At 6 a.m. this morning, 146 runners set off from downtown Silverton to begin what’s widely considered one of the most grueling ultras on earth, the Hardrock 100.
This year marks the 30th edition of the high-altitude sufferfest through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. The course, actually 102.5 miles, winds counterclockwise through rugged terrain, topping out above 14,000 feet and demanding over 33,000 feet of elevation gain. Runners have 48 hours to kiss the famed Hardrock rock, but the race will almost certainly be decided much sooner than that.
All eyes are on France’s Ludovic Pommeret, who not only returns to defend his title but is fresh off a runner-up finish at April’s Grand Raid Ventoux 100-miler.
Last year, Pommeret stormed through the course in 21 hours, 33 minutes, setting a new course record in the process. And while he turns 50 later this month, few doubt his form, especially with elite pacers Jim Walmsley and Vincent Bouillard, the last two UTMB champions, backing him.
But it’s far from a one-man show.
American Zach Miller is back in the San Juans, hungry after missing last year’s race due to an emergency appendectomy just days before the start. Miller, who splits his time between Colorado and international circuits, had a big 2023, including a win at the Tarawera Ultra in New Zealand and a second-place finish at UTMB behind Walmsley.
Also in the mix are France’s Mathieu Blanchard, who won three major ultras last year and was second at UTS 100k in May, local favorite Kyle Curtin from Durango, and French runner Germain Grangier, Schide’s partner.
On the women’s side, the absence of three-time defending champion Courtney Dauwalter opens the door, and few runners are better positioned to step through it than Katie Schide.
The American, now based in the French Alps, is making her Hardrock debut after a dazzling 2024 season in which she won both Western States and UTMB. Her UTMB time even beat Dauwalter’s best.
Schide has been training in the U.S. since mid-May and has logged recon miles with Pommeret and Grangier. A knee injury last month required stitches but didn’t keep her off the trails for long.
She won’t have it easy though.
Stephanie Case from Canada, who was second at Hardrock in 2022, is back after a remarkable victory at UTS 100k earlier this year, a race where she breastfed her infant daughter Pepper at aid stations. Case’s return has become one of the sport’s most talked-about comebacks.
Also returning is Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth, who was third at Hardrock last year and took second at UTMB 2023. Just last September, she set a course record at the Tor des Géants, becoming the first woman to finish under 80 hours.
The Hardrock has always been about perseverance, not just performance.
Since its start in 1992 with just 18 runners, it has grown into one of ultrarunning’s most iconic and coveted events. Entry is tightly limited, and the direction of the loop changes every year. The terrain is varied and harsh, with runners navigating lightning-prone ridgelines, scree fields, river crossings, and altitude sickness, all part of the price to pay for a finish-line kiss on the rock.
To win here is to join a legendary club.
Kilian Jornet and Karl Meltzer share the men’s record with five victories each. Betsy Kalmeyer’s five wins still top the women’s all-time leaderboard. While Courtney Dauwalter’s recent three-peat and 2023 Triple Crown (Western States, Hardrock, UTMB) elevated her to icon status, this year’s race promises to write a new chapter.
The weather looks ideal, highs in the 60s, with minimal chance of rain, and fans are already hiking into high alpine passes to catch glimpses of the lead pack. Those following from home can tune into the official GPS tracking and livestream at hardrock100.com.
