Western States Proved It Again: Cooling Still Wins Races

California-based ultrarunner and coach Cole Watson knows Western States from both sides of the sport. Living close to the iconic course, he's raced the event multiple times, earning three sub-24-hour finishes including a top-10 result, and secured his place through both a Golden Ticket victory at Canyons and a top-10 Western States finish. As a coach, Cole also prepares numerous athletes for Western States each year, giving him a unique perspective on the training, race-day decisions, and execution required to perform at one of the world's most prestigious 100-mile races.

In honour of a relatively cool Western States that concluded last month, I wanted to share some thoughts on cooling and fuelling to execute your best race, not only at Western States but any ultra in which you’ll be pushing the pace.

Getting to the start line at Western States is a story in itself. I spent years trying to earn entry through Golden Ticket races before finally getting in with a win at Canyons in 2023. I’ve also since earned entry by a top 10 finish at Western States.

Whether you earn your way in through a Golden Ticket race or spend years building lottery tickets, getting the chance to race Western States is a celebration of the countless miles, setbacks, and sacrifices it took to get there.

I’ve now finished Western States three times under 24 hours, including one top-10 finish and two additional top-20 performances. Every one of those races reinforced the same lesson: You have to stay cool. My personal motto has always been: Stay wet as a fish, because a wet fish is a fast fish.

Across my career, I’ve experimented with just about every active and passive heat acclimation strategy you can think of from saunas and hot tubs to short and long workouts in hot conditions. Heat acclimation matters, but Western States continues to reinforce a simpler truth: execution of cooling tactics matters even more.

This year’s race had a high of just 74°F, making it one of the coolest Western States on record. Maybe some are not surprised both the men’s and women’s course records were broken. But I still saw many athletes in and outside the top 10 taking on ice just as if it were a record heat year. If anything, this relatively cool year reinforced my belief that cooling is still king to optimum performance here.

The athletes at the front were running hard enough to elevate their heart rate and core temperature regardless of the air temperature. Topical cooling was still incredibly important. It wasn’t about surviving the heat. It was about keeping core temperature in check so they could continue fuelling, pushing, and getting the most out of their fitness. Every creek and aid station becomes an opportunity as a reset point. Water on the head and core, ice in the vest, and a soaked hat or bandana can make a meaningful difference over the course of 100 miles.

One of the biggest lessons Western States taught me is how closely heat and fuelling are connected. The biggest mistake I made in my worst Western States wasn’t lack of heat training or cooling. It was failing to adapt my fuelling when my core body temperature started affecting my stomach.

In my better races at Western States, there were many times when I was supposed to take a gel, but I felt too nauseous. Instead of forcing calories, I learned to focus on getting my core temperature down first. Whether it was a creek crossing or an aid station, I’d make a simple plan to cool off over the next few minutes. More often than not, once I cooled down, my appetite returned and I could get back to fuelling. I stayed responsive to what my body was telling me instead of rigidly sticking to a carbohydrate target. My stomach never shut down, and I never threw up.

One thing that makes Western States unique is that there are really several races happening at the same time. At the front, athletes are racing for the win. Others are chasing a top 10 finish or a sun 24 hour buckle. At the back are the Golden Hour runners fighting to reach Auburn before the 30 hour cut off. 

Everyone's goals may be different, but everyone also faces this same challenge: adapting to the conditions in front of them. Western States doesn’t reward perfect plans. It rewards adaptability. Fitness matters. Preparation matters. But when conditions change, the athletes who perform best are the ones who stay flexible and keep making good decisions. Like staying wet as a fish, because a wet fish is a fast fish, but more practically: cooling preserves fuelling, and fuelling preserves performance.