[Author’s Note: This is the first in a six-part series called History-Making Hundreds where we’ll look at certain 100-mile race performances that altered the landscape of trail running and ultrarunning.]
I was about a mile into the 2006 Western States 100 when my good friend, the late Dave Terry, sidled up next to me. Dave was a true old-school Western States veteran, hailing from Oregon. As he looked up ahead of us and saw the front runners escaping into the pre-dawn light, he turned to me and said, “AJW, you feel that? This is gonna’ be epic!”
Dave was right. It was epic. The 2006 race had everything. Snow in the high country and searing heat in the canyons. The finishing rate was a mere 52%, and while it was only the third hottest Western States on record with a race-day high in Auburn of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), it was, and still is, believed to be the most challenging conditions the race has ever seen.
Part of a full-page ad which appeared in the October, 2006 issue of “Runner’s World” magazine. Image is a screenshot. Original photography by Thomas Backer and graphics by The North Face.
Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, 35-year-old Nikki Kimball of Montana executed a well-planned race strategy that saw her win the women’s race and place third overall, the first time a woman had stood on the overall Western States podium since Ann Trason in 1996 — a decade before. Trason would finish on the overall podium five times.
Tim Twietmeyer, 25-time Western States finisher and five-time winner, ran his final Western States in 2006, said of the day: “In all my years racing at Western States, those were the most challenging conditions I’ve ever experienced.”
This was Kimball’s second time running the race. She’d won the women’s race and finished in 10th place overall in 2004 with a time of 18:43. Due to the hot forecast, Kimball chose an aggressive strategy that day, running the first 30 miles harder than usual, then backing off her pace in the middle of the day before increasing her pace and effort level as the day cooled. And did that strategy work!
The 2006 race-day conditions were made extra difficult by what former race director Greg Soderlund referred to as the “pizza-stone effect.” High temperatures in the region were at or near 100 degrees for 10 days prior to the race, pre-heating the canyons, much as a baker pre-heats a pizza stone before cooking. As a result, the notorious canyon walls were hotter than usual, earlier than usual along the race course. The heat was not only coming down on the runners from the sun overhead, but also coming up from the parched, baked soil and rock.
Nikki Kimball (left) and Pam Smith at the 2013 Western States 100, after the pair finished second and first, respectively. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Sitting in eighth place overall at Robinson Flat, 30 miles in, Kimball calmly took her foot off the gas over the next few hours. She jumped two spots to sixth by the American River crossing at mile 78 as the heat took its toll on the field. From the river to the finish, Kimball put the hammer down, crossing the finish line in 19:26 in third-place overall, 36 minutes ahead of the next woman. As a testament to the difficulty of the conditions, her time was 45 minutes slower than her race-winning time from two years prior.
Interestingly enough, since that scorching day in 2006, the closest a woman has come to finishing on the overall podium was Courtney Dauwalter’s sixth-place finish in 2023. Given the upward trajectory in women’s performances across the trail running and ultrarunning spectrum in recent years, I suspect it’s only a matter of time before Trason and Kimball are joined by another woman on the all-time Western States podium.
You can learn more about Kimball’s history-making hundred in our prior article about her performance.
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Lewis and Clark Brewing Company in Helena, Montana. Miner’s Gold is an American-style wheat beer that is crisp and refreshing. With just a hint of bitterness and a sweet finish, this hefeweizen is a great after-run beer on a warm summer evening.
Call for Comments
- Were you at the 2006 Western States 100? What do you remember from that year?
- How did Nikki Kimball’s history-making performance that day move the sport forward for you?
Nikki Kimball looking thrilled with second place in the 2018 Hardrock 100, later in her running career. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
