The women’s race at the 2026 Western States 100 was supposed to be the test that exposed Jenn Lichter. She had never run a 100-mile race. Most of the women around her had podium finishes at the sport’s biggest ultras. None of it mattered. Lichter, 30, ran away from a deep field on Saturday and crossed the line in 15 hours, 28 minutes and 5 seconds, taking 88 seconds off the course record Courtney Dauwalter set in 2023.
It was the second course record to fall on the same day. The men’s winner, Vincent Bouillard, had already gone sub-14 hours earlier in the afternoon. Dauwalter’s mark of 15:29:33 had stood since 2023 and was widely considered out of reach for anyone other than her.
Riley Brady, the Boulder-based ultrarunner who won Canyons by UTMB 100K in April, finished second in 15:42:14. That time is the third-fastest in the women’s race in race history. Marianne Hogan, of Montreal, came in third in 15:51:44 — her third career third-place finish at the race.
The race for the record
Lichter arrived in Olympic Valley off a course-record win at the Black Canyon 100K in February. She first took the lead at Robinson Flat, around mile 30. Brady, a two-time Javelina Jundred champion, pulled it back through the canyons and held the front past Devil’s Thumb at mile 47.8. As late as Rucky Chucky, with 22 miles to run, Brady was still up by less than two minutes.
Lichter then ran her own race. She had set out to settle into an effort she felt she could maintain all day, and to keep checking in with herself rather than reacting to whoever was in front of her. The plan worked. She pulled clear in the final stretch and brought the record down with her.
Dylan Bowman, the retired pro who calls the race for the live broadcast, described Lichter’s run as “one of the greatest performances in the 53-year history of Western States.”
Lichter finished 11th overall — one minute and 31 seconds behind 10th-place man Hiroki Kai.
Top women’s results
- Jenn Lichter – 15:28:05 (course record)
- Riley Brady – 15:42:14
- Marianne Hogan – 15:51:44
Reporting drawn from post-race coverage by Keeley Milne for Canadian Running Magazine (June 28, 2026). Background on Lichter’s early life, including her childhood in Bogotá, Colombia, is detailed in a 2025 Runner’s World profile by Taylor Dutch.
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