Watching the winners cross the line is one thing, but hearing it from an “average Joe” (is there anything average about an endurance runner?) offers a completely different perspective. This year, there were two South Africans running the Western States 100 miler; the overall winner was our man Ryan Sandes, and Kevin was the other guy.
Kevin offers some great insight in to how to take WS100 from your bucket list to that coveted buckle, and we have to admit he has the Wildrunner team pretty amped for a go at the lottery!
Name: Kevin Harris
Age: 39
Home Town: Stellenbosch, Cape Town
Began Running: In 2009
Longest Races prior to WS100: Outeniqua Quest (108km) in 2014 and 2015
Ultra Trail Cape Town (100km) 2015 and 2016
L'Endurance Trail (Festival des Templiers)(100km) 2016
Wildrunner: What did you find appealing about Western States, and when did you throw your hat in the ring for an entry?
Kevin: I first read about Western States in the book "Born to Run", but what made my mind up to try and run it was watching the documentary "Unbreakable" which told the story of the 2010 run. I guess the history and prestige of the original 100 miler is what ultimately hooked me.
Wildrunner: How easy was it to get an entry once the process began? Did you need to sell a kidney or rebond your home?
Kevin: If only it were that easy..! Part of the attraction of the Western States is that the entry process is essentially the same for everyone regardless of ability or status (other than previous year’s top 10, winners and runners-up of specific races who get a "Golden Ticket", some sponsor and volunteer spots, and a few special considerations). First, you have to run a designated qualifier (UTCT is the only one in SA), and then you enter a lottery where about 250 spots are drawn. Each consecutive year that you enter the lottery, your lots double (I.e. Chances improve). Your odds are however pretty low initially - this year there were over 5000 entrants in the lottery. Some runners have been in the draw for 7 years so I was pretty lucky to be drawn in my second year.
Wildrunner: Which trails or races did you use as training ground, and how many kilometres did you put in?
Kevin: I run mainly in the trails around Stellenbosch, particularly in Jonkershoek. For the past year I tried to find races that fitted in with my training or were geographically accessible. I did the Marloth Mountain Challenge, L'Endurance, UTCT, African X, Addo Elephant 75km, Bartinney to Bartinney, and Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge.
I think I've done about 900km this year, with peak weeks of about 160km. Last year I think I clocked a little over 2000km in total.
Wildrunner: Any heat specific training?
Kevin: We had a long, hot summer so I tried to do at least some of my running each week over lunch. And Addo Elephant was super hot - mid 40's. Psychologically it definitely helped knowing I could go through a day of extreme heat and survive, so glad it worked out that way!
Wildrunner: What was the start line vibe like?
Kevin: The event is incredibly well supported so even though we had a 5am start there were lots of people there supporting us. It was quite surreal standing there, and only as the 10 second count down started did it really dawn on me that it was real and I was going to do this.
Wildrunner: Did you have a seconding team on the day? How much of a help was that, emotionally and physically?
Kevin: My family are always up for an adventure, so as well as my wife and kids being there I had my parents, my sister, my in-laws, and my father in-law's two brothers who came down from Canada. The aid stations at Western States are amazing, with outstanding volunteers, but it was definitely a big help having them (my crew) there too, and something to look forward to as I went along. They were able to get me some food of choice, dry socks and shoes, plasters and whatever else I needed to keep going.
And my wife Nell paced me from Forest Hill (last 60km) which was special. We run a lot together and she has been amazingly supportive of me wanting to take this on, so I'm so happy I got to share some of it with her.
Wildrunner: What did you eat and drink throughout the race?
Kevin: I have used Perpetuem (Hammer product) for a while now and find it works well. I also used the Race Food Far Bar. I diluted the Perpetuem so I could fuel and hydrate at the same time, and then I had water in my pack to which I sometimes added some Rehydrate. At the stations where I had my crew, I tried to eat "real" food - sandwiches, burgers, cheese, nut bars and salami.
Wildrunner: What was available at the aid stations?
Kevin: The aid stations are amazing... Someone essentially picks you up as you arrive and helps you with everything. There is water, electrolyte drinks, coke, ginger beer, coffee, soup, potatoes, chips, cheese, sandwiches, fruit, sweets, etc. But most importantly, I think they had something like 10 tons of ice out on course which helped in managing the heat; ice down the arm sleeves, in the hat, in the bandana around your neck plus ice cold sponge bathes on demand!
Wildrunner: Biggest high during the race?
Kevin: Other than the start and finish, and seeing the kids and family along the way, the biggest high was probably summiting the first climb in the snow and seeing Lake Tahoe behind me and the canyons ahead. I'd heard so much about it, it was great to experience it.
Also, it was special being at the event Ryan won! We've followed his ups and downs at the event over the years, and been inspired by his dedication to keep trying to win it. So it was really cool to be there to see him lift the trophy!
Wildrunner: Lowest moment?
Kevin: I really struggled on the stretch between the Green Gate and Auburn Lake Trails aid stations. It's about 8km and on paper looks fairly runnable, but by then you had been running in the dark for some time so I was pretty gatvol. Nell did a good job keeping me moving, although I think we walked most of that leg. Fortunately, as we came into Aurburn Lake Trails aid station it began getting light again, and we ended up having two good legs after that.
Wildrunner: What were you thinking as you crossed the finish line?
Kevin: Mostly "Glad thats's over..! What was I thinking...!"
I was obviously very happy, but very tired. It was special having all my family there to share it with me, and I just felt fortunate to have had all the support from them and my mates back home.
Wildrunner: What would you say you’ve learned about yourself by running WS100?
Kevin: The hardest part is being ready to toe the line, so I again learnt that with a bit of commitment and sacrifice, it's amazing what you can achieve.
Wildrunner: What advice would you offer other newbies from South Africa who have WS100 on their bucket lists?
Kevin: I think if you want do Western States you must start planning to do it now as it may take quite a few years to get an entry. So get yourself in a position to run the qualifiers, and get yourself in the lottery.
Wildrunner: What’s next for you?
Kevin: I'm going to take a nice rest now! We have a family road trip through California / Nevada / Utah planned over the next three weeks which I'm looking forward to. No big running goals at this stage, although I'll hopefully run Hout Bay Trail Challenge, Marloth Mountain Challenge and UTCT later this year.
My wife Nell qualified at UTCT last year to enter next year’s lottery, so maybe if we're lucky we can do it together in 2018!
