Joe McConaughy, known affectionately by his trail name Stringbean, is probably best known for his long trail Fastest Known Time (FKT) feats. His blistering fast unsupported FKT of 45 days 12 hours and 15 minutes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) from 2017 stands as one of those records unlikely to be topped any time soon, possibly never. He’s also held various FKT records on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Wicklow Round, the Long Trail (Vermont), the Arizona Trail, and the John Muir Trail. By all accounts he’s a multi-day specialist, but there has been an elusive goal that’s chased him for the better part of the past decade – Western States 100-mile (WSER).
From the outside looking in, particularly if you’ve been putting tickets into the WSER lottery for years, the golden ticket system can seem like the “easy way” into the race. Enter Stringbean, who now has made eight attempts since 2017 to get a direct entry into the mythical WSER. Often missing the ticket by one place, we are happy to say the “eighth time was the charm” and Joe will be joining us at WSER this June.
“A golden ticket to Western States 8 years in the making. I’m 0/7 at the qualifying for a coveted automatic entry. Today, I changed that tune. Officially 1/8,” McConaughy posted online after he finally got it done.
In reflecting on this multi-year journey, it’s clear just how much finally getting this ticket means to him, “The last Golden Ticket race I aimed at was Javelina in 2023. I started getting sick a few days before the race and that didn’t go well. Before Bandera in Jan 2023, I started experiencing achilles pain which led to it flaring up in the race and an ultimate DNF. I felt like I hadn’t gone into a golden ticket race with things lining up right for a while, and so my goal this winter was to train to perform well at BC. I made a plan with Blake to go out somewhat hard. However, at mile 10 mark I counted that I was in 35th place. I didn’t want to go out running 5:40s, so I stuck to what felt right. Although I certainly questioned myself when I saw Blake in the top 5 in the distance. At the 20-mile mark I think I was around 20th. At the 37-mile mark I was in 10th. I figured there is no way I’d move up 7 spots, but I just focused on running hard. Then I noticed I was running strong on the climbs and dropping others. I’m not a great climber so that inspired some confidence. About at this point I started feeling some numbness in my face and arms. To be honest I lacked a lot of emotion and excitement for the rest of the race. It was a slightly out of body experience but very visceral at the same time. When I passed Eli with around 8 miles to go, I honestly didn’t care too much about what place I was in. I was just focused on taking each mile by mile and running a complete race. Then it all came down when I crossed the finish line and saw all my friends. I started crying during my drug test when the emotions came flooding in.”
While the race seemed to come “easily” to Joe as the miles clipped off, it wasn’t a completely smooth journey. He actually fell early on during the race and initially thought that he had broken his toe, but he got back up and kept going. Even when things look easy and smooth, they almost never are.
“I kept running out of nutrition and water. I was coming into a lot of the aid stations in the back 50k empty. I was overheating going into the 2nd to last aid station, but an ice shower by Cowgill and my crew was so refreshing I was rejuvenated coming out of that aid station.”
Despite running out of water and overheating throughout Black Canyon McConaughy seems not worried looking ahead when it comes to his heat acclimatization strategies he has in place between now and WSER.
“I think I manage it well and also prepare for it in training. I’m a big fan of layered running which doesn’t seem to be quite as trendy as a sauna session these days. But I find it works great for me transitioning from the PNW to a lot of the racing I do down in the desert.”
One of the biggest challenges in ultra running from the front of the pack to the back is fueling properly. While we understand that race nutrition needs are very individual, we wanted to know how McConaughy managed his fueling during the fast and furious (and hot) Black Canyon race.
“I think my fueling was pretty dialed other than the last 5 miles. I got so close to the finish and just dug deep. I burned through my nutrition and water and finished on empty out there, so I’ll need to remember not to get too caught up in the moment to mess up my fueling. Three years ago, I got a Botox surgery to allow me to burp – there is a condition called R-CPD where you can’t burp. I have been really happy since transitioning to Näak 2 years ago. Other than Cocodona 250, I felt like I haven’t really been in an ultra setting where I’ve been able to fully let loose with nutrition because I’ve raced sick or had Achilles problems. But nothing held me back at BC and had ~510 calories. I’ve always been a fan of protein in longer ultras, so using Näak has been a great natural partner for me.”
After locking in his golden ticket at the Black Canyon 100km McConaughy took some time off and then had to make some adjustments to his racing plans for 2025.
“My initial summer race was supposed to be the Cocodona 250, which felt like a quick turnaround after Black Canyons. So, I’m enjoying not feeling rushed to get into form for WSER! I’m currently building a she-shed in my backyard which has taken some of my attention and finding other things to do outside running! Over the next month or two, I’ll build up my volume, and then probably hit Tillamook Burn 50mile, then the WSER training camp and then the race! For WSER… It’s a race I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. I’m trying not to get caught up in it being anything more than a race. I know people have stated some pretty audacious goal, but I’ve figured out that for myself I do my best racing when I go in loose and without many expectations.”
Looking ahead to his Western States crew McConaughy has his partner Katie onboard who he says is an absolute pro at crewing. He also has Brooks teammates and athletes Blake Slattengren and Barrett Gray, and his brother Will has also agreed to be on his WSER crew.
“It is starting to shape up to be a great crew, but I’ll need a few more helpers.”
Before we let Joe go we had to ask him -what about FKTs, are they still on your mind? What other events or trips are still on your bucket list?
“FKTs are taking a backseat for this year! Initially, I was looking at doing the JMT in early August after Cocodona. But I don’t want to race WSER and then come back 2 months later for an effort like that. That wouldn’t make much sense to me. I’m guiding backpacking trips for 3 weeks in the Sierras in late July, and then need to figure out my fall goal. I’m tentatively eyeing Moab 240mile, Divide 200mile, or Kodiak 100mile.”
