This episode’s guest, @Cheng Xiaoyuan — an IT professional and trail-running enthusiast living in Melbourne, Australia. He started chasing Western States 100 in 2015: 11 years, 256 lottery tickets accumulated, and finally in 2026 he stepped onto the course he’d been pilgrimaging toward all along.
In This Episode
- An 11-Year Obsession — from reading Born to Run and Eat & Run to winning the lottery on ticket #256
- Finishing Injured — six months unable to train with a left knee injury, running barely 60-70 km per week
- First Taste of the Course — high-altitude snowfields in the first half vs. 40°C heat in the canyons
- American Community Culture — 1,500-1,600 volunteers, 20 aid stations, the Pacer relay at Foresthill
- Western States vs. UTMB — “UTMB is extreme commercialization; Western States is extreme community”
What Is Western States 100
Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run (WSER) is the oldest 100-mile trail race in the world.
Origins: The course follows the Tevis Cup equestrian trail. In 1974, rider Gordy Ainsleigh’s horse went lame and he had to drop out; the next year he decided to run the 100 miles on foot instead, finishing in 23h42m — widely regarded as the birth of ultrarunning. The first official race was held in 1977: 16 starters, 3 finishers.
The Course: From Squaw Valley (site of the 1960 Winter Olympics) to Placer High School in Auburn. 100.2 miles (~161 km), roughly 5,500 m of climbing and 7,000 m of descent, highest point Emigrant Pass at 2,667 m, 30-hour cutoff. Held on the last full weekend of every June.
Entries & the Lottery: About 369 runners each year — capped by U.S. federal regulations on national-park quotas. The lottery runs on the first Saturday of December, with ~240 public spots. Tickets accumulate year over year, and the odds are brutal.
Somewhere You Must Go
From the seed planted by Born to Run to nine years of hoarding tickets — anyone who runs understands this “I have to go” feeling.
Not every race has to be a PR, and not every start line has to end on a podium. Sometimes there’s a course, a destination — you can’t explain why, you just want to go. Even if you end up walking it, it’s worth it.
Listener Giveaway
Thanks to HOKA for supporting this episode. Comment below with a place you “have to go” — a race, a trip, or a thought you’ve been carrying for years (or anything trail-running related). We’ll pick the best comments and send out surprise HOKA goodies.
Next Episode
Xiang Fuzhao, face to face, on Western States 100 — stay tuned.