And for all you trolls....he split nearly an 8:30min mile for 100 miles so no talk about him walking it or 70% of it. He RAN it.
2018 Western States 100 Men’s Race
It was a special day in the 2018 Western States 100 men’s race, with not only a stout men’s race overall, but also a new course record set by Jim Walmsley (pre-race and post-race interviews). Let’s look at both storylines individually.
Jim Walmsley’s Western States 100 Course Record
This was well and truly one for the record books. Jim Walmsley set a new Western States 100 course record of 14:30:04. It behooves us to equally well and truly break down how he did it. Let’s do this.
In his pre-race interview, Jim said he was looking at a 15-hour race, meaning his plan was to run at a swift but not unheard-of-before-at-Western-States pace. At the finish line, he additionally added that his spilt sheet called for a 14:53 finish.
Jim took the first 15 miles positively chill—and according to plan, it seems—arriving to Red Star Ridge (mile 15) four minutes over course-record pace. Almost 15 miles later at the Robinson Flat aid station (mile 30), he had picked up a little steam as he was two minutes under record pace. From there, though, the plan must have gone out the window as he positively let it rip.
2018 Western States 100 - Jim Walmsley - Robinson Flat
Jim Walmsley floating into Robinson Flat in the lead. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
At Dusty Corners (mile 38), he ran through at a full 16 minutes under, gaining 14 minutes on record pace in 7.7 miles. Ahem. Did you get that? At Devil’s Thumb (mile 48), he was, again, 14 minutes under. Michigan Bluff (mile 56) 16 under. Foresthill (mile 62) 19 under. It went on like this until the Rucky Chucky river crossing (mile 78) when he passed through 26 minutes under record pace, what we believe was his maximal gap under record pace.
The iRunFar team consistently reported that Jim spent minutes at a time in the aid stations. That is, anywhere from three-to-five-minute stays were regular for him. He’d sit, take off his shoes, get iced and watered down, and feed. Regular stays of this frequency in aid are more of a European thing than an American one, so it struck us as notable. Perhaps Jim is starting yet another American ultra trend? And perhaps hidden in this strategy was the rest time which enabled him to sustain such fast running paces when he was on the trail? Interesting, certainly, and worthy of future consideration.
From the river crossing (mile 78), he began to give time back, but not so much that it ever seemed his record finish was in danger. Of course, because of his 2016 effort here, we all held our breaths when he went in the river and again when he was on his way to that crucial left turn. Jim said at the finish that he hung onto the rope whilst crossing the river and that there were two spectators awaiting him at that left turn. Just when we thought Jim’s passage was free and clear of obstacles, word came in that he was delayed by a mother black bear and her two cubs somewhere before the Pointed Rocks aid station (mile 94). Jim surprised the trio, the cubs treed themselves, and mama stayed nearby in protection. After a couple minutes, he was able to pass.
Now, finally, it was just Jim and the last few miles of the Western States Trail. When he arrived to the finish in 14:30:04, he won by a massive margin and was 16 minutes and 40 seconds under the previous course record of 14:46:44. At the finish, Jim said that getting the record hurt and that “Tim [Olson, the previous record holder,] is a bad, bad man.”
Mark it in the record books: Jim put together mind and body in near-perfect synergy to run his heart out and inspire a community of ultrarunners. I don’t know whose emotions were stronger at the finish (and perhaps around the ultrarunning world following online), Jim’s or everyone else’s. It’s a massive pleasure to see such a look of satisfaction on his face.