This morning the Western States 100 printed the schedule and standards for its 2021-22 HOKA Golden Ticket Races by which as much as 28 runners will achieve automated qualification into the 2022 Western States 100.
Most notably, the Golden Ticket Races now embody three worldwide races–UTMB, the Endurance Path des Templiers, and the Tarawera Ultramarathon 102km, whereas the the variety of US Golden Ticket races has been diminished from 5 or 6 races in recent times (excluding 2021) to 4. The addition of worldwide Golden Ticket races coincides with the dissolution of the Extremely-Path World Tour (UTWT) after 2021. Since 2014, the UTWT had six automated spots into every Western States. At the least within the early years of those UTWT spots, there was inferred desire for non-US entrants to obtain these spots. For 2022, there can be as much as 12 Golden Ticket spots given away at worldwide races.
It’s additionally price noting that with the elimination of the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile from the lineup, all seven Golden Ticket Races are a minimum of nominally 100k in size, which is the present minimal qualifying distance for the race. Simultaneous, there at the moment are two races–UTMB and the Javelina Jundred–which might be a minimum of 100 miles lengthy.
The qualifying standards stays unchanged, apart from an administrative change reflecting the addition of three Golden Ticket races previous to the Western States 100’s December lottery. Basically, that signifies that the highest two girls and prime two males at every Golden Ticket race routinely qualify for the 2022 Western States 100, with these automated entries sequentially rolling right down to as little as fifth place if the next finisher already has a spot within the 2022 WS 100 or declines her or his spot. The present language is beneath:
[T]he prime two (2) feminine and prime two (2) male finishers in every of the seven particular person races will routinely qualify for entry into the 2022 Western States 100 occasion. Within the case that the primary or second place participant is already in Western States (or decides to decide out), the automated bid will slide to 3rd place, fourth place, and subsequently right down to fifth place as wanted (no locations beneath fifth can be accepted). Winners will obtain their invitation through e-mail and have two weeks from the qualifying race to determine (and full the registration if after annual December lottery), together with paying the entry charge.
Right here’s the complete 2021-22 HOKA Golden Ticket race schedule:
The Western States 100 provides three worldwide races to the 2021-22 HOKA Golden Ticket race schedule, together with the Endurance Path des Tempiers. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
