One of ultrarunning’s most electrifying lineups in recent memory is officially set — and the 2026 Western States 100 is shaping up to be an absolute war.
This Saturday, June 27, just 369 runners will toe the line at Palisades Tahoe for America’s most prestigious 100-mile footrace — a field so exclusive that lottery entrants faced worse odds than Harvard applicants this year.
But the real story isn’t the size of the field — it’s who’s in it.
From a record-shattering ER doctor who obliterated a 31-year-old course record to a four-time champion making a dramatic return, the 2026 edition promises fireworks from the first mile to the last.
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The Women’s Race: A Rematch With New Threats
All 10 of last year’s top women are back — and they’ve brought company.
Defending champion Abby Hall, 35, enters with a legitimate shot at history. No woman has won back-to-back at Western States since Ellie Greenwood swept 2011 and 2012. In the 13 years since, six women tried to repeat — including Courtney Dauwalter — and every single one fell short.
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Hall knows the curse is real. After a rough attempt at the States-UTMB double last year, she’s come back sharper, posting a 25-minute improvement at the Black Canyon 100K this spring. The question is whether that progress is enough when the new blood in this field is genuinely frightening.
The Woman Who Broke a 31-Year Record — Then Broke Another One
If there’s one name sending shockwaves through the field right now, it’s Anne Flower.
Last summer, the emergency room physician casually dismantled Ann Trason’s legendary 31-year-old course record at the Leadville 100. Then, just a few months later, she went out and set the 50-mile world record.
At Black Canyon this year, Flower finished second — just one minute behind winner Jenn Lichter — reportedly without pacers or mid-race cooling assistance. That kind of raw performance at a qualifier race is the sort of thing that makes veteran competitors take notice.
She’s proven she can handle the 100-mile distance. She’s only getting started.
Olympic Hardware, Trail Ambitions: Molly Seidel Is Here
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping addition to the start list is Molly Seidel — yes, that Molly Seidel, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Seidel has made the jump to trail running, and she isn’t easing in gently. A gutsy fourth-place finish at Black Canyon confirmed she’s genuinely competitive on dirt — even before tackling her first 100-mile race. She’s working under veteran ultrarunning coach Cliff Pittman and, by all accounts, arriving at the start line with a learner’s mindset and championship-level grit.
Also hunting a podium spot is Norway’s Yngvild Kaspersen, who took fifth on her Western States debut in 2024 and earned her return ticket by pushing Courtney Dauwalter to a sprint finish at Chianti. Then there’s Poland’s Martyna Mlynarczyk — a former dancer and national triathlon champion — who was leading last year’s race before dropping at mile 55, and has been quietly building toward revenge ever since.
The Men’s Race: Walmsley Is Back, and the Field Just Got Dangerous
On May 1, four-time champion and course record holder Jim Walmsley announced he would take a sponsor entry to chase an unprecedented fifth title.
The announcement landed like a thunderclap. Walmsley was a DNS last year due to injury, but he responded by winning OCC and the World Mountain Championships’ Long Trail event. He doesn’t make moves without meaning them — and he’s immediately installed as the favorite.
Jornet, Peterman, and the Race That Had Everyone Talking
Kilian Jornet, 38, is back with something to prove. Last year, coming off a knee injury and with his attention split across other projects, he still finished third — missing second place by under two minutes. This time around, the Spanish legend appears fully dialed in, reportedly eyeing the same UTMB-Western States double he pulled off back in 2011.
Then there’s the golden ticket drama that unfolded at the Canyons 100K — described by those who watched it as arguably the most thrilling qualifier in the sport’s history.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Adam Peterman delivered a gutsy win that drew immediate comparisons to his 2022 golden ticket performance — the one that preceded his Western States victory two months later. Simultaneously, Zach Miller and Hayden Hawks engaged in a battle so fierce it drew comparisons to their legendary 2016 TNF 50-Miler showdown, fighting nearly to the finish line while holding off China’s Canhua Luo for the final available spots.
The Wild Cards Who Could Flip the Script
Twenty-five-year-old Hans Troyer may be the men’s field’s most intriguing dark horse. His eighth-place debut finish last year came with obvious room to grow, and he’s since won the JFK 50-Miler and demolished the Black Canyon course record. The only real variable: a recent move to Colorado and the question of how quickly he adapts to altitude training.
High school teacher-turned-full-time runner Will Murray had the most heartbreaking DNS in recent memory last year — atrial fibrillation, followed by a fractured ankle. He answered back with a course record win at Javelina Jundred and is now training full-time under John Fitzgerald. The pressure is real. His performances suggest he can handle it.
France’s Vincent Bouillard — a Hoka shoe engineer who won UTMB in 2024 — will be racing with unfinished business after a DNF at Western States last year. His teammate Thomas Cardin, a short-course powerhouse with a Mont Blanc Marathon win to his name, will test whether his speed translates over 100 miles in the notorious canyon heat.
Why This Year Feels Different
The sheer concentration of talent — returning champions, world record holders, Olympic medalists, and golden ticket warriors still nursing Canyons-sore legs — makes the 2026 field genuinely unlike anything the race has assembled in years.
Western States has always been ultrarunning’s crown jewel. This year, the stones in that crown are shinier than ever.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The gun fires Saturday, June 27. Every single one of those 369 starters earned the right to be there — but only a handful will be standing on the podium when it’s over.
