The stakes were high this weekend at the Canyons by UTMB 100k race as the last of the golden tickets to Western States were dished out. In the end, the unusually cold and rainy weather didn't seem to dampen the runners' efforts, as Emily Hawgood set a new course record in the women's race, while Francesco Puppi took did the same in his first 100k attempt.
The race started in the historic gold rush town of Auburn, which calls itself the “Endurance Capital of the World," and took runners over 12,300ft (3,750m) of elevation gain in the northern California foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. This year, the 100k race was a Western States Golden Ticket race, with the final six tickets to be shared between the top three male and female winners.
