Drumshanbo AC's Ricki Wynne stars in Western States 100

Drumshanbo AC’s Ricki Wynne put on a superb performance in last weekend’s Western States 100 miler race, finishing 27th overall and first Master in the 40-49 age group.

Clocking a time of 18 hours 41 minutes 19 seconds for the 100.2, the Leitrim Village runner was 17th fastest male as he set a record for Irish finisher in the world’s oldest 100 mile race, an event that was first held in 1977 with a 24 hour time limit for finishers.

Offering the sport’s oldest and most prized possession, a sub-24-hour silver belt buckle and a sub-30-hour bronze belt buckle, Western States remains one of the undisputed crown jewels of human endurance with the Hoka Elite athlete producing an exceptional performance.

The race was won by Caleb Olson in a near record time of in 14 hours 11 minutes and 25 seconds, falling just two minutes shy of 2019 course record. The women’s race was won by Abby Hall in a time of 16 hours 37 minutes 16 seconds, the fourth fastest women’s time in the event’s history.

Runners ascend a total of 5,500m metres and descend 7,000m during the race which starts  from Olympic Valley, California near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics before finishing in Auburn California.

The opening miles are a brutal test of endurance and strength as the race ascends from 6,200 feet in Olympic Valley to 8,500 feet at Emigrant Pass in the first 4.5 miles. Ricki covered this section in an incredible 47 minutes 49 seconds for the first four miles.

The difficulty of the course, apart from the distance, is the constant ascents and descents with the race dropping to around 7,000 feet at the 10 mile mark before going up 1,500 ft by the 30 mile marker. The race then drops to 3,000 before rising again the aptly named “Devils Thumb” checkpoint.

The ups and downs of the race continue but there are also additional challenges with competitors crossing rivers at several points along with a crossing that entails runners using a guide rope stretched from bank to bank after 78 miles!

Congratulating Ricki on his performance, Drumshanbo AC posted “Huge congratulations to our local legend Ricki Wynne on an incredible achievement at the Western States 100 Miler - finishing 27th overall and taking 1st place in his age category! 

“Running alongside some of the best trail runners in the world, Ricki showed what true grit, determination, and passion look like. We’re all super proud of you - an inspiration to our entire community!”