The Tribune will continue to explore perspectives of professionals on pacing in the coming weeks. Emily Hawgood has placed in the top ten at Western States five of the last five years.
If we want more people to experience Western States, then they can organise Western States 50. It would be just the second half of the course where permitting for additional runners is possible and now people would not only get the opportunity to be part of the race, but they could also actually race themself.
As a European, I find Western States a bit of a clown show. Trail running is meant to be a sports where you run in a slightly uncomfortable environment (this is the wrong word, but we don't have smooth surfaces or perfectly placed aid station locations, we depend a lot on the environment) in semi-autonomy, but Western States looks more like Formula 1. Big crews, including an A and B crew, way too many people crowding the course and above all, a lot of people within an environment which was not designed for that many people. Do we suddenly not care about trail maintenance and environmental footprint any more?
By having a personal pacer, you slightly diminish the challenge of long distance running. The autonomy and time spent alone is part of the challenge. In doing so, you also give an unfair advantage to American runners who have a much easier time to get pacers compared to European or even Asian athletes.
Also, the argument that "pacers is a trail running feature" is not true. It is maybe an American thing, but I don't see pacers in the rest of the world. Even in Cape Town or other countries where there is a risk of being attacked on course pacers are not allowed.
I know that my thoughts are not really presented in a clear fashion here, but when I look at Western States, I can't help but see that we are distorting the nature of the challenge more and more in the pursuit of........more fans? More TV time? More money? We can't be annoyed that UTMB keeps squeezing all it can out of consumers and then not stand up for the essence of our sport.
Hi Niki thank you for your comment. Have you managed to be out at Western States for race day? From your comment I think you may have just been watching it through the livestream. Aid stations are places where they are as those are the only spots where they could be placed, the trail is a lot more secluded then you suggest above. We always giggle over here that everyone thinks the trails here are groomed and smooth, as they definitely aren’t, yes there is a lot of trail work that Western States volunteers do to maintain the trail but it is so so needed otherwise we would be bushwhacking our way down the trail, there are lots of rocks and roots on the trail, big canyons to descend into and out of, the river crossing where a rope is needed to keep you from being washed downstream and all potential weather conditions, snow in the high country which can be very slick and dangerous and causing us all to team up in the high country just to spot flags on a snow year and then on non snow years it is heat like to have never experienced baking you even into the night when the sun goes down. Western States even in these conditions has not lost a runner and I think that that fact alone has only been possible with the aid stations and the medical crews at these aid stations. The big crews are magical too I really hope you get to experience this heart filled race that is Western States and is made so by all these factors.
My point isn't about the technically of the trails but more so the challenge of being out in a remote area. With 20 aid stations over 100 miles, that's an aid station every 5 miles, less than an hour of running for the pros (sure, crew is not allowed at all of them). When your aid station is a crew of 5+ people and ice baths, I think we are lowering the difficulty barrier for athletes. My point was that in trail running, we deal with the environment, but when the support aspect (crew, pacers, frequent aid stations etc.) is so significant, to me, it makes a bit of a mockery of the challenge itself. There is a charm to see pros have to account for being 2+ hours alone rather than just going out with just a handheld, knowing that if they got it wrong they can just fix it in the next aid station.
Ultimately it comes out to the argument that if you want a race where you can’t run with just a handheld for some sections go run a different race, there are lots more with the challenges you note above.
From someone who has raced Western States, I know I’m not alone when I say, I wish it was an easy as you say because even as an elite I have not had that happen; I have got into sticky situations and even though the next aid might be in mileage terms close, it has felt forever and the effect on my result significant and not just easily reversed at the next aid station because I didn’t have enough water, gels or salt. There is lots of excitement at Western States even at the front of the race with elites making mistakes and paying for them hugely due to the speed of moving through the course by all the athletes , the environmental conditions (heat mainly) and a lot more. I have raced both UTMB and Western States and if you asked me which one was easier I couldn’t pick. They are very different but dang they are both impressive feats to accomplish and both have my utmost and equal respect.
Don't get me wrong, runners, both front and back of the pack, deserve respect for running Western States. Maybe it is just our expectation of the sport which is different.
For example, UTMB's decisions over the past year have rubbed me the wrong way so I have made a conscious commitment not to run their races. I live in Salzburg, and there is the Mozart 100, KAT 100 and now the Zugspitz Ultra Trail which are all close by but have all been taken over by UTMB. I have now been racing in places like North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 2026 the goal is to race in Georgia and Kosovo/Albania. These races vary in their level of participation and support, but for me, they offer me an opportunity to connect with the local community and culture which a big race does not allow me to. And of course, the level of support (through aid stations or otherwise) is not even close to what a UTMB or Western States can provide, but I am ok with that.
At the end of the day, when I am looking to get out of the sport is different than what the pros are. I want an experience while pros want fast times, headlines and money which ABSOLUTELY makes sense because it is their livelihood. I just feel that we are getting to a point where there is no relatability. When I started trail and ultra around 8 years ago, one of the "selling points" was that you can run the same course on the same day as the elites. I now think that Elites should have their own race on their own day (like the World Championships in Canfranc) because we have fundamentally different goals...AND THAT IS FINE. When you watch any other sport, be it track, marathon running, cycling, soccer/football, basketball etc. it's a spectacle, but that is a fundamentally different proposition than "the pro and yourself can have the same experience on the same day." Does it make me less interested in the pro scene? Probably, because seeing people have a kiddie pool full with ice at Western States is not what I expect to see at a trail race, maybe in Ironman. I think in 2024 there was a photo of a female Chinese athlete (I'm sorry, the name escapes me) and she had like 5 people working on her; 1 on each arm/leg doing shoes and cooling, and someone cooling her head while she ate. That was no different to a Formula 1 pit stop, and it is not what I would expect a trail running experience to be. And I absolutely do not blame the athletes or coaches for it. The setup allows for this and you know that if you don't do it someone else will, and since we both acknowledge that it does make a difference then you are kind of obliged to do it or get left behind. However, when I see a long distance trail race, I want to see an athlete vs athlete battle, and their crew should be an accessory, not a determining point in whether they perform well or not. I want it to be a battle of fitness and decision making, and when you have pacers, regular aid stations, big crews and constant pacing updates, the decision making part gets diminished. Of course they still matter, and we see a lot of athletes blow up at WSER, but the setup is such that those decision matter less and less because of the many opportunities to course correct. You and me both know that for anyone to want to win Western States, they MUST have an A and B crew with at least 3 people on each crew + pacers, and I think that is frankly not something I want the top athletes to have to do. And while having the crew will not guarantee a win, not having them guarantees not winning, and that is wrong for me. I want the race to be decided by fitness and the decision making on the day, not if you manage to get 8-10 people to help you on race day.
Either way, I appreciate making your stance so public. Too few athletes are willing to publicly stick their head out for what they think is right so it is always nice to see when someone does that.
Sorry that my thoughts are a bit everywhere here, its not even 6am here 😂
Few races in the world use pacers. Each race has its own philosophy and should be respected. I posed this question to the PTRA group. What is PTRA's interest in removing pacers?, and how does this benefit trail running worldwide? I'm still waiting for a response. Trail Running should be respected and allowed to maintain its independence. WS continue with pacers
This is a great topic and I fully agree with your perspective. I think some folks lose the plot when attempting to fit Western States into some grand scheme of what ultra marathons should look like. There really isn't any point to me underscoring each point you made, but I will say this. Western States exemplifies to me what is called Unreasonable Hospitality. This race organization goes out of it's way to make every athlete from number 1 to the last golden hour finisher feel like a rock star. Having pacers and crews adds to that experience. Why get caught up in what other races do or don't allow? It is clear what you're signing up for. The course itself with its physical challenges (terrain, snow, heat, dust, remoteness) takes care of "leveling the playing field".
As you know, I have 13 finishes, plus hours and hours of being on the course training, and have been to every iteration of the race since 2005, so I'm not full of beans. I have had many different pacers, crews, and experiences, and I have paced, crewed and volunteered the years I've not been a competitor. The uniqueness of Western States keeps it the special event that it is.
Thank you for being a strong proponent for pacing at Western States!!
Absolutely love this! Spoken like a true Western States family member! “Unreasonable Hospitality” will be my new way of explaining the goodness in the way Western States so gracefully serves.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience & thoughts on this and for all the time you have given back to the magic ingredients that make up Western States, it’s a privilege to run in your footsteps out there!
Goals of an even playing field and fostering a community will naturally be antithetical. It's ok to compromise one for the other as long as everyone is on the same page that it's happening.
Seems unlikely other rules would change unless whatever corporation is in charge (HOKA, currently) decides they want stronger parity over the events they have power over. Have they exerted their control over anything in that area yet? I'm not aware of it.
Looks a bit like someone went to the Dylan Bowman school of ultramarathon history. :)
We have a fascinating history of 100 milers that extend more than a century before States, including the oldest current 100...which is not in California.
Thanks for your thoughts. I really don’t think an even playing field and fostering community are antithetical I think at the root core of it is the athletes are fully bought into the fostering of the Western States community an even playing field comes naturally though respect and love of the fact that this race is so much more than just a race day result.
Yes, there has been an influence of other organization rules in the area specifically by home on the Canyons course with required gear, the use of poles, and more. It has all been very respectful and with the thought of healthy growth in our sport here but it has changed some things for sure.
Haha I do need to take a full course in Dylan Bowerman ultramarathon history! So many interesting things to learn and to see continue to develop today. We are at a very exciting time in our sport!
Why just make everything mainstream like pacers are not allowed? As you said that this race is built from the ground up to what it is now from the whole community(be it professional athletes, their crew & family members, volunteers and many more other set of people.
But on the other spectrum WHY are pacers allowed in one of the prestigious races where the group of athletes that compete is quite high but not that deep as a limited number of athletes can enter this race. But then the point comes WSER has its own set of how to organize this race.
I feel both ways that it is pretty good to have pacers for the athletes and their overall experience. But when it is a race, why some external assist/help except the crew members helping them out at aid stations should be allowed. It is not clear cut competition then.
Take for example a marathon, London & Berlin allows pacers for a certain target and not individuals. Yeah a lot of marathons have pacers but think about Kiplimo, John Korir & Sissay Lemma, Sawe, Benson Kipruto are running head to head at 30 KM mark in any marathon. It seems some of them are cracking and a couple of pacers are allowed for them as well. How will we know who can troubleshoot the pain on their own, who has the will to go to their core depth to suffer.
A lot of the times a pacer just reignites the runner keeping them afloat in ultras. I totally respect the decision of pacers in WSER and the marathons & WSER is totally different as ultras thrive on community much more than marathons as inclusivity & need of other people is much more.
But it will be great if we can see to change this thing even for just a couple of years to see how the overall scenario changes.
Good processing thought thanks for sharing. I think there is such a diverse range of 100mile events worldwide making up our calendar each year that we already have a good data set to see how racing is with and without pacers at the highest level. Every trail running race is unique, there are no two trails that are the same making up each course. That’s how we are different to marathons and track events which is so awesome and yes the magic and need for the community is huge in trail running we don’t want to change that!
A very happy new year Emily.! <3 Do you remember Sudhanshu from Instagram that sends you messages from India? I am the one.
That's why I talked about it on both aspects and not just straight away go to cussing that they should not have pacers, I remember Kilian supports having no pacers at WSER. Some people are like NO Pacers and some are like Heck yeah we need pacers for this race. One should not be clinging to just one opinion as they will be left hanging not able to see the blind spots of any thing. I try to see the other spectrum also because it lets you get into the minds of other people what they think about pacers or no pacers at WSER.
I totally agree with you and I have mentioned also that every race is different in their own manner and WSER has its own novelty, so why just become main stream of ultras by going to the option of no pacers.
Ahh hi Sudhanshu! Yes for sure agreed, we definitely have open hearts to hear everyone’s perspectives these were just a few of my thoughts on the potential impacts we could have by changing things with pacers that I want to make sure we think about too :)
If we want more people to experience Western States, then they can organise Western States 50. It would be just the second half of the course where permitting for additional runners is possible and now people would not only get the opportunity to be part of the race, but they could also actually race themself.
As a European, I find Western States a bit of a clown show. Trail running is meant to be a sports where you run in a slightly uncomfortable environment (this is the wrong word, but we don't have smooth surfaces or perfectly placed aid station locations, we depend a lot on the environment) in semi-autonomy, but Western States looks more like Formula 1. Big crews, including an A and B crew, way too many people crowding the course and above all, a lot of people within an environment which was not designed for that many people. Do we suddenly not care about trail maintenance and environmental footprint any more?
By having a personal pacer, you slightly diminish the challenge of long distance running. The autonomy and time spent alone is part of the challenge. In doing so, you also give an unfair advantage to American runners who have a much easier time to get pacers compared to European or even Asian athletes.
Also, the argument that "pacers is a trail running feature" is not true. It is maybe an American thing, but I don't see pacers in the rest of the world. Even in Cape Town or other countries where there is a risk of being attacked on course pacers are not allowed.
I know that my thoughts are not really presented in a clear fashion here, but when I look at Western States, I can't help but see that we are distorting the nature of the challenge more and more in the pursuit of........more fans? More TV time? More money? We can't be annoyed that UTMB keeps squeezing all it can out of consumers and then not stand up for the essence of our sport.
Hi Niki thank you for your comment. Have you managed to be out at Western States for race day? From your comment I think you may have just been watching it through the livestream. Aid stations are places where they are as those are the only spots where they could be placed, the trail is a lot more secluded then you suggest above. We always giggle over here that everyone thinks the trails here are groomed and smooth, as they definitely aren’t, yes there is a lot of trail work that Western States volunteers do to maintain the trail but it is so so needed otherwise we would be bushwhacking our way down the trail, there are lots of rocks and roots on the trail, big canyons to descend into and out of, the river crossing where a rope is needed to keep you from being washed downstream and all potential weather conditions, snow in the high country which can be very slick and dangerous and causing us all to team up in the high country just to spot flags on a snow year and then on non snow years it is heat like to have never experienced baking you even into the night when the sun goes down. Western States even in these conditions has not lost a runner and I think that that fact alone has only been possible with the aid stations and the medical crews at these aid stations. The big crews are magical too I really hope you get to experience this heart filled race that is Western States and is made so by all these factors.
My point isn't about the technically of the trails but more so the challenge of being out in a remote area. With 20 aid stations over 100 miles, that's an aid station every 5 miles, less than an hour of running for the pros (sure, crew is not allowed at all of them). When your aid station is a crew of 5+ people and ice baths, I think we are lowering the difficulty barrier for athletes. My point was that in trail running, we deal with the environment, but when the support aspect (crew, pacers, frequent aid stations etc.) is so significant, to me, it makes a bit of a mockery of the challenge itself. There is a charm to see pros have to account for being 2+ hours alone rather than just going out with just a handheld, knowing that if they got it wrong they can just fix it in the next aid station.
Ultimately it comes out to the argument that if you want a race where you can’t run with just a handheld for some sections go run a different race, there are lots more with the challenges you note above.
From someone who has raced Western States, I know I’m not alone when I say, I wish it was an easy as you say because even as an elite I have not had that happen; I have got into sticky situations and even though the next aid might be in mileage terms close, it has felt forever and the effect on my result significant and not just easily reversed at the next aid station because I didn’t have enough water, gels or salt. There is lots of excitement at Western States even at the front of the race with elites making mistakes and paying for them hugely due to the speed of moving through the course by all the athletes , the environmental conditions (heat mainly) and a lot more. I have raced both UTMB and Western States and if you asked me which one was easier I couldn’t pick. They are very different but dang they are both impressive feats to accomplish and both have my utmost and equal respect.
Don't get me wrong, runners, both front and back of the pack, deserve respect for running Western States. Maybe it is just our expectation of the sport which is different.
For example, UTMB's decisions over the past year have rubbed me the wrong way so I have made a conscious commitment not to run their races. I live in Salzburg, and there is the Mozart 100, KAT 100 and now the Zugspitz Ultra Trail which are all close by but have all been taken over by UTMB. I have now been racing in places like North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 2026 the goal is to race in Georgia and Kosovo/Albania. These races vary in their level of participation and support, but for me, they offer me an opportunity to connect with the local community and culture which a big race does not allow me to. And of course, the level of support (through aid stations or otherwise) is not even close to what a UTMB or Western States can provide, but I am ok with that.
At the end of the day, when I am looking to get out of the sport is different than what the pros are. I want an experience while pros want fast times, headlines and money which ABSOLUTELY makes sense because it is their livelihood. I just feel that we are getting to a point where there is no relatability. When I started trail and ultra around 8 years ago, one of the "selling points" was that you can run the same course on the same day as the elites. I now think that Elites should have their own race on their own day (like the World Championships in Canfranc) because we have fundamentally different goals...AND THAT IS FINE. When you watch any other sport, be it track, marathon running, cycling, soccer/football, basketball etc. it's a spectacle, but that is a fundamentally different proposition than "the pro and yourself can have the same experience on the same day." Does it make me less interested in the pro scene? Probably, because seeing people have a kiddie pool full with ice at Western States is not what I expect to see at a trail race, maybe in Ironman. I think in 2024 there was a photo of a female Chinese athlete (I'm sorry, the name escapes me) and she had like 5 people working on her; 1 on each arm/leg doing shoes and cooling, and someone cooling her head while she ate. That was no different to a Formula 1 pit stop, and it is not what I would expect a trail running experience to be. And I absolutely do not blame the athletes or coaches for it. The setup allows for this and you know that if you don't do it someone else will, and since we both acknowledge that it does make a difference then you are kind of obliged to do it or get left behind. However, when I see a long distance trail race, I want to see an athlete vs athlete battle, and their crew should be an accessory, not a determining point in whether they perform well or not. I want it to be a battle of fitness and decision making, and when you have pacers, regular aid stations, big crews and constant pacing updates, the decision making part gets diminished. Of course they still matter, and we see a lot of athletes blow up at WSER, but the setup is such that those decision matter less and less because of the many opportunities to course correct. You and me both know that for anyone to want to win Western States, they MUST have an A and B crew with at least 3 people on each crew + pacers, and I think that is frankly not something I want the top athletes to have to do. And while having the crew will not guarantee a win, not having them guarantees not winning, and that is wrong for me. I want the race to be decided by fitness and the decision making on the day, not if you manage to get 8-10 people to help you on race day.
Either way, I appreciate making your stance so public. Too few athletes are willing to publicly stick their head out for what they think is right so it is always nice to see when someone does that.
Sorry that my thoughts are a bit everywhere here, its not even 6am here 😂
Few races in the world use pacers. Each race has its own philosophy and should be respected. I posed this question to the PTRA group. What is PTRA's interest in removing pacers?, and how does this benefit trail running worldwide? I'm still waiting for a response. Trail Running should be respected and allowed to maintain its independence. WS continue with pacers
Agreed! Love this! I don’t think it benefits Trail Running in any way worldwide. 🙏
Hey Emily!
This is a great topic and I fully agree with your perspective. I think some folks lose the plot when attempting to fit Western States into some grand scheme of what ultra marathons should look like. There really isn't any point to me underscoring each point you made, but I will say this. Western States exemplifies to me what is called Unreasonable Hospitality. This race organization goes out of it's way to make every athlete from number 1 to the last golden hour finisher feel like a rock star. Having pacers and crews adds to that experience. Why get caught up in what other races do or don't allow? It is clear what you're signing up for. The course itself with its physical challenges (terrain, snow, heat, dust, remoteness) takes care of "leveling the playing field".
As you know, I have 13 finishes, plus hours and hours of being on the course training, and have been to every iteration of the race since 2005, so I'm not full of beans. I have had many different pacers, crews, and experiences, and I have paced, crewed and volunteered the years I've not been a competitor. The uniqueness of Western States keeps it the special event that it is.
Thank you for being a strong proponent for pacing at Western States!!
Hi Meghan!
Absolutely love this! Spoken like a true Western States family member! “Unreasonable Hospitality” will be my new way of explaining the goodness in the way Western States so gracefully serves.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience & thoughts on this and for all the time you have given back to the magic ingredients that make up Western States, it’s a privilege to run in your footsteps out there!
Goals of an even playing field and fostering a community will naturally be antithetical. It's ok to compromise one for the other as long as everyone is on the same page that it's happening.
Seems unlikely other rules would change unless whatever corporation is in charge (HOKA, currently) decides they want stronger parity over the events they have power over. Have they exerted their control over anything in that area yet? I'm not aware of it.
Looks a bit like someone went to the Dylan Bowman school of ultramarathon history. :)
We have a fascinating history of 100 milers that extend more than a century before States, including the oldest current 100...which is not in California.
It's a lot of fun to learn, IMO.
Hi Scott
Thanks for your thoughts. I really don’t think an even playing field and fostering community are antithetical I think at the root core of it is the athletes are fully bought into the fostering of the Western States community an even playing field comes naturally though respect and love of the fact that this race is so much more than just a race day result.
Yes, there has been an influence of other organization rules in the area specifically by home on the Canyons course with required gear, the use of poles, and more. It has all been very respectful and with the thought of healthy growth in our sport here but it has changed some things for sure.
Haha I do need to take a full course in Dylan Bowerman ultramarathon history! So many interesting things to learn and to see continue to develop today. We are at a very exciting time in our sport!
Why just make everything mainstream like pacers are not allowed? As you said that this race is built from the ground up to what it is now from the whole community(be it professional athletes, their crew & family members, volunteers and many more other set of people.
But on the other spectrum WHY are pacers allowed in one of the prestigious races where the group of athletes that compete is quite high but not that deep as a limited number of athletes can enter this race. But then the point comes WSER has its own set of how to organize this race.
I feel both ways that it is pretty good to have pacers for the athletes and their overall experience. But when it is a race, why some external assist/help except the crew members helping them out at aid stations should be allowed. It is not clear cut competition then.
Take for example a marathon, London & Berlin allows pacers for a certain target and not individuals. Yeah a lot of marathons have pacers but think about Kiplimo, John Korir & Sissay Lemma, Sawe, Benson Kipruto are running head to head at 30 KM mark in any marathon. It seems some of them are cracking and a couple of pacers are allowed for them as well. How will we know who can troubleshoot the pain on their own, who has the will to go to their core depth to suffer.
A lot of the times a pacer just reignites the runner keeping them afloat in ultras. I totally respect the decision of pacers in WSER and the marathons & WSER is totally different as ultras thrive on community much more than marathons as inclusivity & need of other people is much more.
But it will be great if we can see to change this thing even for just a couple of years to see how the overall scenario changes.
Good processing thought thanks for sharing. I think there is such a diverse range of 100mile events worldwide making up our calendar each year that we already have a good data set to see how racing is with and without pacers at the highest level. Every trail running race is unique, there are no two trails that are the same making up each course. That’s how we are different to marathons and track events which is so awesome and yes the magic and need for the community is huge in trail running we don’t want to change that!
A very happy new year Emily.! <3 Do you remember Sudhanshu from Instagram that sends you messages from India? I am the one.
That's why I talked about it on both aspects and not just straight away go to cussing that they should not have pacers, I remember Kilian supports having no pacers at WSER. Some people are like NO Pacers and some are like Heck yeah we need pacers for this race. One should not be clinging to just one opinion as they will be left hanging not able to see the blind spots of any thing. I try to see the other spectrum also because it lets you get into the minds of other people what they think about pacers or no pacers at WSER.
I totally agree with you and I have mentioned also that every race is different in their own manner and WSER has its own novelty, so why just become main stream of ultras by going to the option of no pacers.
Ahh hi Sudhanshu! Yes for sure agreed, we definitely have open hearts to hear everyone’s perspectives these were just a few of my thoughts on the potential impacts we could have by changing things with pacers that I want to make sure we think about too :)
Long live the pacers! Essential to the uniqueness of this event :-)