Sawt Falasteen - Olson wins Western States 100 in California, Jornet third

Billed as one of the most competitive editions in the race's 52-year history, this year's running of the 100-mile (161-kilometer) event lived up to the hype.

Around 15 elite runners crested the course's high point around 2,600 meters (8,600 feet) above sea level just after sunrise following a 5:00 am (1200 GMT) start at Olympic Valley.

After weaving through chilly snowfields of the Sierra Nevada mountains, runners then faced the brutal heat of canyons where temperatures neared 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

The unforgiving combination of extreme heat and rugged terrain -- coupled with around 5,500 meters of climbing -- took its usual toll on the field.

Maintaining an average pace of nearly 12 kilometers per hour, Olson, 29, surged to the front midway through the race and never looked back.

He broke the tape at the finishing point at Auburn High School in 14 hours, 11 minutes and 25 seconds -- just two minutes shy of Jim Walmsley's course record (14:09:28).

Walmsley, a three-time winner, withdrew from this year's race.

After placing fifth in 2024, Olson's victory cements his place among the elite of ultra-trail running.

The Salt Lake City native had previously earned top-20 finishes at the "CCC", the 100-km sister race to the famous Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix.

- Restricted entry -

Chris Myers claimed second after going shoulder-to-shoulder with Olson for much of the race. Spaniard Jornet was third, in a repeat of his finish at the Western States in 2010.

Jornet, 37, returned to take part in this year's event 14 years after his lone victory in the race, determined to test himself against a new generation of athletes on the fast, exposed trails of California.

Despite his renowned mental toughness, Jornet was unable to close the gap during the hottest parts of the race.

Over the past 15 years, he has helped boost the profile of trail running, broadening the appeal of the niche endurance pursuit.

Even with elite preparation and cutting-edge cooling strategies, no one is immune to the challenges posed by the Western States.

Simply earning a bib to race in the event -- which is limited to 369 entrants -- is a feat in itself.

Elite runners may qualify through one of the 30 "Golden Tickets" awarded at select races.

For everyone else, entry depends on a livestreamed annual lottery that draws nearly 10,000 hopefuls, some of whom wait a decade for their name to be called.

For first-time applicants, the odds hover around 0.04 percent, improving only with years of patience and additional qualifying ultras.

Even after overcoming the hurdles to entry, some runners fail to last the course.

Among those who were forced to withdraw this year was American runner David Roche, a rising star of the sport who had won both of his previous 100-milers.

Greeted with loud cheers at the Foresthill aid station at mile 62, Roche appeared visibly shaken and was eventually forced to withdraw.

"I'm worried about David," his father, Michael Roche, told AFP. "I've never seen him in that kind of state."

Y.Zaher--SF-PST