Can David Roche break Jim Walmsley’s record of 14:09:28 at the Western States 100 this year? He thinks he’s in with a chance.
It’s fair to say that a lot of us hadn’t heard of Roche before last summer, but when he smashed the long-running Leadville 100 record last summer, then won the Javelina Jundred in 100-degree temperatures just two months later we sat up and took notice.
While some ultra runners keep their goals close to their chest, Roche has been extremely open about his plans, including giving his followers some major insights into his training methods. Once he punched his ticket for the Western States in Arizona, he decided to bring folks along with a new YouTube series, Road to Western States 100, where he shares precisely what he’s doing to get in winning shape.
In episode 1, titled “Let’s shock the world,” Roche says he knows that announcing he’s “in it to win it” might ruffle feathers – but after his unlikely success at Leadville only months after being hit and seriously injured by a car, he thinks it might just be possible.
So what’s his strategy?
“I’m going to get fast. Really fast. Not throwing away my shot will require that I have the best running economy I’ve ever had,” says Roche, as he walks (or runs) the viewer through his interval workout and what he calls some “GI training” – effectively downing two liters of sports drink before hitting the trail again. Then it’s home for some mind training, also known as parenting.
“I won’t make history by playing the game of ultra athletes who are objectively better than me. I have to try to change the game.”
The runner has already proven he's no stranger to going to extreme measures to win. He previously revealed he won the Javelina with heat training and on the Leadville course, he consumed nearly three running gels per hour, totaling over 40 gels for the entire race, a nutrition tactic we get a deeper insight into in the second episode, “Trial by miles.”
“Before these I feel scared, worried, anxious. After these I feel very much like I can take on the world,” he says, holding up his Precision 100 gels.
“Maybe it will work. Maybe I’ll crash and burn. Either way, I’ll have a story to tell.”
So far there are two episodes between 20 and 40 minutes long, giving full access to Roche’s training and a bit of home life, and they’re a must-watch for any runner who geeks out on the numbers.
The Western States is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race. It takes place this year on June 28 and 29 and if all goes well, Roche will be at the starting line, possibly back in his beloved Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra shoes and definitely giving it his all to do something that’s never been done before.
