Fu-Zhao Xiang of China lines up for the 2026 Western States 100 looking to improve on her second-place run from last year. In the following interview, Fu-Zhao talks about what her goal time for the race is, her experience spending a couple of months training in Flagstaff, Arizona, ahead of the race, her rim-to-rim-to-rim training run in the Grand Canyon with Marianne Hogan, and what she thinks it will take to win Western States this year.
To learn more about who’s racing, check out our women’s and men’s previews before following our live race coverage on race day.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to watch the video above, click here to access it.]
Fu-Zhao Xiang Pre-2026 Western States 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Fu-Zhao Xiang. It’s a couple days before the 2026 Western States 100. You’re back to Western States for the third time.
Xiang: Actually, fourth time.
iRunFar: Fourth?
Xiang: Because the first time, pacer for Eszter [Csillag].
iRunFar: So one time pacing Eszter Csillag, two times racing, and now this is number four.
Xiang: Yes.
iRunFar: Wow. I think I didn’t know that you’d been here as a pacer, also.
Xiang: Wow.
iRunFar: You come to this year’s race with the fastest finishing time of all of the women on the entrance list. Your 16 hours, 20 minutes from 2024 is the fastest on this year’s roster. What do you think of that?
Xiang: I think most is I’m very lucky. Maybe this year, I have more female run before the 16 hours. Yes, I think so because this year is so cool.
iRunFar: Okay. So this year-
Xiang: That is already past course, so I need to run faster.
iRunFar: So am I hearing you right in saying that you think you want to run 15 hours and something this year?
Xiang: I hope I can faster than last two years because the weather is get better and others female maybe run a lot faster. Yes.
iRunFar: You have finished this race twice, both times finishing second. Is it your dream to finish first?
Xiang: I think every elite runner also want to win the race. That’s all my goals.
iRunFar: You have been in America, you said for two months.
Xiang: Yes. This is my first time, and use more than two months to training at a new place. So it’s very hard for outside American runners. So I already spent a long time to training here and I already spent too much. So I hope the final will good for me.
iRunFar: You have spent your time here in California and also in Arizona in Flagstaff. What’s it like been training and living in America?
Xiang: Because a lot of American elite runner are based Flagstaff, and last few years, and some champion come from the place. So I want to say was amazing place, made a lot of champions, and I found there have a lot of other runners.
iRunFar: Road runners, track, trail.
Xiang: Yes. A lot of athletes are here. It’s like [inaudible] in Yunnan. It’s the same high altitude. It’s amazing. I hope that for me it’s good for training. I live in China, the low altitude, like Hangzhou, Shanghai is …
iRunFar: No altitude.
Xiang: Yeah, zero.
iRunFar: 10 meters above sea level.
Xiang: Yes. And they are also humid.
iRunFar: Oh, yeah.
Xiang: Yes. And Flagstaff is so dry. I can’t sleep over here.
iRunFar: Yeah. Hard for your skin, hair.
Xiang: Oh, yes. So for me it’s very challenging for me. So I hope I have good results because I … [speaking in Chinese]. How to say?
Translator: I paid a lot.
iRunFar: You paid a lot to make it happen. But like you said, many champions of Western States have done their training or come from Flagstaff so maybe it pays off. Maybe it’s worth the effort. Right?
Translator: [speaking in Chinese]
Xiang: Yes, I think so. And I train here, when I run, I always meet a different elite runners, like Jing, and Daniel [Jones] and Marianne [Hogan]. Sometimes I will run with Marianne and Martyna [Młynarczyk]. A lot of elite runner are training here.
iRunFar: Yeah. Let’s talk about Marianne Hogan. Last year, you were second, and she was a short ways behind you in third. Both of you are returning and you two have done lots of training together in Flagstaff. I think you’re good friends now.
Xiang: Yes. It’s very funny. We’re like teammate, some has-
iRunFar: Even though opposite teams, but teammates.
Xiang: Yes. And Marianne, sometimes we make a joke. When we not race, we so close, and we have a big competition. We training together and we love each other a lot and we run together. I can feel we have the same pace as a flat, and downhill, we also have the same pace. If we can maybe, during the race, we can run together. Oh, that’s perfect.
iRunFar: Spend some miles, pass kilometers together.
Xiang: Yes. Maybe this year have a lot of runners run together because we have the same …
iRunFar: Paces.
Xiang: Yes. I think so.
iRunFar: I want to ask you one more thing about Flagstaff. You wrote on your social media about the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is amazing. What did you think about running in one of America’s most famous parks, the Grand Canyon?
Xiang: Oh, because Grand Canyon is very famous in the world, and run and trail, for me is perfect. And I run Grand Canyon two times. One time I went down to the river then up, and the second time I ran with Marianne rim-to-rim-to-rim. A big day.
iRunFar: You went all the way to the other side and you came back again.
Xiang: Yeah.
iRunFar: How many hours?
Xiang: About 10 hours and half. 10 hours and a half, yes.
iRunFar: Your biggest training day for Western?
Xiang: Yes. For us it’s a great day. That is my longest run during the training. So that day for me is very important. Yes. And when I finish and I saw sunset.
iRunFar: You saw the sunset.
Xiang: Sunrise. Yes.
iRunFar: You’ll see sunset again on Saturday, just a little bit, right?
Xiang: Yeah.
iRunFar: You mentioned before the cool temperatures for Saturday. The weather forecast is very different this year. What do you think about seeing this race and having that experience with so much less heat this time?
Xiang: For me, maybe it’s not very good because I think I’m good at hot weather.
iRunFar: You want the hot?
Xiang: Yes, of course. So it’s okay. Maybe we will run faster. So just run. Don’t worry too much.
iRunFar: Can I ask you once more about your goal time? You have a very fast time on this course, one of the fastest, but you are thinking about running a time that has 15 hours and something. Is that correct?
Xiang: Yes. I think maybe top three or top five will maybe run in-
iRunFar: In 15 hours this year.
Xiang: Yeah, before 16 hours, I think, maybe. Because so cool and this year have some marathon … very fast runners will run the race.
iRunFar: I know you study this race and the splits very closely. What do you think will be… How fast does a woman have to run to win Western this year?
Xiang: I think close the record, maybe.
iRunFar: And how fast do you think you’ll run?
Xiang: I don’t know. I hope I can before 16 hours.
iRunFar: Fu-Zhao Xiang. Returning second-place finisher from 2025, best of luck to you on your run from Olympic Valley to Auburn on Saturday.
Xiang: Yeah. See you. Thanks for inviting me on the interview.
iRunFar: Xiè xiè
Xiang: Xiè xiè
