Jenn Lichter breaks Courtney Dauwalter's Western States record in her first 100-miler

Jenn Lichter won the Western States 100 on Saturday in 15:28:05, a course record. Courtney Dauwalter's 15:29:33 from 2023 had been the mark, and Lichter beat it in the first 100-mile race she has run. She is 30, won the Black Canyon 100k in February with a course record there, and came to Auburn with a reputation for climbing fast.

She ran at the front from the start, trading the lead early with Marianne Hogan and Vietnam's Hậu Hà, with Riley Brady just behind. On the climb to Devil's Thumb she went clear and had nearly five minutes at the top. The gap was seven minutes at mile 85 and grew to the finish.

Brady closed hard over the final miles and passed Hogan for second in 15:42:14, their best result here after 14th in 2023. Hogan was third in 15:51:44, the third time she has been third, after 2022 and 2025. Caitlin Fielder of New Zealand was fourth in 15:57:09 and Germany's Lotti Brinks fifth in 16:04:38. Tara Dower was sixth and China's Fu-Zhao Xiang seventh in 16:25:59, a time that still ranks tenth on the women's all-time list. Molly Seidel finished her first 100-miler further back.

It was a cool day, 74°F at the finish, and both course records fell. Vincent Bouillard's 13:46:15 in the men's race was 23 minutes under the old mark; Lichter's margin was a minute and a half.

A debut, a record and a lead taken on a climb. There is no safer way to win a 100 and no harder one.

Sources: iRunFar; Western States Endurance Run; Wikipedia.