Jim Walmsley returns to Western states 100 on Saturday with the course record in hand and 370 runners set to start in Olympic Valley, Calif. The four-time champion missed last year’s race because of injury, but he is back in the field with a sponsorship entry from Hoka.
The record he carries is 14:09:28, set in 2019. That time still defines the race’s ceiling, and it gives the men’s field a clear mark to chase as the start list turns over from last year.
Kilian Jornet and the top 10
Kilian Jornet is the main check on that storyline. He won Western States in 2011, finished third last year, and comes back after a spring that included a 44th-place finish at the Zegama-Aizkorri trail marathon in Spain in May.
The rest of the returning group gives the field depth, not just one rival. Six runners from last year’s top 10 are back, while last year’s champion, Caleb Olson, and runner-up, Chris Myers, are not on this year’s start list. Zach Miller will make his Western States debut after earning a Golden Ticket with a second-place finish at the 2026 Canyons 100K.
Hawks and the chase pack
Hawks is back for the fifth time, and his résumé makes him one of the more established threats behind the two headliners. He finished second in 2022 and third in 2024, and his 14:24:31 performance is the seventh-fastest in race history. He also won CCC in 2017 and 2024, and took the Black Canyon 100K in 2024 before Hans Troyer later lowered that course record.
Hans Troyer returns after finishing eighth in his Western States debut last year. He has since won the 2025 JFK 50 Mile and set the course record at the 2026 Black Canyon 100K, while Vincent Bouillard arrives with his own strong line after winning UTMB in 2024, taking third at the Chianti Ultra Trail earlier this year, and getting a DNF at Western States in 2025.
WSER starts at 8:00 a.m. ET
Adam Peterman, the 2022 champion, is back as well, and the top-10 returnees continue with Jeff Mogavero, Ryan Montgomery, Daniel Jones, and Hiroki Kai. Francesco Puppi will make his 100-mile debut, which adds another variable to a race already crowded with proven finishers.
WSER kicks off at 8:00 a.m. ET, and the livestream on YouTube will be hosted by Dylan Bowman and Corinne Malcom. With 370 runners on the line and several elite names returning at once, the first real answer comes only when the pack leaves Olympic Valley and starts the 100-mile journey to Auburn.
