Courtney Dauwalter and Ludovic Pommeret shattered course records to win the 2024 Hardrock 100.
France’s Ludovic Pommeret, 48, and a former UTMB winner, led the race after his compatriot, François D’Haene, the pre-race favorite, withdrew midway through the 102.5-mile course. Running clockwise this year, Pommeret finished in 21:33:06, breaking Kilian Jornet’s 2022 record by over three minutes.
Courtney Dauwalter, already holding both clockwise and counter-clockwise records, broke her own record by nearly 33 minutes, finishing in 26:11:47. This marks her third consecutive win at Hardrock 100 and her third major victory this year, following victories at Transgrancanaria and Mt Fuji 100.
Men’s Race: Former UTMB Winner Triumphant Ahead Of Race Favorite
Pommeret, Diego Pazos of Switzerland, and race favorite D’Haene were closely matched early in the race. However, by the 52-mile mark at the Engineer aid station, Pommeret had pulled ahead by over an hour and was on record pace. D’Haene, after struggling, dropped out by the Animas Forks aid station.
Pommeret, who had done a lot of training and preparation on the course in Silverton before the race, continued to extend his lead. By the 73-mile Sherman aid station, he was two hours ahead of American Jason Schlarb and 22 minutes ahead of record pace. Despite beginning to fade towards the end, Pommeret still managed to finished ahead of Jornet’s record, with Diego Pazos finishing second after overtaking Schlarb.
Women’s Race: Dauwalter’s Fresh Legs Paid Off
In classic Dauwalter style, the American legend quickly established her lead, reaching the Chapman aid station (18.4 miles) 10 minutes ahead of record pace and five minutes ahead of Camille Bruyas of France. Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth was third, with all three women in the top 10 overall.
Dauwalter continued to extend her lead as the race progressed, which eventually became untouchable to her competitors behind. Dauwalter finished nearly 33 minutes faster than her previous record, completing the race shortly after 8 am local time.
Dauwalter came in as the race favorite (as expected), but something was different this year.
What was different about this go-around is that Dauwalter came into Hardrock fresh. Normally, she’d come off a hard effort at the Western States 100 just a few weeks prior. However, by not having run the Western States this year, she was on fresh legs.
Considering she ran a course record at Hardrock 100 following the Western States 100, fans and followers were certainly hoping for a standout performance…and Dauwalter delivered.
