All Roads Lead to Auburn
“It just looked so batsh💩t crazy I decided I had to figure out how to do it.
Apparently, a Kiwi not named Danny Jones is running the Western States this year.
You may have heard of him: Andrew MacDill, Andrew McDonald, Andrew McDowall.
Andrew runs his own audio studio in Auckland. He’s the guy who keeps Dirt Church Radio sounding somewhat legible.
More importantly, he runs a bit … well, quite a lot, actually.
“As a runner, I’d call myself one that ‘tries very hard’ – not a natural talent at all.”
For a “not a natural talent”, he’s done pretty bloody well for himself.
Andrew has:
Represented NZ at the ITRA 24HR World Champs (PB of 222.225km)
3 x podium finisher in the grueling Northburn 100 Mile
Suffered his way around UTMB in 35:44:39 before it was cool
Been part of the NZ Backyard team
7 x Finishes at Tarawera
But one thing he hasn’t done is run Western States
Well, that is all about to change. In 40 days, Andrew will be lining up with some of the world's best in Olympic Valley to take on America's oldest 100-mile race.
Andrew has been generous in giving in to my pestering and answering a few questions about his upcoming assault on the Western States course.
Do you remember the first time you discovered Western States 100? What was your reaction?
“Storytime! In 2010 my brother in law bought me a book called 'Extreme Running' for Christmas. It was my first proper glimpse into the world of ultra.”
“It even had a race in NZ in it - Kepler Challenge - that I never heard of - I said 'right, I'm going to run that next year' - and I did, very painfully - and I was so broken that I didn't run another ultra for three years.”
“But it was there that someone mentioned the book 'Ultramarathon Man' by the one and only Dean Karnazes. I heeded the advice and it was such a good read - the one thing that stayed with me was a graph in there comparing the Boston Marathon with something called 'Western States'. (pik attached - this has other races so it's not the original I don't think, but you get the idea).”
“It just looked so batsh💩t crazy I decided I had to figure out how to do it. After Tarawera was shortened in 2014 and I tasted my first DNF at UTA (then TNF100) the same year, I had to wait until Tarawera 2015 to get my first qualifier. I've now run 18 races of 100 miles or more since then - It has been quite a journey!”
How long have you been trying to get a spot on the starting line at Western States 100?
“By the time I hit the startline, it will have been nine years and four months since my first qualifying race (Tarawera 2015). I got in with 128 tickets.”
What does it mean to you to finally get to have a crack?
“After waiting for so long I find myself in this weird mix of excitement and terror. It's almost certainly going to be my one and only crack at this race so, while the idea is to enjoy the weekend and appreciate the priviledge of even being there in the first place, it's hard to quiet the voice in my head screaming 'DON'T F🤬CK THIS UP BRO!!!'.”
You've run a lot of 100 milers now. Will this be all about getting yourself mentally prepared, or do you still have a lot of work to do fitness-wise?
“Fitness is, as of right now, really good. I could probably go and run the course in a good time tomorrow. The challenge for 100 mile races for me nowadays is execution on the day. Something that has been a bit off as of late.”
“My last three big races have all had unique issues - Taipei 24 hour world champs had me struggling horribly with jet lag after only a few hours (I had only arrived the night before which was far from ideal - don't do that!), Tarawera this year I had some medical issues which knocked me around - but at least I finished which has given me confidence that I can put an ok time on the board on a really bad day.”
“Northburn my quads just completely went on me after running in 2nd place for about 95k. I'm still a bit confused by why but I'm working on doing everything I can to not have that happen again.”
Have you faced any significant challenges or setbacks in your training since you found out you got in? If so, tell us about them.
“Oh yes - see above!”
What does your itinerary look like? Will you tap and gap, or will you spend some extra time in Auburn?
“Arrive Sunday the weekend before the race. Stay with friends in San Fran - and these are friends who just happen to have a bike race in Tahoe the same weekend as WS - so they had already booked a place out there and I'm just tagging along - talk about meant to be!”
“They'll drive me back on Sunday as well and I fly out Monday night - my wife and daughter fly to NYC for a month only a few days after I get back so no time to hang about!”
How do you plan to approach race day? Are you going to experience the race and take it as it comes, or are you going for a particular time?
“Start in the bunch and do my best to be patient (this is hard for me) - turn up at 50k feeling like I'm going way too slow. Then meet my pacer Chad from Texas at Foresthill 100k aid station (who is a two time Western States finisher and has just completed this years edition of the Cocodona 250.”
“I want to ignore my watch completely for the first 80k. Three time goals - Sub 30hrs, Sub 24hrs and Sub 20:17:10 which is the time my aussie mate Stephen Redfern set in 2018.”
What does the perfect Western States look like for Andrew McDowall?
“Obviously beating Stephen's time. But really, I'd just like to have a good day. Don't mind a few struggles but it would be great if I could enjoy most of it aye.”
What aspects of the Western States 100 course are you most looking forward to experiencing?
“Running up to 3,000 metres at the start is cool. The epic aid station energy from all the volunteers, the brutality of a canyon climb - and of course, the running track grand finale!”
Looking beyond the Western States 100, what are your future aspirations and goals in the world of trail running?
“Jeepers - big question! My ultimate goal is to be still running and fit at 80 - maybe even 100! But in the closer future I still have Hardrock on my original bucket list and Tor des Géants, Moab 240 and Badwater on my 'wouldn't they be nice to do one day' list.”
“It's amazing to see the growth of the sport, and for the most part this growth has been really positive - and younger generations are really getting into it which is so cool to see.”
Thank you for your time, Andrew.
I wish you all the best for the Western States. I look forward to seeing if you can one-up your mate Stephen.
You can watch Andrew’s training for Western States unfold on Instagram or Strava.