This years Western States 100 was reportably one of the toughest ever. Was also the first time in the 33 year history of the race that the first place runner was disqualified.
Seattle’s Brian Morrison, 27, crossed the finish line at Placer High School in Auburn in first place, 18 hours, 5 minutes and 13 seconds after the 5 a.m. start of the race on Saturday at Squaw Valley. Problem was, a physically exhausted Morrison received assistance from others in the final stretch around the Placer High track.
The Western States 100-mile Endurance Run Board of Trustees released the following statement regarding the disqualification:
“In his last quarter mile in the stadium, runner number 320 (Brian Morrison), consistently staggered and fell on the high school track. Several times he was lifted, carried, and thereby assisted to maintain forward momentum. It was not a single episode of helping a runner to his feet, but instead a series of material forms of assistance. The actions of runner 320’s crew and others was not given for bad motive; indeed by facilitating his arrival in the medical area, their action likely prevented a life-threatening seizure.”
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1 Winner disqualified at Western States 100 Miler « Run to Win » // Jun 28, 2006 at 5:35 am
[…] (Source: Tahoe Daily Tribune via Trail Running Blog) […]