Trailblazer: Auburn's Barger completes first known Western States 200

After nearly 60 hours from early Friday morning to Sunday evening, Auburn's Dan Barger finally reached his 200-mile finish line. After a failed attempt at doubling up on the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run on July 31, Barger regrouped and re-attacked the course last weekend with a new game plan, new optimism and new success. Beginning the trek at 5 a.m. Friday from Placer High School's LeFebvre Stadium, the 55-year-old Auburn resident journeyed up to Squaw Valley and returned to the Placer track just before 5 p.m. Sunday for the first 200-mile completion of the Western States trail. "I'm still processing it, really," an emotionally and physically spent Barger said Monday afternoon. "It's hard to put into words. I'm not really sharp right now." Barger was greeted at the finish line by a warm embrace from his mother. "When I got to the track, there was no one there but close-knit friends and family," he said. "I just ran around smiling big. I ran around that last quarter mile just happy to be done." Barger's first attempt, which included a bear encounter and searing summer heat, saw him reach 125 miles in about 37 hours before getting bitten by "the sleep monster" and calling it quits. In retrospect, Barger said he probably had a little fuel left in the tank. "I think I was just premature in throwing in the towel last time," he said. "I got to the same spot this time and took just one step further. Then, it was uncharted territory all of a sudden. But I was very positive in my thinking of what's gonna happen next." Barger tried to be more efficient in his sleep planning and eating times and was able to stay about 30 to 40 minutes ahead of his previous pace. The rest periods and cooler October temperatures were crucial to his achievement. "Even if you can't sleep, if you can get off your feet for about 10 minutes and close your eyelids, it kinda gives you a break," Barger said. "Your eyes are so hypersensitive and focused on where you're putting your feet that if you can just turn it off for a few minutes, it makes such a difference." Barger, who had the help of a team of pacers and aid station volunteers, reached the halfway point at Squaw Valley just before 8 a.m. Saturday. He stayed there about an hour to catch up on sleep and let the sun heat up the hillside for his first uphill climb on the return trip. From there, Barger made up time on the downhill stretch from Robinson Flat to the Last Chance checkpoint and paced through El Dorado Canyon. He took another break at Foresthill about 45 minutes before the sun rose again Sunday morning, and then it was onto the home stretch with about 35 miles remaining. "I was hoping to get back to Auburn without any more night time travel," said Barger, who waded through the waste-high Rucky Chucky river crossing around 10:30 a.m. Sunday with about 22 miles to go. "Your legs are a little weary after 178 miles." His final stretch to Auburn lasted about six hours, as he returned to cross the long-awaited finish line around 4:48 p.m. Sunday. According to Fastest Known Time, Barger's 200-miler is the first completion of its kind on the Western States trail. For the most part, Barger had the course all to himself. "It was very quiet out there," Barger said. "I think I ran into one set of people on horses around Auburn Lake Trails, maybe one hunter, but that was it. … I might have been out there alone on the trails, but not at the finish line." Barger knows there will be others who will try to follow in his 200-mile footsteps. He says his knowledge of the course, which he's run a dozen times during Western States, will be key for anyone making the attempt. "I knew every inch, every rock. I was very adamant, and it was important to me to run the course exactly the way the course is run," Barger said. "I hope that whoever follows appreciates the trail as much as I do."