Welcome to the Order of the Unchosen — a fellowship for the persistent, the unlucky, and those who refuse to give up on the Western States lottery. If you’ve been hoarding 4 or more tickets year after year, only to see rejection emails in return, this is your moment. UltraSignup is offering one official entry to the 2026 Western States Endurance Run, and you just might be the one to finally break the streak and claim your place on the Western States starting line.
Our goal is to reward one member of the run community who has been waiting patiently for their chance to make the journey from Olympic Valley to Auburn, California. There are over 3,400 runners with more than 4 tickets in the lottery. Many of you have been active in your local run community for years, possibly decades.
This isn’t your average raffle, there’s a weighted system, some friendly competition, and a whole lot of community energy.
In early December, just before the official Western States lottery drawing, we will pick our own winner. If you have 4 or more tickets in the Western States Lottery and have at least one result on UltraSignup, you are eligible!
And even better, you have the chance to increase your odds.
We’re using a weighted selection system — so the longer you’ve been in the lottery, the more races you’ve run, and the more your community backs you, the better your odds. Every runner among The Unchosen starts with their Western States lottery tickets. From there, you can rack up extra Forsaken Points in 2025:
Translation: The more you run, the more you give back, and the more your community believes in you, the more your odds improves.
*Races only count if they host registration on UltraSignup.
Total = 178 Forsaken Points.
When the drawing comes, Sarah’s name is weighted with 178 chips in the hat instead of just 128 lottery tickets.
Each week, we’ll publish an updated tracking sheet to see who is making waves to increase their odds!
Look, the Order of the Unchosen isn’t just about bad math and unlucky tickets. It’s about what makes trail running magical: showing up. Every time you line up at a start, cheer for strangers, thank an aid station volunteer, or shake a Race Director’s hand at the finish, you’re fueling the engine of this community.
🕯️ The Order of the Unchosen
Four tickets, eight — yet still denied,
Luck has fled, though hard we’ve tried.
A haunted list, our names repeat,
But misfit hearts refuse defeat.
The whole point of the Order of the Unchosen is to finally reward someone who’s put in their qualifiers year after year waiting for their name to be drawn. You’ve shown up for the sport, supported races, and stuck with it through rejection after rejection. That’s why we’re adding referral opportunities: to give a little extra weight to the people who are a big part of this community and deserve to see their bad luck finally run out.
Race directors keep the trail world turning, so we built a little boost just for them. If a race director refers you using the official form, you’ll score 5 extra Forsaken Points per form. You can source up to 20 RD referrals, but they all need to come from unique race directors. (Max 100 Forsaken Points)
Trail running is all about community, so here’s where your friends and crew come in. If someone from the trail community refers you through the referral form, you’ll also earn 1 Forsaken Point. Again, community referrals max out at 24. Please request these from your most supportive friends. Do not spam us with hundreds of them. (Max 24 Forsaken Points)
Running more races in 2025 isn’t just padding your Forsaken Points ( though you will get 5 points for every race you run), it’s also a way to:
So yes, more 2025 races = more Forsaken Points. But really, it’s about proving (to yourself and to us) that even if Western States hasn’t called your number yet, you’re still one of the beating hearts of trail running.
Want to see how your odds are stacking up week to week? We’ve got you. Each week we will publish the Order of the Unchosen tracking sheet, updated regularly with participant numbers, referral counts, and where you stand. It’s part leaderboard, part accountability, and part bragging rights.
A: You earn points for your WSER tickets, races you run in 2025, referrals from Race Directors and community members, and your lifetime UltraSignup races. The more Forsaken Points you earn, the better your odds in the Order of the Unchosen drawing.
A: No. Each person may only submit one referral per runner. Each runner can only get a maximum of 24 community referrals.
A: Only Race Directors can submit RD referrals, and if we cannot verify that they are a race director, we may not count the referral. You can only accumulate a maximum of 20 RD referrals per runner. Each RD referral is worth +5 Forsaken Points.
A: No. You must run the race for it to add Forsaken Points. However, DNFs are counted.
A: For fairness, only results recorded on UltraSignup count toward your lifetime race total.
A: No. Entries are matched to your WSER lottery registration. Duplicate accounts will be disqualified.
A: Referrals are tracked by verified accounts and capped (24 max for community, 20 max for RDs). Any suspicious referral activity will be reviewed and removed.
A: Yes. The Order of the Unchosen is a separate drawing but only open to lottery entrants.
A: One runner will be selected from the Order of the Unchosen pool and offered an entry to the 2026 Western States Endurance Run.
Great idea, my spirits are lifted with an extra chance after 6 misses.