Who is Tim Twietmeyer?

Tim Twietmeyer works hard to maintain and nurture his relationships - with his wife, his children, his colleagues and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

The four-time champion and 15-time participant of the 24-year-old race will defend his title Saturday, but unlike other runners of his caliber, he says his primary motivation is not to win.

``I don't go to a race thinking I have to win, or wondering who I have to beat. For me, it's a personal relationship between me and the trail,'' he said. ``I started out in this sport as an average-Joe guy, and I could enjoy it just as much going back to being an average runner.''

His humble, grounded attitude is perhaps what makes his success so fascinating. He is 38, married, has three young children and a full-time career as a research-and-development manager for Hewlett-Packard in Roseville. Yet, as the reigning champion of the premiere ultramarathon in the country, he has established himself as one of the world's best distance runners . . . with no sponsors helping him out.

Though he is clearly the runner to beat in the Western States - which begins in Squaw Valley, winds through the forests and footpaths of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and ends in his hometown of Auburn - Twietmeyer still runs trails for the sheer joy he finds in the sport.

``It's my outlet from everything else. The race is like a yearly pilgrimage for me,'' he said.

A golfer in high school, Twietmeyer didn't start running until he was in college, and that was only recreational jogging. In 1978, while working as a caddie, he spied a 24-hour track race going on across the street. About that same time, he happened to spot an article about the Western States race in a running magazine.

``I was fascinated, and I thought, `Some day, I'm going to do that,' '' he said.

The next year, as a college junior, Twietmeyer entered the 24-hour track race, completing 80 miles. In 1980 he signed up for his first Western States. He suffered a knee injury during training that caused him to withdraw, but in 1981 he began what was to become a legacy. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, the gentle giant has run every Western States race since 1981 except one (in 1984, when his name wasn't drawn in the lottery), and has won four of the past five races.

He hopes to use his success as a vehicle to give something back to the sport he cherishes.

``I look back to when I first started and was watching other runners. I learned from them, and I'd like to do that for the newer runners,'' he explained. ``There's people you can learn from, and maybe someone can learn from me.

He would also like to help administrate races and, as a board member of Western States 100, has already started the process.

During the months prior to the race, he logs 70 to 80 miles per week, half of which is done during one long run on the weekend. During the week, he runs 5 to 6 miles a day on his lunch hour.

Twietmeyer says he's in top shape this year but contends that his objective Saturday will simply be to run the best race he can.

``I still have the same mental approach I did when I first started,'' he said. ``What makes it fun is to execute all the hard work you put in while training. My goal is to run a good race. After all the training, it would be disappointing not to do that.''

Enthusiasm from his family is also a key motivator.

``My wife is supportive, but she always says, `How many more of these are you going to do?' I always say, `Just one more,' '' he said with a laugh.

Extra lap: Joining the Western States' limited field of 370 runners will be Topanga's Ian Madison, a UCLA linguistics teacher returning for his 11th contest.

His goal, per usual, is to break 24 hours, as he has done in 9 of his 10 previous races.

He finds the race emotionally stimulating.

``It's an intellectual challenge; planning the race right, doing the race right, it's a lot of mental preparation. You can't just go into this. You've got to really plan your training and how you're going to run the race,'' he said.

During the last two months of preparation, Madison averages 80 to 90 miles per week, with two to three strategically planned runs of at least 20 to 30 miles.

``My long runs are always in the hills, with exposure to as many race-day stresses as possible,'' he said, adding that heat, cold and altitude are among the many conditions for which he steels himself.

Following this year's competition, Madison might take a break from the event.

``I may take a year or two off, and then come back when I'm 60 and have another go at it,'' he said. ``I'm tempted to try some of the other races, but I keep getting hooked back into Western States.

``Even if I don't run it, I'll crew for someone or work an aid station. I just love this race.''