Western States' Jake Ritcher runs for more than a buckle

It was never about winning Western States for runners like Jake Ritcher of Fort Worth, Texas. Ritcher crossed the finish line at Placer High School at 8:34 a.m. Sunday with a time of 27 hours, 34 minutes, 37 seconds. After crossing the finish line hand in hand with his crew, he shared an emotional moment with his friend, John Wyatt. Last August, Wyatt was in a boating accident in Texas that left him fighting for his life. He spent the next four months in a hospital bed as doctors feared he would never walk again and that he might not make it. "He shouldn't even have been here today," Ritcher said. "The fight that he had, I get emotional just thinking about it. I'm so damn proud of how hard he's worked and that he could be there to finish with me today." The following months would be a whirlwind for Wyatt, as he nearly lost his life multiple times. He ultimately survived but would lose his right leg and be given a prosthetic. "I almost lost my life multiple times, but it's because of Jake, my wife and our friends that I'm here today," Wyatt said. "They've been an inspiration for me to get to this point. I was in the hospital bed six months ago fearing I might never walk again. I never thought I would be here today." Wyatt's road to recovery was a long one. He received his prosthetic leg in February and has been undergoing physical therapy since to learn how to walk on it. "On Friday, he took the most steps he's had with a prosthetic ever," Ritcher said. "He has been working his tail off and is a huge inspiration to myself and our friends. Today was a tribute to my family, but I also had to do it for John and make sure that he knows how grateful I am for him." Ritcher credited Wyatt for helping him push through during difficult stretches of the race, which were aplenty on his 100-mile journey to Auburn. "There were a lot of times when morale was down," Ritcher said. "I lost my stomach from mile 60 on but again, just having the support that was here was amazing, and I just kept fighting for them." Ritcher was also running in support of a friend back home fighting ALS, for whom he's raising money. "Between her and John, I wanted to show them that I don't take being able to be out there on the trails for granted," Ritcher said. "That helped me get through those tough times. I knew I was doing it for them." "The determination and support for everybody was what allowed me to come out here and do something I never thought I would be able to do," Wyatt said. "These athletes are amazing enough to have the ability to run 100 miles, and I'm just glad to be a part of it and glad to be part of Jack's story." Wyatt added how thankful he was to be a part of Ritcher's team and noted he wouldn't have been able to pull through without his help. "There were a lot of times last year that no one thought we would be here, whether it was as a group or as individuals," Wyatt said. "Everybody's been through their own journey, but knowing how difficult each one of them was and that we were all able to celebrate success together just means the world to us."