The 2026 Western States 100 starts at 5 a.m. on June 27 in Olympic Valley, California. By most measures, it is shaping up to be the most competitive field in the race's 52-year history. Jim Walmsley is returning after a DNS last year. Kilian Jornet is the top returning men's finisher. On the women's side, all ten of the 2025 top-ten runners are coming back. The field has no clear ceiling.
Walmsley, 2019
Dauwalter, 2023
Olympic Valley to Auburn
through the Sierra Nevada
The Men's Race
The 2025 top two finishers, Caleb Olson (14:11) and Chris Myers (14:17), are both skipping 2026. That opens the front of the race in a way that rarely happens at Western States, where returning elites usually dominate the podium.
Jim Walmsley
Walmsley won Western States four consecutive times from 2016 to 2019 and owns the course record by over 20 minutes. He was on the 2025 start list and withdrew before the gun due to injury. Rather than chase a Golden Ticket qualifier this spring, he accepted a Hoka sponsor entry and came in rested. His post-injury return has been strong: a win at OCC and a World Mountain Championship Long Trail title. He is the only person who has approached the course record in the current era, and he is healthy.
Kilian Jornet
Jornet won Western States in 2011 and returned to the podium in 2025 with a third-place finish. He is the top returning male finisher for 2026 and one of the few runners in the field who has raced Walmsley at distance before. His mountain running base is deeper than almost anyone in the field, and his 2025 performance showed he still has the pace to contend. A Walmsley vs. Jornet matchup on the Western States course is something the sport has not seen in over a decade.
The Rest of the Men's Field
Behind those two, the depth is real. Jeff Mogavero (14:30, 4th in 2025) and Dan Jones of New Zealand (14:36, 5th in 2025) both return. Hayden Hawks and Anthony Costales, a 2:13 marathoner making his Western States debut, earned Golden Ticket entries. Zach Miller, long one of the most compelling runners in ultramarathon, is also in the field. David Sinclair, who set the JFK 50 course record in 2025, adds another dimension of front-pack speed.
"A Walmsley vs. Jornet matchup at Western States is something the sport has not seen in over a decade. Both are healthy. Both are fit. The course record is a real possibility."
The Women's Race
The women's field might be the stronger story. Every one of the top ten finishers from 2025 is returning. That has never happened before. There has not been a back-to-back women's champion at Western States since Ellie Greenwood won in 2011 and 2012.
Abby Hall
Hall won last year in 16:37 and returns as the defending champion. Going back-to-back at Western States is a short list historically, and doing it with the depth of this year's returning field would be a significant statement. She has spent the spring building quietly without chasing Golden Ticket races, suggesting she is pointed at June.
Fuzhao Xiang
Xiang has finished second in her first two Western States appearances, and the trend line points upward. In 2025, she was closing hard over the second half of the race. Her 16:47 from 2025 is the third-fastest women's time in race history, behind only Dauwalter's 15:29 course record and Ann Trason's all-time performances. She is the most likely person to break the course record if conditions are right and she runs her own race from the front.
Marianne Hogan and the International Field
Marianne Hogan of Canada finished third in 2025 (16:50) and is the third returning podium finisher. Ida Nilsson of Sweden, Fiona Pascall of the UK, and Caitlin Fielder of New Zealand all return from the 2025 top ten. The international depth in the women's field is wider than any previous year.
Molly Seidel
Seidel won a bronze medal in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics and has spent the past two years transitioning toward trail and ultra distances. Her speed over road surfaces is genuinely elite, and Western States rewards runners who can move on the runnable stretches at the front of the race. What she can do on 18,000 feet of climbing is an open question, but her fitness ceiling is high.
The Course
Western States runs 100.2 miles from the Palisades Tahoe ski resort in Olympic Valley to the Placer High School track in Auburn, dropping roughly 15,000 net feet while crossing the Sierra Nevada. The first 30 miles climb and descend through the high country. The middle section runs through exposed canyons where temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The final 20 miles are fast, runnable river trail where races are often decided.
Heat is the variable that flattens fields and reshapes races. A hot year can add an hour or more to finishing times across the board and makes the early canyon miles genuinely dangerous. A cool year with good snow coverage in the high country opens the door to fast times. The 2026 forecast won't be known until race week.
Training in heat before race day has a documented performance impact. Our fueling guide covers calorie and electrolyte needs during hot-weather ultras.
What to Watch
- Does Walmsley approach the course record? His 14:09 from 2019 has stood for seven years. He arrives healthier and with a stronger supporting field to push him than in most recent editions.
- Can Xiang convert her second-place finishes? Two consecutive runner-up finishes and the third-fastest women's time in history say she is ready. Whether that translates to a win depends on how Hall competes in the early miles.
- How does Seidel translate to 100 miles? She is one of the faster runners in the field from a pure speed standpoint. How her fitness holds through the canyon miles is the unknown.
- Course record conditions? 2019 was a cool year and Walmsley ran 14:09. Dauwalter's 15:29 came in 2023 under moderate conditions. If 2026 comes in cool, both records are in play.
How to Follow
iRunFar provides live coverage and athlete tracking throughout the race. The Western States website publishes live results and split times at all major aid stations. The race starts at 5 a.m. Pacific on June 27. Top men are typically finishing between 14 and 16 hours in, putting the front of the men's race at the Auburn finish line by late afternoon. Women's leaders typically arrive in the early evening.