Luke Webster
The 2021 Western States Endurance Run was marked by several historic performances most notably, three women finished in the overall top 10 for the first time in race history.
England’s Beth Pascall was the first woman to finish, placing seventh overall. She was joined by New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (this was her debut at the 100-mile distance) in ninth and the Netherland’s Ragna Debats, who only found out she was accepted into the race six weeks ago, in 10th.
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A woman hasn’t placed in the top 10 since Pam Smith in 2013, and two women have not placed in the top 10 since 2006. Nine women finished in the top 20, including Americans Brittany Peterson (12th overall) and Katie Asmuth (14th overall), and 15 in the top 30. (You can find the full results here.)