Of the 388 officially entered into the 2015 Western States Endurance Run, which started on Saturday, 254 runners crossed the finish line at Placer High School track under the 30-hour cut off. Some never started and others were unable to finish the grueling—and hot—trek from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California. In the end, Magdalena Boulet and Rob Krar topped the women’s and men’s races at the 42nd running of the country’s most prestigious 100-miler.

The thermometer soared into the 90s along the course, which climbs more than 18,000 feet and descends 25,000 feet over high-country mountain passes, through canyons, and across the icy waters of the American River. Medical staff and race organizers speculated that the quick rise in temperatures on Saturday contributed to the higher-than-usual attrition rate.

For the top 10 runners in the men’s and women’s races, it was all about heat management and a little bit of patience. Here’s how each race unfolded:

Repeat Offender

Some might say that Krar (Flagstaff, Arizona) has officially mastered the 100-miler. In the past year he’s entered four races of the distance and he’s won all four—including last year’s Western States.

Every 100-miler is unique for Krar, though, and he ran to victory in completely different fashion than he did last year, finishing in 14:48:59. He was not far off the course record of 14:46:44, set by Timothy Olson in 2012, when the highest temperature of the day was 30 degrees cooler than it was on Saturday.

“This one was just really fun, probably the one that I’m most proud of,” Krar said on Sunday morning. 

In 2014, Krar trailed Max King late into the race, not making a move until mile 70. This year, he was confident early on. With a strong training cycle and one more year of ultra experience, Krar also took a leave from his full-time pharmacist position—and the overnight shift that came with it—leaving him feeling rested and prepared for a more aggressive approach that he thought could manifest with international competitors.

At mile 52 he was joined by France’s Thomas Lorblanchet and Francois D’haene. Like Krar, D’haene won three 100-milers in 2014, having dominated the Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji, Ultra-Tour du Mont Blanc, and Diagonale Des Fous events. 

Three miles later though, just beyond the race’s halfway point, Lorblanchet had been dispatched, and then at mile 62, D’haene too was losing ground. Krar said he was ready to “make a little move here, there, just try to figure out Francois’s strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how to break him.” 

Although D’haene was the last to be within reach of Krar, he ultimately finished in 14th place. Lorblanchet was fifth.

Some exposed sections of the course “were just an oven, a blast furnace,” Krar said. From the early miles, Krar loaded a handkerchief with ice and tied it around his neck, and also filled arm sleeves with the ice. “And then did that at every aid station,” he said. 

The near-miss of the course record doesn’t detract from the victory, Krar said.

“Obviously the record was on my mind,” he said, “but my goal was to win the race, to take that cougar [trophy] home. It’s just such a balancing act, a fine line,” he said of the margin for a record, as compared to the potential for a late race collapse. “I can’t second guess it or play a ‘what if’ game—I gave it everything I had.”

Krar now plans to take five days completely off, then slowly begin preparation for the Ultra-Tour du Mont Blanc (UTMB) on August 28, 2015, in Chamonix, France. “UTMB is the granddaddy in Europe and this year is about stepping out of my comfort zone,” Krar said of the 105-mile UTMB course that includes nearly 33,000 feet of elevation gain.

In another repeat performance from last year’s Western States, Seth Swanson (Missoula, Montana) took second place in 15:17. Jared Hazen, a 20-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, placed third in 15:37.

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The women’s race was hyped as one of the most competitive in the history of Western States and the athletes did not disappoint. It was 2008 U.S. Olympic marathoner Boulet, 41, who finally emerged as the champion in 19:05:21, after getting lost and spending more than 30 minutes off-course early in the race in her debut at the 100-mile distance.

Boulet followed her plan to begin conservatively, running as much as nine minutes behind early leader Joelle Vaught (Boise, Idaho). At mile 35, Boulet and Vaught took a wrong turn after the Robinson Flat aid station around mile 35 and defending Western States champion Stephanie Howe (Bend, Oregon) put 16 minutes on them. 

Boulet put her years of high-level racing experience to work and didn’t panic.

“It was a mental struggle for me. I knew I was behind quite a bit and I really had to play some mind games to be okay with it,” Boulet said, during her finish-line interview. “I knew that I was gaining on [Howe], but still there was 50 miles to go. I needed to be patient.”

At mile 62—the Foresthill aid station—Boulet took the lead and created a two-minute gap. Howe said she battled some nutrition and fueling difficulties and struggled to her third-place finish. 

Kaci Lickteig (Omaha, Nebraska) gradually moved up through the field during the second half of the race, eventually finishing second, 15 minutes behind Boulet and 27 minutes ahead of Howe.

Boulet has now won six ultra distances races in a row, a streak that stretches back to The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship last December.

Meanwhile, veteran ultrarunner Nikki Kimball, 44, of Bozeman, Montana, finished in 10th place—her tenth consecutive top-10 finish at Western States.