Ultra running is definitely a long game.
Duh, right?
Obviously there isn’t much out there that compares to the marathon-and-above distances in terms of foot races.
And the training path required to get to those ultra start lines isn’t a joke either. Sure, you can google “couch to 100 mile” and you’ll find articles and training plans on the other side of that search, but none of them can get you safely to the start line “in just six weeks.” This is not a couch to 5k kind of effort.
But race distance and months-long-training-plans aside, there’s also a long term strategy needed to get into a number of popular ultra races.
If you’re familiar with marathoning, you know that to get into the Boston Marathon, you first need to qualify—which is done through running some of the fastest times for your age group at another official marathon prior to Boston. It’s so popular and competitive that you even need to *beat* your age group’s qualifying time by quite a margin these days to be guaranteed entry.
If your heart’s not set on Boston, though, you can simply sign up for any number of marathons with just a signed waiver and an entry fee. You can go this route in ultra running too. There are lots of ultras out there catering to the every-day runner.
But if you want to get into one of the more iconic ultras, there’s a little more to it. Depending on the race, you may also need to run qualifying times. You also might have to submit volunteer hours. And you also may be dealing with a lottery. I’ve not yet researched how to get into Hardrock, Leadville, HURT 100, and other ultras with lotteries, but I’ve done my Western States Endurance Run homework.
When I first discovered ultra running about two years ago, I was fascinated by Western States. I watched every documentary on YouTube covering the race that I could find—whether watching the legendary Billy Yang follow elite athletes through the course in his documentary “Life in a Day” or getting drawn into “The Journey,” featuring an everyday runner and her long process to and through this iconic race, I was hooked.
I’d love to run it someday.
So I learned what it takes to get into Western States:
Get a qualifying time from a qualifying race.
Submit your name into the next year’s lottery via the WSER portal during the submission window (11/1 through 11/21).
Repeat year after year.
This year there are 7,169 people entered in the lottery.
In 2023, the number of people who will line up at the WSER start line is 380.
But just over 100 of those are automatic entrants. So the lottery only pulls 274 tickets for the remaining places at the start line.
Clearly, just running a qualifying time at a qualifying race isn’t going to guarantee an entry . . . you’ve also got to be lucky. However, if you have enough grit and determination to race, obtain, and submit qualifying times year after year, your chances go up!
As a first time qualifier, I have one ticket in the lottery.
If I get a qualifying time at a qualifying race next year, my two qualifiers will be good for two tickets in the lottery.
But my third year obtaining a qualifier gets me four tickets, my fourth year gets me eight, my fifth year gets me sixteen, and so on.
During this year’s submission window, I entered my name, qualifying race, and time into the WSER lottery portal. A few weeks later, once my data had been confirmed, I received a confirmation email.
Tomorrow, on December 3rd, the drawing for the 2023 WSER is broadcast over YouTube in front of a live audience.
As a first-time entrant, I have a 1% chance of being pulled.
If you’re a fifth-time entrant, with sixteen tickets in the pot, chances increase: almost 15%.
If you’re unlucky enough to not get pulled for nine years, and you’ve got the fortitude to race qualifying times for each of those years, your chance of getting pulled this time is 92%.
So, you see why this is a long game! Statistically, I can count on this taking a few years . . .
Which is good!
I’m *just* getting started in this ultra-running thing. My qualifying race last January was only 100k, or 62 miles. I’m pretty sure I’m not ready to run Western States yet. My first 100 mile start line happens in February, and my hope is that it will result in my first 100 mile finish, and another qualifying time to put into next year’s WSER lottery. The goal is to get experience at the distance and build up my ultra-running muscles *while* collecting WSER lottery tickets each year.
The intention in entering this year’s lottery is not to get into the 2023 race. It’s to get me a better chance at getting into the race a few years from now, actually.
So what happens if I do get in?
I have two choices:
Decline, and start the lottery process over again. I don’t have to enter, but if I choose not to, I lose the tickets I’ve already submitted.
Enter the race. This would mean spending my spring in quite a different way than I was planning.
But I’m not counting on needing to make that call. What I hope to be doing next June is following the race’s livestream, rooting for my favorite runners, and being inspired by another year’s worth of Golden Hour finishers.
Wait, what’s a Golden Hour finisher, you ask? Only the best hour in ultra running—nothing explains it quite like this video:
I dare you to watch it and not wonder if you could run a hundred miles, too.