Thrills and Spills at Western States 100 Endurance Run

Press Release / 27.06.2023

Courtney Dauwalter breaks the course record / © UTMB - Hilary Yang

Thrills and spills at Western States 100 Endurance Run with Tom Evans first ever Brit to win men’s race and Courtney Dauwalter smashing women’s course record by 78 minutes.

The world’s oldest 100-mile race – the Western States 100 Endurance Run – lived up to its reputation this weekend. Kicking off at Olympic Valley, California, Tom Evans (UTMB Index 911) and Courtney Dauwalter (UTMB Index 834) took the tape in remarkable fashion at the finish line of the 50th edition of the race in Auburn.

Finishing in a time of 14:40:22, Evans secured the fourth fastest time in the race’s history to become the first Brit to ever win the men’s race. Having finished third at his debut 100-miler here in 2019, Evans had his sights firmly set on the top spot.

With Dakota Jones (USA, UTMB Index 905) joining Evans at the front of the race before eventually dropping back to 17th place, Evans delivered a masterclass, never looking back and establishing a 24-minute buffer on second-placed Tyler Green (USA, UTMB Index 865). Anthony Costales (USA, UTMB Index 883) rounded out the podium in third, crossing the line in Auburn in 15:09:16.

“That is one for the memories, what an amazing day out on the trails. Taking the win at this race has been a dream of mine and I still can’t believe it!” said Evans, who adds the victory to an impressive list of recent results including third at UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2022.

Dauwalter Breaks the 16 Hour Barrier

Dauwalter also stunned the trail running community around the world with an incredible win in the women’s race, smashing the 16-hour barrier with a record time of 15:29:34. Having won here in 2018 in a time of 17:27:00, Dauwalter regained her title in spectacular fashion, finishing sixth overall in the process

Shaving over one hour off the previous course record set by Ellie Greenwood (USA) in 2012, the double UTMB winner went solo from the 47.8-mile mark at Devil’s Thumb, leaving Katie Schide (USA, UTMB Index 788) in her wake.

Schide, who also won the UTMB in 2022, finished one hour and fourteen minutes behind in second place, with her time also proving enough to break the previous course record. Hong-Kong based Eszter Csillag (HUN, UTMB Index 749) rounded out the podium in third after working her way through the field throughout the 100.2-mile course.

It was an unforgettable day for the 379 starters from more than 30 countries as they attempted to finish the punishing but picturesque course within the races time-limit of 30 hours. Jennifer St.Amand (USA, UTMB Index 441) crossed the line with just 21 seconds to spare, the last official finisher while Ashley Bartholomew (AUS, UTMB Index 413), father of professional trail runner, Lucy Bartholomew (AUS, UTMB Index 716) crossed the line just 2 minutes after the cut off in a heart-breaking but unforgettable finale.

Lucy Bartholomew wrote on Instagram after the race, “No words, many tears. I watched my dad battle for 30 hours and 2 minutes. I saw him run so proudly with his body and harness that ultra-attitude. Never too phased and always grateful. He was greeted by 10’s, then 100’s then 1000’s of people. People yelled his name, spoke their words of encouragement and for that final mile where I knew that he knew it wasn’t going to be a fairy-tale ending, he gave it every drip of energy!”