GU Gives × Western States Endurance Run: 2027 Entry Application

Deadline: Friday, November 20, 2026, 9:00 AM PST

Each year, in collaboration with Western States Endurance Run (WSER), GU reserves 2 race entries for runners from communities underrepresented at the race. This includes BIPOC, trans, and adaptive athletes, and anyone whose presence helps more people see themselves in this sport.

Selected runners receive:

• Entry into WSER (June 26–27, 2027) and the Memorial Weekend Training Runs (May 29-31, 2027)

• GU fuel for training and race day

• Coaching support

• A $5,000 travel scholarship

• A short film about your journey, shot at the Memorial Weekend Training Runs and shared during the WSER live stream and on GU’s social and digital channels
  
  

GU & Western States Endurance Run
GU was created because a father wanted to help his daughter fulfill her goal of finishing an ultra-marathon with a smile. The spark for this idea came at WSER in 1989, when Laura Vaughan found herself struggling with nutrition. The energy bars available at the time just didn’t cut it. “After I finished the race, I wasn’t sure if it was my jaw or my legs that were more tired” she recalls. “I swore off energy bars at that point!”. Her father, Dr. Bill Vaughan, took his scientific approach, as a PhD in Biophysics from UC Berkeley, and went to work on a solution in his family’s kitchen. The end result is the GU Energy Gel we have today, a time-tested formulation which has helped millions of runners cross finish lines.

Western States is very hard to get into, as more than 11,000 runners entered for approximately 257 lottery spots in 2026. That’s a 2% chance of winning. GU Gives’ commitment is to increase access and belonging to athletic movement, and one of the ways we do this is to share the two WSER entries we receive with communities that have historically been underrepresented at the race.

Through our kinship with Rising Hearts and their Running on Native Lands initiative, we learned the WSER course traverses Wašiw and Nisenan lands from Palisades Tahoe to Auburn, California. Beyond land acknowledgment, to honor the history of the land, Indigenous runners receive priority for one entry.

Since 2022, we have worked with WSER to bring 10 runners to the start line. Each of their stories has moved us, and we are extremely excited to bring two more to the run in 2027.

How to apply

The application is on our careers portal, so you’ll see a button labeled “Apply for This Job!” That’s the right place, we are using our recruiting system. Before you start, please make sure you meet the prerequisites.

To be considered, you must:

• Be 18 years of age by race day

• Be a first-time runner at WSER

• Have completed an approved qualifying race
  between November 3, 2025 and November 8, 2026

• Have applied to the WSER lottery

If you meet these requirements, complete every question that applies. We are curious to hear your story, what communities you represent on the trail, and why running in the historic WSER matters to you.

Application closes Friday, November 20 at 9:00 a.m. PST. Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee that includes members of our impact partners working on access and belonging. Selected runners will hear from us by Friday, December 4.

No one gets to the finish line alone. We are carried and supported by whole communities with rich histories. Thank you for sharing yours, and for helping to keep trail running a sport where everyone belongs.

Love,
The GU Crew