Western States Endurance Run Canceled Due to Fires

Over 700 fires are still raging across the state of California, from San Francisco to LA. Caused by lightning strikes (3,200 strikes in Tahoe National Forest alone) over the weekend, the fires are threatening homes in many places and destroying air quality across the state.

As firefighters race to put them out, at least one major running event has been canceled - the 35th annual Western State 100-Mile Endurance Run.

The race, which begins in Squaw Valley, California, and ends in Auburn, California, is just too close to the fires. The proximity of the course to the flames, along with the deteriorating air quality, prompted the cancellation. The last thing an ultra marathon runner wants to do is breathe smoke-filled air while running. It’s incredibly damaging. And nobody wants to put runners, or race volunteers for that matter, in harm’s way. Fire spreads quickly.

So what’s an endurance runner (who’s been training hard to run the 100-mile race) to do without a race to run? Since it’s probably not safe to run anywhere in Northern California right now, you might have to travel outside the state (or south) if you’d like to run soon…

Check out the 2008 Trail Runner Race Calendar for alternative runs.

There’s also the Great Eastern Endurance Run in Virginia in September. There’s the Mt. Disappointment 50-mile endurance run in Southern California in August. If you can take extreme heat (I’m talking 135 degrees +), you could always attempt the Badwater Ultramarathon (in Death Valley) in July.

Check Coach Weber’s 2008 ultrarunning race calendar for even more alternatives.

And let’s hope these fires get put out soon…