Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run
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The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run (Wasatch), held annually on the first Saturday after Labor Day in Utah, is, along with the Western States Endurance Run, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run, and the Leadville Trail 100, one of the four original 100 mile (162 km) ultramarathons of the modern era. The slogan of the Wasatch Run is One Hundred Miles of Heaven and Hell.
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[edit] History
Wasatch began in its early years as a challenge for some local runners who were inspired by Western States, the first of modern-day western 100s. One year, no one even finished! Now 27 years old, the race has matured into a smooth-running event attracting runners from across the world, but still retaining a certain understatement reflective of Utah culture in general. Many regard this humble reserve as the race's most attractive attribute.
[edit] Course
Wasatch gains 26,000 cumulative feet in elevation as it traverses the Wasatch Front, commanding vistas of basin and range country, the Great Salt Lake, steep canyons, broad plateaus, and craggy peaks. Altitude ranges from 4,700 to 10,460 feet, and temperatures range from 80s in the shade during the day to 30s on the high ridges at night. The fastest runners typically finish the race in 20 hours or so, while the field is given 36 hours to finish the race.
For many years Wasatch was regarded as the toughest 100-miler, but with the advent of the Hardrock 100 in Colorado, this has been thrown into some dispute. Apologists for Wasatch note that Hardrock has a 48-hour cutoff, and therefore is in a different category of event (a quasi multi-day). Both races are undeniably very difficult and pose their own challenges.
[edit] Course records
Karl Meltzer holds the men's course record with a finish time of 19:43:47 from his 2005 running. Ann Trason holds the women's course record with a time of 22:27:00 which she achieved in 1998.
[edit] Grand Slam
Runners who complete Wasatch along with the Western States Endurance Run in Northern California, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run in Vermont, and the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado all in the same summer achieve the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning and are awarded with a sculpted eagle-head trophy. Wasatch is the final of the four races, and, as a result, the Grand Slam award is presented at the post-race Awards Banquet.
Wasatch is a part of the Western Slam (Wasatch, the Leadville 100, the Western States Endurance Run, and the Angeles Crest 100), and an optional part of the Rocky Mountain Slam (Hardrock 100, plus three of four of Wasatch, the Bighorn 100, the Bear 100 Mile Endurance Run, or Leadville).
