After 5 years of trying to get into Hardrock 100, this year was finally my year. I was #2 on the First Timers Wait List which meant that I got in during the first round of drops (it is not uncommon to be 40th on the waiting list and still get in even though there are only 140 slots). The unfortunate part was that I was not planning to race this year. After Leadman last year, I was burned out and really wanted a break from racing. My plan was to focus on adventure runs throughout the summer as I have several runs on my bucket list that I haven’t gotten around to the past few years due to racing too much. I had mixed emotions about being #2 on the wait list. Part of me was excited, but part of me really want to keep the break from racing that I had been looking forward to. I had brief thoughts of not taking my slot when I was called, but decided it could be another 5 years before I got in so I had to take the opportunity. With a crazy busy spring, it had been challenging to get my head around Hardrock and this is not a race to be taken lightly. With over 33,000′ of climbing, 10 major climbs all going above 12,000′, going over 13,000′ seven times, and over 14,000′ once, it is intimidating to say the least. Hardrock is one of the hardest 100 mile races in the world due to the elevation, long climbs, technical terrain, and overall ascent. Here is a quick glimpse at the Hardrock course profile that also includes the ascent, descent, and distance between each aid station.

Hardrock 100 Profile and Distances

After getting home from London on July 28th, I had a couple days of training, a busy week of work, and packing for Silverton. Somehow we got everything done and left Salt Lake on Friday afternoon. We had a house reserved in Silverton Sunday through Sunday so we were planning on camping Friday and Saturday nights. After close to 3 weeks at low elevation in Europe, I had been very concerned about being acclimatized. My run last Saturday did little to build my confidence as I struggled at 10,000′ in the Uintas. I started taking First Endurance Optygen on July 1 to help with the acclimatization.

We camped above Red Mountain Pass at just over 11,300′ on Friday night to get jump on some acclimatization. We woke up Saturday morning and had a great run/hike to 13,321′ Mt Trico. I was thrilled to feel great above 13K. I am sure the extra week helped, but I think the Optygen was a huge benefit as well.

Summit of Trico Peak – 13,321′

Glissading down from the summit of Trico Peak

After our morning run, we went Silverton to meet Matt Hart and run some of the Hardrock course. We had a great run from Cunningham Gulch over Stoney Pass to Maggie Gulch and down the road to our car. Check out Matt’s short video of the great run. With the low snow this year, the wild flowers are out early and in full force. The meadows are absolutely beautiful.

Wild flowers at their best

Emily running from Cunningham Gulch to Maggie Gulch

Matt, Emily, and Chad on Stoney Pass

On Sunday, Emily and Brett Gosney ran from Silverton to Grant Swamp Pass, then down to South Mineral Fork where I would park the car and then meet them on the trail near Grant Swamp. It was great to see this section as it allowed me to look into Chapman to see the technical scramble up the other side of Grant Swamp Pass and across to Oscar’s pass which is a huge descent (Oscar’s is 3,090′ in less than 1.5 miles).

Brett on Grant Swamp Pass

Emily and Chad above Island Lake

We checked into our house we rented on Sunday and got settled into our ‘home’ for the next week. It was good to get out of the back of the truck and get settled and be able to start relaxing for the race.

On Monday, Emily, David Hayes, and Suzanne Lewis drove to Telluride and ran from Telluride to Oscar’s Pass and back. This is a 6.5 mile climb to the pass with 4,700′ of climbing. This is a huge climb that you start at mile 72. The last 28 miles of Hardrock is relentless with close to 11,000′ of climbing so it was great for Emily to see the sections she saw on Sunday and Monday as she will be pacing me the last 28 miles and will be able to keep me focused during that difficult time of the race. Monday was a rest day for me with a short 2 mile jog up to and around Christ of the Mines Shrine above Silverton just to keep the blood moving in my legs.

Suzanne and Emily running down from Oscar’s towards Telluride.

Tuesday is basically a rest day again with an easy 1 hour run on the first section of the course (which is really the only semi-flat section). I had a great run realizing that even though most climbs are steep, there are some gentle climbs that would be runnable in a normal race, but possibly not at Hardrock due to the effect later on in the race. Emily, Suzanne, and David went to climb Handies Peak from Grouse Gulch and had a great day climbing up high to a 14-er.

Wednesday, Emily ran from Silverton to Cunningham (9.2 miles and 3,840′ ascent). Matt and I drove to Cunningham and ran up the trail a mile to meet her on her run down from Little Giant. It once again felt good to stretch out the legs and get out some of the anxiety. After the run, it was race check-in and lots of time catching up with fellow runners.

Overwhelmed packing drop bags

Thursday I went for my standard morning, pre-race run and Emily joined me. We rarely get to run together so it was fun to do that. I ran a loop that included the last 2 miles of the course. It is always good to see the last couple miles. It was a hectic day with people in and out of the house all day, film crews there interviewing Darcy Africa (2012 Hardrock winner), finalizing drop bags, packing food and more. It has been a great week getting ready for the race. We have had a great house to stay in, great friends, great food, and lots of fun time. It is less than 10 hours until the gun goes off and everything is starting to wind down.

What will tomorrow bring? This is my first Hardrock so I really don’t know for sure. I know it will be the longest I have ever been out on a course by several hours. I have 3 goals

1. Just Finish
2. Finish Before the Second Sunset (Saturday night)
3. Finish in 32 hours

The Hardrock course very much suits my running. Lots of climbing and steep sections and not a lot of flat fast hiking. Based on this, I think that my goal of 32 hours is very achievable, but Hardrock is its own beast and anything can happen (hunkering down for a few hours for a lightening storm, getting very lost, getting sick at 14,000′, etc, etc) so only time will tell. I plan to run a smart race and not push too hard with hopes to have lots of fuel in my tank when I get to Telluride.

If you want to follow Hardrock, here are a couple of links:

• Live runner tracking – use the link for runner tracking. I am #106.
• Split calculator – use this to see what time a runner would come through various aid stations based on a goal time (adjust goal time using the slider bar).