Western States 100 Pacing Calculator
Grade-adjusted, even-effort pacing splits and a fueling plan for the Western States 100, from Olympic Valley to the Auburn track.
California, USA
| Section | Length | Elev | Target pace | GAP | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲Climb0m–7.2km | 7.2km | +777m | 16:08/km | 8:55/km | 1:56:16 |
| ▼Descent7.2km–16.6km | 9.4km | −518m | 7:00/km | 8:55/km | 3:02:06 |
| ▲Climb16.6km–25.4km | 8.8km | +183m | 10:30/km | 8:55/km | 4:34:30 |
| ▼Descent25.4km–38.3km | 12.9km | −899m | 6:25/km | 8:55/km | 5:57:18 |
| ▲Climb38.3km–47.8km | 9.5km | +618m | 13:01/km | 8:55/km | 8:01:03 |
| ▼Descent47.8km–61.2km | 13.4km | −344m | 8:06/km | 8:55/km | 9:49:36 |
| —Flat61.2km–69.7km | 8.5km | −122m | 8:34/km | 8:55/km | 11:02:27 |
| ▼Descent69.7km–85.1km | 15.4km | −732m | 7:09/km | 8:55/km | 12:52:48 |
| ▲Climb85.1km–89.6km | 4.5km | +122m | 10:31/km | 8:55/km | 13:40:11 |
| —Flat89.6km–99.8km | 10.2km | +19m | 9:13/km | 8:55/km | 15:14:13 |
| ▼Descent99.8km–117.5km | 17.7km | −537m | 7:41/km | 8:55/km | 17:30:25 |
| —Flat117.5km–125.5km | 8.0km | −152m | 8:07/km | 8:55/km | 18:35:23 |
| ▲Climb125.5km–128.4km | 2.9km | +122m | 11:14/km | 8:55/km | 19:08:00 |
| —Flat128.4km–137.1km | 8.7km | — | 9:00/km | 8:55/km | 20:26:25 |
| ▼Descent137.1km–144.7km | 7.6km | −214m | 7:42/km | 8:55/km | 21:25:03 |
| —Flat144.7km–155.8km | 11.1km | +31m | 9:06/km | 8:55/km | 23:06:10 |
| ▲Climb155.8km–161.1km | 5.3km | +126m | 10:15/km | 8:55/km | 24:00:00 |
GAP is grade-adjusted pace, the flat-equivalent pace for the effort. On an even-effort plan it stays roughly constant while your actual target pace rises on climbs and falls on descents. Switch to “By terrain” to pace the course by its climbs and descents.
| Aid station | Distance | Arrival | Time in station | Depart | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Robinson Flat+48.8km leg · 8:08:53 | 48.8km | 8:08:53 | 8:13:53 | 9:10:00+1:01:07 | |
| 2Last Chance+20.9km leg · 2:53:26 | 69.7km | 11:07:19 | 11:11:19 | 12:25:00+1:17:41 | |
| 3Devil's Thumb+7.2km leg · 58:12 | 76.9km | 12:09:31 | 12:13:31 | 14:10:00+2:00:29 | |
| 4Michigan Bluff+12.7km leg · 1:40:03 | 89.6km | 13:53:34 | 13:59:34 | 16:55:00+3:01:26 | |
| 5Foresthill+10.1km leg · 1:33:28 | 99.8km | 15:33:02 | 15:43:02 | 18:45:00+3:11:58 | |
| 6Rucky Chucky (river crossing)+25.8km leg · 3:21:41 | 125.5km | 19:04:43 | 19:09:43 | 24:00:00+4:55:17 | |
| 7Green Gate+2.9km leg · 32:31 | 128.4km | 19:42:14 | 19:47:14 | 24:50:00+5:07:46 | |
| 8Auburn Lake Trails+8.7km leg · 1:18:18 | 137.1km | 21:05:32 | 21:09:32 | 26:15:00+5:09:28 | |
| 9Robie Point+22.0km leg · 3:16:13 | 159.2km | 24:25:46 | 24:27:46 | — | |
| 10Finish (Placer High School)+1.9km leg · 17:14 | 161.1km | 24:45:00 | 24:45:00 | 30:00:00+5:15:00 |
Edit time in station for how long you plan to stop at each aid station. Arrival and departure times shift to include every prior stop, and the cutoff badge shows your buffer (or deficit) against the official cutoff at arrival.
| At | Distance | Carbs | Fluid | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30:00 | 1.9km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 1:00:00 | 3.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 1:30:00 | 5.6km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 2:00:00 | 7.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 2:30:00 | 12.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 3:00:00 | 16.3km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 3:30:00 | 19.3km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 4:00:00 | 22.1km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 4:30:00 | 25.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 5:00:00 | 29.3km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 5:30:00 | 34.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 6:00:00 | 38.5km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 6:30:00 | 40.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 7:00:00 | 43.1km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 7:30:00 | 45.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 8:00:00 | 47.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 8:30:00 | 51.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 9:00:00 | 55.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 9:30:00 | 58.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 10:00:00 | 62.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 10:30:00 | 65.9km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 11:00:00 | 69.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 11:30:00 | 73.1km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 12:00:00 | 76.9km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 12:30:00 | 81.5km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 13:00:00 | 85.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 13:30:00 | 88.6km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 14:00:00 | 91.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 14:30:00 | 95.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 15:00:00 | 98.3km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 15:30:00 | 101.9km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 16:00:00 | 105.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 16:30:00 | 109.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 17:00:00 | 113.5km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 17:30:00 | 117.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 18:00:00 | 121.1km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 18:30:00 | 124.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 19:00:00 | 127.7km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 19:30:00 | 130.8km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 20:00:00 | 134.2km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 20:30:00 | 137.6km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 21:00:00 | 141.4km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 21:30:00 | 145.3km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 22:00:00 | 148.6km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 22:30:00 | 151.9km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 23:00:00 | 155.1km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
| 23:30:00 | 158.0km | 45 g | 400 ml | 300 mg |
Heads up: fluid and sodium are a temperature-based estimate from population averages. Individual sweat rates vary two to threefold, so treat these as a starting point.
A grade-adjusted, even-effort plan for the Western States 100 course from a single goal time. It knows the climbs and descents, but not you: not your fitness, not how fatigue changes your economy late, not your real sweat rate or fueling tolerance.
Vertical learns your terrain response, fueling tolerance, and sweat rate from your own Garmin, COROS, or Strava history, builds race execution into the training that leads up to Western States 100, then sends the workouts to your watch.
Personalize this plan and send it to my watch →- Net downhill on paper but deceptively hard. The course drops roughly 1,500 m more than it climbs, yet nearly 5,500 m of cumulative gain across the aid stations makes it a relentless up-and-down, not a cruise.
- The first climb is brutal and early. From the Olympic Valley start you gain about 780 m in the first 7 km to Emigrant Pass, the high point at 2,667 m, so pace conservatively before the legs are warm.
- The canyons between Last Chance and Foresthill are the crux. Steep descents into El Dorado Creek and the climbs to Devil’s Thumb and Michigan Bluff hit in the hottest part of the day, with canyon temperatures often near 30 C.
- Cal Street from Foresthill to the river is the most runnable stretch, a long gradual descent where you can make up time. Banking too hard here can wreck the quads before the finish.
- The finish is uphill. After No Hands Bridge you climb to Robie Point before a short descent to the Placer High School track, so save something for the last 6 km.
The plan distributes a single, constant effort across the course rather than a constant pace. Each segment’s gradient is converted into a metabolic-cost multiplier with the Minetti cost-of-running polynomial, so climbs are paced slower and descents faster by exactly the amount that keeps energy expenditure even. Your goal time is met by solving for the one flat-ground pace whose grade-weighted total equals it. Where the course sits at altitude, a hypoxia factor is applied from the elevation itself.
Course data. Course profile reconstructed from the Western States Endurance Run published aid-station elevation chart, interpolated between stations. Distance and total climb and descent use the official WSER figures. Aid station cutoff times are the current official WSER cutoff schedule published at wser.org/aid-stations; cutoffs can change year to year, so confirm against the race website before race day.
Have your own GPX? Upload it to the full pacing and fueling planner → Not sure of a realistic goal time? Race Time Predictor →