Erich Washausen became a lottery winner last December, but his prize wasn't anything of monetary value. Instead, the Prairie Grove resident received the opportunity to go to California and run this weekend in the Western States Endurance Run, the world's oldest 100-mile trail race. He will be joined by two other Arkansas runners: Ashley Gramza of Little Rock, whose name was also picked in the lottery, and Alex Staten of Fayetteville, who earned a spot via a sponsorship.
"A lot of people consider this the first organized 100-mile race," said Washausen, 34. "It became the first official one in the early 1970s, and now there's an entry process for it. There are a lot of pro runners, which I'm not.
I'm just a normal runner. "My point in all that is I'm not especially fast or great at running. More than anything, I'm pretty lucky I got my name drawn.
" The race -- known as the "Ultimate Challenge" for the long-distance runner -- begins at 5 p.m. Pacific on Saturday at Olympic Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
It uses the middle portion of the Western States Trail and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, a small town located in the heart of California's historic gold country. Runners have a 30-hour time limit, and the altitude the runners face adds to the challenge.
The race begins at the valley floor, which is located 6,200 feet above sea level, and climbs to 8,750 feet within the first 4 1/2 miles as runners reach Emigrant Pass. The trails then begin to descend, eventuall.
