs from Squaw Valley, just south of Truckee, to Auburn’s Placer
High stadium. The trail is accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and
horses, and is in one of the most gorgeous areas of pristine wilderness
I’ve ever seen.
Runners kick off the first 10 miles of the 100-mile course in the Western States Endurance Run last Saturday morning near Lyon Ridge. Photo by Don Chaddock.
We started out on Friday at the kick-off rally at Squaw Valley. Local
chiropractor, Auburn Recreation District board member and the man
credited with founding the run in the mid-70s, Gordon Ainsleigh, was
administering care to runners and signing autographs between patients.
It could probably be described as a circus, but that would mean they’d
have clowns (which they didn’t) and cotton candy (again, no). The event
was a sea of healthy, fit bodies gearing up for a run across the
Sierra. The temperature was mild and the crowd was enthusiastic, but
the athletes would need to wait another night. The start of the race
wasn’t until 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.
After grabbing a drink at the Bar of America in Truckee (where we also
ran into runner #240 Jim Jones of Canada), we set up camp near Lyon
Ridge, along the trail. The nighttime temperature dipped down into the
high 30s. We set out early the next morning to get some photos and
video of the runners as they came down a steep, rocky trail, framed
against the rising sun and majestic pine trees. Jones ran by me in the
middle of the pack and waved. He also asked if we’d had fun at the bar
the night before.
To be continued next week.
Part 2 | Part 3
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