Months of waiting and training are over. For seven New England residents and 362 of their fellow dreamers, the 46^th annual Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is under way.

At 8 a.m. EST/5 a.m. PST this morning, the race began in Squaw Valley, Calif. The runners have 30 hours to make it to the finish line on the track of Placer High School in Auburn, Calif., climbing 18,000 feet, descending 23,000 feet and covering 100.2 miles along the way.

While the race started today, the journey began on Dec. 1, 2018, when 5,862 runners had their names entered in the lottery to vie for 262 of the spots in the race. Five New England residents had their names drawn. Oliver Turog of Milton, Mass., was in the lottery for the seventh year in a row, and his name finally was pulled after years of disappointment.

Others selected in the lottery were Chris Neoh of Pelham, Mass.; Annette Florczak of Roslindale, Mass.; Danielle Triffitt of Topsham, Maine; and Corey Barrett of Waterbury Center, Vt.

Aliza Lapierre of Williston, Vt., didn’t have to go through the lottery process. She finished eighth in the women’s race in 2018, and the top 10 men and women get automatic entries into the following year’s race.

The final New England resident in the field was Kyle Robidoux. The resident of Roxbury, Mass., received a sponsor’s entry bib from CLIF Bar, and the three time 100-mile finisher (Vermont, Ghost Train, Yeti) will become the first legally blind runner to toe the starting line at Western States.

Former Boston, Mass., resident Kyle Pietari is also back in the field. He has finished in the men’s top 10 three years in a row and is among the favorites to land on the podium once again.

New England Runners

Aliza Lapierre; Williston, VT – Bib F8

Corey Barrett; Waterbury Center, VT – Bib 74

Chris Neoh; Pelham, MA – Bib 276

Danielle Triffitt; Topsham, ME – Bib 342

Oliver Truog; Milton, MA – Bib 343

Kyle Robidoux; Roxbury, MA – Bib 109

Annette Florczak; Roslindale, MA – Bib 315

Kyle Pietari; Edgewater, CO – Bib M6

Live Tracking

Ultralive.net is the source for live tracking all runners in the race. From the front of the pack to those chasing cutoffs, you can keep up with every runner here. Watch the leaderboards, or enter the bib number of the runner you’re looking for. It’s all right here.

Up-to-the-Minute Reporting

Our friends at irunfar.com are the source for boots-on-the-ground reporting at Western States. They focus on the front of the pack, providing news and photos to see how the top runners are doing as the race unfolds. Follow their live twitter feed here for the latest news.