Tracy Garneau Wins, Nikki Kimball Takes Third At Western States 100

Press Release / 16.07.2010

The North Face Global Team athlete Tracy Garneau took first place, women, in the 100-Mile Western States Endurance Run 2010, which took place June 26 – 27, 2010. She won with a time of 19:01:55, and is the first Canadian to ever win the race. The North Face teammate and three time Western States 100 champion, Nikki Kimball, took a strong third place with a time of 19:23:09.

Her first time running the race, Garneau ran steady from the start. A fan of downhill, she took the first climb in stride and knew after the first grueling snow-covered uphill, she could focus on the rest of the race, confident that she could keep her place. At mile 10, Garneau hurt her left Achilles tendon and ran out the next few miles on the tip toes of her foot.

“It was four years in the making getting to Western States,” Garneau said. “The buckle was most important to me – getting that silver belt buckle. I didn’t let myself know I had it [the first place finish] until I stepped in to the stadium.”

Garneau crossed the finish line at 12:01 AM to a full crowd of cheering and support from her team and crew members. Close friends since running the Brazil Jungle Marathon together in 2009, Kimball and Garneau were ready to tackle the 100.2 mile course in the Sierras, with Kimball giving Garneau tips and encouragement. This is Kimball’s fifth time running Western States and her fifth top-five finish.

“Nikki had more confidence in me than I did,” Garneau said. “She told me that if ‘she didn’t win, than I needed to win.’ She was amazing to me.”

The course started at 6,200 feet in Squaw Valley, California, leading runners up a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4.5 miles to Emigrant Pass at 8,750 feet. The majority of the trail passes through remote and rugged territory, accessible only to horses, hikers and helicopters. Following the original trails used by the miners of the 1850s, the course travels west, climbing another 15,540 feet and descending 22,970 feet to end in Auburn, California, at 100.2 miles. The heat reached above 90 degrees, with intermittent winds of up to 9 mph.