Jenn Lichter breaks Western States 100 record on 100-mile debut

Jenn Lichter marked her first attempt at the 100-mile distance by setting a course record at the Western States 100 on 27 June, according to Guardian US Sport, in a debut she had gone into determined to win outright.

The race runs from Olympic Valley to Auburn across California's Sierra Nevada and is considered the oldest and most prestigious 100-miler on the calendar, regularly drawing a strong international field. Competitors this year faced roughly 18,000ft of climbing and daytime heat that often approached three figures.

Lichter, 30, made no secret of her ambitions before the start. "I wanted to win, there was no secret to that," she said. "That's just who I am."

The lead changed hands little through the early stages, with the race staying close deep into the course. Lichter made her decisive move on the climb to Devil's Thumb, opening a gap that continued to widen. By the final aid station she held a sizable advantage over the runner in second.

What she did not know until roughly a mile from the finish was that she was on pace to beat the existing course record. Her fiance, Nick Cornell, delivered the news as she closed in on the line. "That was the first I had heard about it," she said.

"He knew my competitive side would jump at the challenge," she added, of Cornell's decision to tell her.

The run caps a personal story that reporting on Lichter has traced back to a childhood spent in an orphanage in Colombia, with the resilience built during those years credited as part of what carried her through the closing miles of the race.

Her mark now stands as the target for future fields at Western States, a race that has drawn some of ultrarunning's strongest competitors since its founding.