Watch: Francois D'Haene Readies for Western States

The Western States 100 began as a horse race between Lake Tahoe and Auburn, California, but as runners slowly began to join the horses in the 70s, it became the first American trail ultramarathon and a veritable test of human ability. Now, over 40 years old, the race has become what Francois D’Haene calls “one of the mythical U.S. races.” The field is stacked this year and D’Haene is gearing up.

In these videos watch D’Haene, an elite French ultrarunner, conduct his last month of training for Western States in China. Discover his race-day strategies, approach to training and friendly rapport in this quirky series.

Watch the second two videos in the series here: