Learn Trail & Ultra Running in Auburn / Olympic Valley

Honest level: Experienced runner -> ultra finisher — ask the school exactly how far that goes in the time you have.

Western States Training Camp — Memorial Weekend

A three-day camp run on the actual final ~70 miles of the Western States 100 course, the birthplace of modern American ultrarunning. Saturday covers 32 miles from Robinson Flat to Foresthill, Sunday 19 miles through the Rucky Chucky river crossing to Driver's Flat, and Monday from Green Gate to the Placer High School track in Auburn. Runners share the trail with a large field that mixes elite athletes and first-timers, supported by stocked aid stations, post-run meals and massage. Open to the public, not just race entrants; it is a community training weekend rather than a coached clinic or certification course.

Next sessions: 2026-05-23

Running the legendary course itself alongside the ultra community at the home of the sport — at-the-source and communal, if short of a week.

~$70-80/day

Why Western States Endurance Run (WSER) — Memorial Weekend Training Camp

Directed by WSER race director Craig Thornley, this Memorial Weekend camp runs the official final 70 miles of the actual 100-mile course over three days, with aid stations staffed by ultrarunning legends including 14-time winner Ann Trason and 5-time winner Tim Twietmeyer.

Schools in Auburn / Olympic Valley

Checked by hand against each school's own course pages. No school paid to be listed.

• Western States Endurance Run (WSER) — Memorial Weekend Training Camp
  Western States Training Camp — Memorial Weekend
  A three-day camp run on the actual final ~70 miles of the Western States 100 course, the birthplace of modern American ultrarunning.
  https://www.wser.org/training-runs/
• Western States Endurance Run (WSER) community
  Memorial Day Training Runs weekend (Western States Trail)
  The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the oldest 100-mile trail race, runs from Olympic Valley to Auburn and hosts an open Memorial Day training-run weekend on its Sierra Nevada course that draws the ultra community to preview the route.
  https://www.wser.org/
• Auburn-area trail clubs
  Sierra TrailBlazers group runs and training programs
  Auburn-area trail clubs such as the Sierra TrailBlazers Running Club organize regular group runs, community events and training programs on the Sierra foothill trails around the self-styled 'Endurance Capital of the World'.
  https://www.sierratrailblazers.org/

The credential

ITRA Performance Index / qualifying finish (Western States, UTMB) · Certifying body: ITRA (International Trail Running Association)

A recognised qualification an outside body stands behind is not the same as a certificate a school prints itself. We name which it is — you should ask the school the same.

Also for Trail & Ultra Running

What I check before I send you anywhere

I'm Arnaud. I cook for a living, and I've spent fifteen years on the water — so I know the difference between a real school and a good-looking website. I built the Atlas because I got tired of the second kind. Here is what a place has to clear before it goes on here, and what I'll tell you straight when it doesn't.

• The craft is actually alive there. A working scene, with people who do this every day — not a demo put on for visitors.
• There's a real teacher behind it. Named, still practising, and certified where the craft has certificates.
• The credential is what it claims to be. A state diploma and a certificate a school prints itself are not the same thing. I check which, and I say which.
• I tell you how sure I am. Most pages here are verified by hand. A few say "still checking" — I'd rather admit that than pretend.
• Nobody pays to be here. No commission, no selling the trip. The order on this map is the strength of the community, never the size of the wallet.
• If I wouldn't send a friend, it isn't on the map.