Roes And Jornet Ready To Battle At Western States

The 38th edition of the famous ultra marathon should be an exciting one.

Get ready, ultra fans: This weekend a major rivalry is set to take place in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The 38th edition of the Western States 100 will kick off and returning champion Geoff Roes will be there to defend his title against Spain’s Kilian Jornet.

Roes, who owns the course record at Western States, is the favorite to win. He is eight-for-eight in 100 milers.

In last year’s event, Roes made a late-race surge to capture the title, while Jornet, who didn’t carry any water that day, suffered from the heat.

British ace Jez Bragg is also in the hunt. He won last year’s abbreviated Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc. “One thing I know for sure is that I can run faster than I did in 2009, when I wasn’t in perfect shape,” he said.

In the women’s race, all eyes are on 2010 100K champion Ellie Greenwood who is making her 100-mile debut. Expected to give her a run for the money is Kami Semick who finished ahead of Greenwood in this year’s Comrades Marathon.

For More: Running Times