Highs and Lows: The Western States 100
44 years ago a young man named Gordy Ainsleigh showed up to a horse race without a horse. It wasn’t the sort of horse race you might see on TV, though. It was an endurance ride called the Tevis cup. It spanned 100 miles in distance from the alpine location of Squaw Valley to the small city of Auburn. Gordy wanted to participate, but his horse was lame, and after a few calculations he decided he could do what had never been done before—he ran 100 miles from Squaw Valley to Auburn. 44 years later, Gordy’s accomplishment has blossomed into a spectacle. Every year, 369 people are granted entry to run the Western States 100, following a similar route to the one Gordy ran back in 1974. Of those 369, a few are given to sponsors of the race, some are given to elite runners who qualify in a more technical manner, some are given to folks with special considerations and one spot is reserved for number 0, Gordy Ainsleigh, who continues to atte...