Ryan Montgomery, a 2012 Pendleton High School graduate, before the Tarawera 102K on Feb. 11, 2023, in New Zealand.

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — Ryan Montgomery credits running for letting him be comfortable in the skin he’s in.

The 2012 Pendleton High School graduate ran the Western States Endurance Run on June 24, placing in the top 10 and earning an automatic ticket into next year’s race.

“This race has a lot of significance for me,” Montgomery said. “This race in my sport is like the Super Bowl. It’s where the best of the best come.”

Montgomery, 29, showed he’s one of the top ultra runners — 100-mile races — finishing eighth overall with a time of 15 hours, 38 minutes, 35 seconds. He was seventh among male runners, and the first nonbinary runner across the finish line.

“It takes years to build up the strength and endurance to do ultras,” Montgomery said. “Weight training, core training. I treat my sport like a profession. To be competitive in these races, it has to be priority No. 1. I schedule my schedule around my training. If not, you won’t be able to see what you can get out of your body. The athlete lifestyle is not for everyone.”

The WSER, which began in 1974, is one of the oldest 100-mile trail races.

The run starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California.

The trail climbs more than 18,000 feet and descends nearly 23,000 feet before runners reach the finish line.

Putting in the workThe 5-foot-10, 150-pound Montgomery ran track and cross-country for the Bucks, but it wasn’t until he ran his first ultramarathon in 2016 that he found his sense of peace.

“I started my career running them, I wasn’t really good,” Montgomery said. “I learned by drinking through the fire hose. It has been through trial and error. I have done 13 100-mile races. I now have a lot of experience at this distance. I recover well, through eating and hydration. I just did a two-hour bike ride with friends (on July 1).”

To get a spot in the WSER, you have to have a sponsor exemption, earn a Golden Ticket, have placed in the top 10 the year before, or get in through a lottery. Wimps need not apply.

“In 2019, I got a spot from one of my sponsors,” Montgomery said. “That spot rolled into 2021 because of COVID. In 2021, I was injured and though I healed, I pulled out of the race.”

Montgomery’s plan to run the WSER in 2022 was derailed again.

“I was getting ready for Western States, but got injured again,” he said. “I had bad chronic plantar fasciitis and got hit by a car and had to have surgery. It was a double whammy. People want to be in this race. It gives you validation. It’s heartbreaking when you get injured and have to race your way back in. These athletes spend years training and you have this small window to perform.”

Once he was healed, Montgomery went back to work, putting in the miles to get back in ultra shape.

“I ran two 50K races last fall and things went well,” Montgomery said. “That was the validation I needed to go to that race in New Zealand.”

That race would be the Tarawera 102K, where he finished third on Feb 11 and earned a Golden Ticket to the WSER.

Finding peaceMontgomery, who calls Wanship, Colorado, home, enjoys running on the various trails near his home. Not only does he get the miles in, but he likes that there is no judgement.

“For someone who is not in the sport, or a runner, for me I credit ultra running and trail running to who I am,” Montgomery said. “I grew up in a culture where I couldn’t express who I was. When I was living in Alaska, I remember going on a trail, there was no judgement. The trail welcomed me. It was a space that felt welcoming. It has been an avenue for me to open up to who I am.”

Montgomery calls a 20-mile training run a privilege and a beautiful experience.

“I show up to see what I will experience,” he said. “It turned from a task to an adventure. I was a decent runner in high school. I only went to state once. It’s amazing to go from that to where I am now. I had to evolve. I got into trail running and then ultras. Who knew 100-mile races were something I needed.”

Making a differenceWhile the WSER gave Montgomery the option to mark non-binary on his entry form (though he also was entered in the men’s award category), not a lot of other races have that option. He has spoken out on the subject in hopes that other big races, where a runner can earn a Golden Ticket, will take note.

He said it also makes a difference when runners like Courtney Dauwalter, 38, who finished two spots ahead of Montgomery, prove that women also are strong ultra runners.

“She is blurring the line between men’s and women’s athletics,” Montgomery said. “She passed me on the course and told me I looked so fresh. I told her I thought the same of her. She was sixth overall, that was insane. It was epic to see. When women win, all marginalized communities win. That elevates the Black community and the queer community.”

Living life to the fullestMontgomery, who has a degree in finance from Brigham Young University, is between jobs. He has sponsorships that help get the bills paid.

He used to make the occasional trek back to Pendleton to see his mom, Amy Anderson, but she recently remarried and moved to Idaho.

“She is my No. 1 cheerleader,” Montgomery said. “I do want to get back to Pendleton for the Round-Up. I always enjoyed that.”

Montgomery has plans for two more ultramarathons this year, the Leadville Trail 100 Run on Aug. 19 in Leadville, Colorado, and the Javelina Jundred on Oct. 28, in McDowell, Arizona.