It was, Ludovic Pommeret (pre-race interview) stated, a dream when he kissed the rock on the finish of the 2024 Hardrock 100. He completed his lap across the San Juan Mountains of Colorado with a brand new total course file of 21:33:06, breaking Kilian Jornet’s earlier file, set in 2022, by simply over three minutes. Pommeret, a 48-year-old Frenchman, led nearly wire-to-wire in a commanding vogue.
“I dream all of the day,” Pommeret stated on the iconic rock-kissing end simply previous 3:30 a.m. native time on Saturday, July 13, 2024. “The nightmare by no means got here.”
Neither did it come for the ladies’s winner Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview), who appears to redefine what is feasible in ultrarunning each time she toes the road. Dauwalter gained the ladies’s race in 26:11:49, setting a brand new total girls’s course file, breaking her personal mark of 26:14:12 set final yr because the second race of her historic Western States 100-Hardrock 100-UTMB triple. Which means Dauwalter, who additionally led basically wire-to-wire, has set a course file the previous thrice she’s run and owns the quickest three girls’s occasions.
Courtney Dauwalter early within the 2024 Hardrock 100, on her strategy to a 3rd victory at this race in course-record time. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
However earlier than the 2 champions obtained again to the rock, there was a variety of working to do. At 6 a.m. native time on Friday, July 12, 146 runners set off within the predawn darkness below the watchful gaze of the San Juan Mountains in Silverton, Colorado, to start one of the well-known, arduous, and scenically beautiful 100-mile races on this planet.
The Hardrock 100, well-known for its issue and selectiveness, is a 102.5-mile trek that includes greater than 33,000 ft of elevation acquire and a median elevation of 11,000 ft by the rugged San Juans. It alternates instructions yearly, and this yr’s race went clockwise. Beginning within the small mining city of Silverton, runners made their strategy to Telluride earlier than persevering with on to Ouray and close to Lake Metropolis after which returned to Silverton to kiss the long-lasting rock. The course, typically impacted by snow, was principally snow-free this yr, and temperatures vacillated between sub-40 levels and 80 levels Fahrenheit all through the day and night time.
“It’s 100 miles. It’s enormous mountains. It’s altitude,” Dauwalter stated in her pre-race interview with iRunFar. “So, journey is assured for positive.”
Learn on for extra particulars about that journey.
Thanks a lot to Tailwind for sponsoring iRunFar’s protection of the 2024 Hardrock 100!
Thanks additionally to Fractel for sponsoring our race protection.
2024 Hardrock 100 Ladies’s Race
Getting into the race, it was honest to surprise what drove Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview) to return to the occasion once more. Over the previous two years, she’d gained twice and set course data in each instructions. However she was again, she stated throughout her pre-race interview with iRunFar, as a result of she nonetheless felt that she had left one thing on the course.
“I’m again as a result of all of my runs right here have had simply actually important chunks of time that have been spent in very low locations,” she stated. “I’d like to attempt to easy out these lows just a bit bit, and see if I can get round that course with out having so many enormous hours.” And whereas she struggled with abdomen points for a few of the second half of the run, she nonetheless reset the general course file, breaking her earlier clockwise file by greater than half-hour.
Dauwalter, who gained the Transgrancanaria 126k and the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile already this yr, is so constantly dominant that her wins in main ultras can look like a foregone conclusion. However Hardrock is rarely simple, and he or she nonetheless needed to cowl the 100-plus miles and 33,000-plus ft of elevation acquire. As soon as once more, she did it quicker than any girl ever had earlier than her, together with herself.
Katharina Hartmuth and Courtney Dauwalter having fun with the early miles of the 2024 Hardrock 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
France’s Camille Bruyas (pre-race interview) and Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth (pre-race interview) posed the largest challenges to Dauwalter. Each had completed second by Dauwalter at UTMB in 2021 and 2023, respectively, and each had spent the previous few weeks within the U.S. acclimating to the excessive elevations and studying the terrain. Whereas Dauwalter had opened a small hole on Bruyas on the Kamm Traverse support station (mile 11) and maintained it by Chapman at mile 18, by Telluride at mile 28, Bruyas had closed the hole and got here by within the co-lead with Dauwalter, two minutes below course file tempo.
Dauwalter slowly started to drag away — 5 minutes up at Kroger’s Canteen at mile 33 and 6 minutes by Ouray at mile 44 — earlier than making a powerful transfer to extend her lead over Bruyas to 31 minutes by mile 52. At that time, simply over midway, it was Dauwalter, adopted by Bruyas, Hartmuth, Tara Dower (pre-race interview), and France’s Claire Bannwarth rounding out the highest 5.
Katharina Hartmuth runs into the city of Ouray on her strategy to taking third on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
From there, Dauwalter continued to run alone. Smiling and transferring swiftly in a vivid yellow shirt, she was 18 minutes below course-record tempo by Animas Forks support station at mile 58, making fast work of the help station and selecting up her pacer.
One of many few indicators of fatigue she confirmed all race was on the Sherman support station at mile 73, after climbing and descending from Handies Peak, the course’s excessive level at 14,058 ft. She stayed for 5 minutes to relaxation and refuel earlier than working on into the darkish. By Maggie Gulch at mile 87, she was almost an hour below course-record tempo and seemed robust. Six miles later, at Cunningham Gulch, she picked up her husband as her pacer as they made their method up and over the ultimate climb.
Lower than three hours later and now within the early-morning solar, Dauwalter returned to the rock, and kissed it as soon as extra.
Behind her, Hartmuth, who was nursing a bruised sacrum from a fall three weeks prior, had closed the hole on Bruyas in the course of the mid-race miles to as little as 13 minutes by Sherman at mile 73. Eye points slowed Hartmuth later within the race, inflicting blurry imaginative and prescient and sluggish motion, and Bruyas doubled her lead by Pole Creek at mile 81. Bruyas took an 18-minute cease on the Maggie Gulch support station at mile 87 to refuel and get heat, whereas Hartmuth, who was additionally feeling the miles, additionally took an prolonged break.
Camille Bruyas working into the city of Ouray, earlier than the midway level of the 2024 Hardrock 100. After serving to to push the tempo for the lead for over 40 miles, she’d go on to take second place. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Camille Bruyas battled by the remainder of the race to complete second in 29:28:11, and Hartmuth, after a protracted cease at Cunningham Gulch (mile 93) to get heat below a blanket and cope with her deteriorating imaginative and prescient, completed third in 30:29:12.
The race for the highest 5 behind them was maybe the closest of the day. After saying she had thrown up eight occasions, Dower, simply three years into her ultrarunning profession, battled to catch as much as Bannwarth by Maggie Gulch at mile 87. Bannwarth, who was visibly struggling, fell off the tempo, whereas Dower flew alongside in pursuit of a spot within the prime 5.
Tara Dower on the 2024 Hardrock 100. After a powerful first half, she struggled along with her abdomen over the course excessive level on Handies Peak, however obtained her abdomen again and rallied into fourth place with a late-race surge. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
By Cunningham Gulch at mile 93, the three girls in competition for positions three by 5 — Yitka Winn, Emily Halnon, and Dower — have been separated by solely 16 minutes. All three made quick stops on the support station earlier than persevering with.
Between Cunningham Gulch and the ultimate descent at mile 97, Halnon made a transfer. She handed Winn to maneuver into fourth place, making up greater than 20 minutes in lower than six miles. Dower, in the meantime, put in an enormous transfer of her personal on the rocky closing descent and in addition handed Winn, with the hole rising visibly in a really quick distance.
Therein, maybe, lies the great thing about Hardrock and ultras on the whole: After nearly 100 miles of racing, the battle for the highest 5 got here down to 2 strikes made on the ultimate descent and the ultimate rolling miles into the streets of Silverton. Ultimately, Tara Dower held onto fourth in 33:10:55, Yitka Winn completed fifth in 33:17:00, and Emily Halnon got here in wanting completely ecstatic in sixth with a time of 33:24:22.
Emily Halnon in the course of the 2024 Hardrock 100. She would end sixth place in a joyful and hard-fought girls’s race. Photograph: iRunFar/Alex Angstadt
2024 Hardrock 100 Ladies’s Outcomes
Courtney Dauwalter (Salomon) – 26:11:49 (pre-race interview)
Camille Bruyas (Salomon) – 29:28:11 (pre-race interview)
Katharina Hartmuth (Hoka) – 30:29:12 (pre-race interview)
Tara Dower (Altra Operating) – 33:10:55 (pre-race interview)
Yitka Winn – 33:17:00
Emily Halnon – 33:24:22
Becky Bates – 36:00:26
Claire Bannwarth – 36:13:33
Amber Weibel – 36:26:49
Claire Heslop – 37:10:19
Full outcomes.
Camille Bruyas taking second on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
2024 Hardrock 100 Males’s Race
The primary important information within the males’s discipline got here every week earlier than the race started. American Zach Miller, who was second in final yr’s UTMB and had put in a monster coaching block in preparation for Hardrock, was among the many favorites, however didn’t race following an emergency appendectomy on July 5. Ever the optimist and benefiting from a disappointing scenario, Miller spent a part of Saturday morning making his patented donuts for followers.
Together with Miller, France’s François D’Haene (pre-race interview) was anticipated to contend for the win, even when he had been getting back from damage and never feeling 100% main as much as race day as a result of an sickness just a few weeks forward of time. D’Haene, the most effective runners on this planet at lengthy mountainous ultras, set the counter-clockwise course file for the win in 2021 earlier than inserting second behind Kilian Jornet in 2022 within the clockwise course. Getting into the race, D’Haene had two of the quickest thrice in race historical past.
From proper to left, it’s Ludo Pommeret, François D’Haene, and Diego Pazos within the early miles of the 2024 Hardrock 100. Pommeret and Pazos would end one-two, whereas D’Haene could be pressured to drop after halfway. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
And whereas Ludovic Pommeret (pre-race interview) was definitely anticipated to be among the many prime contenders this yr, it’s most likely honest to say he was not the favourite. However as soon as the race started, the Frenchman made his intentions clear.
Pommeret, who was working his first full Hardrock after pacing for final yr’s winner Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, arrived in Silverton on June 14 and accomplished two laps of the course as multi-day journeys, in any other case referred to as Softrocks, as a part of a month-long coaching block to acclimatize to the altitude and mountains. That health and preparation have been clear from the second the race started when Pommeret led a pack of runners, together with D’Haene, Jason Schlarb, and Switzerland’s Diego Pazos (pre-race interview) by the Rainbow Path at mile 1.5.
François D’Haene within the early miles of the 2024 Hardrock 100. A pre-race favourite, he needed to retire after the midway level as a result of bodily points from a latest sickness. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
At Kamm Traverse (mile 11), Pommeret, D’Haene, and Pazos all got here by within the lead collectively. By mile 28, when Pommeret entered Telluride in 5:34 elapsed, he was two minutes beneath course-record tempo, with D’Haene 2.5 minutes behind him.
Then started the well-known 4,300-foot ascent to Kroger’s Canteen support station, which sits at 13,100 ft above sea degree at mile 33. Pommeret got here by within the lead once more, smiling and consuming Coke earlier than leaving after solely a minute. D’Haene was nonetheless shut behind, and Schlarb — who tied Jornet for the win at Hardrock in 2016 and has been recovering from a torn ACL from a snowboarding accident two years in the past — got here by in third, 32 minutes off the lead. “It’s exhausting to really feel good up right here,” Schlarb stated, consuming solely water and leaving rapidly. Pazos, who has a number of robust finishes at UTMB, got here throughout the long-lasting cross 4 minutes behind Schlarb.
Jason Schlarb working robust into Chapman support station, 18 miles into the 2024 Hardrock 100. He would in the end take third place. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
It was on the descent to Ouray that Pommeret started to open up a spot. By Ouray (mile 44), the hole to D’Haene, who started to point out indicators of fatigue on a scorching, humid part of the course, was 23 minutes. It was a stark distinction to Pommeret, who seemed as easy as ever. At simply over the midway mark (mile 52), the highest 4 males have been Pommeret, D’Haene at 62 minutes off the lead, Schlarb simply two minutes behind him, and Pazos an extra 11 minutes again.
By Animas Forks at mile 58, Pommeret had elevated his result in 1 hour and 24 minutes, and Schlarb, regardless of puking, and Pazos had handed D’Haene, who was sadly in tears on the support station. D’Haene dropped from from the race quickly after, saying, “You don’t know in the event you don’t play.” He was clearly nonetheless feeling the after-effects of an sickness simply 10 days prior.
Pommeret continued cruising. He seemed easy and environment friendly on the subsequent a number of support stations, refueling rapidly earlier than persevering with his file day. On the Sherman support station at mile 73, now 22 minutes forward of course-record tempo, Pommeret was animated and sprinted away after a three-minute cease, lower than 20 miles from historical past.
Virtually precisely seven hours later — after three extra characteristically quick stops on the remaining support stations — Pommeret made historical past, working the ultimate few steps within the chilly darkish earlier than hugging the rock that had awaited him for the previous 21-plus hours. He was formally a Hardrock champion and course-record holder.
Pommeret’s win is a testomony to his longevity: He ran his first UTMB 20 years in the past, gained it in 2016, and now, eight years later, has gained Hardrock. Each D’Haene and Miller have been on the end line to congratulate the brand new champion.
After D’Haene dropped, the battle for second was between Schlarb and Pazos. Schlarb was in entrance by 13 minutes at mile 62.5, however Pazos seemed decided to reel him in. By Sherman at mile 73, Schlarb reported that he had been cramping for many of the race, whereas Pazos, who quietly devoured a cup of noodles, had reduce into his lead.
Diego Pazos on the Maggie Gulch support station, mile 87, not lengthy after transferring into second place on the 2024 Hardrock 100, a place he’d maintain till the end. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Fourteen miles later at Maggie Gulch (mile 87), Pazos nonetheless seemed robust and had handed Schlarb, who stated he was battling nausea and getting in his vitamin. Pazos had turned a nine-minute deficit right into a six-minute lead. That order would stay till the end, with Diego Pazos taking second in 24:39:33 and Jason Schlarb coming in third in 24:48:13.
Jeff Rome, the second-place finisher in 2018 who lives simply blocks away from the beginning of the race and was quoting J.R.R. Tolkien at support stations, ran an especially constant second half of the race to assert fourth, whereas Brian Peterson took fifth after rising from a crowded again half of the lads’s prime 10 over the past 25 miles. His time was 29:36:04.
Silverton, Colorado’s hometown hero Jeff Rome, on his strategy to taking fourth on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2024 Hardrock 100 Males’s Outcomes
Ludovic Pommeret (Hoka) – 21:33:08 (pre-race interview)
Diego Pazos (Compressport) – 24:39:36 (pre-race interview)
Jason Schlarb (Norda/Final Route) – 24:48:18
Jeff Rome – 26:30:59
Brian Peterson – 29:36:08
Paul Terranova – 29:58:10 (pre-race interview)
Nick Coury (Aravaipa Operating) – 30:34:18
Andy Vermilyea – 31:02:13
Benjamin Bucklin – 31:07:47
Luke Jay – 32:51:48
Full outcomes.
The lads’s podium of the 2024 Hardrock 100 (left-to-right): 2. Diego Pazos, 1. Ludo Pommeret, and three. Jason Schlarb. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Protection Thanks
Thanks a lot to the next people who helped iRunFar cowl this race: Susan Van Weperen, Kaska Gdela, Ralf Elsaesser, Franz Dill, Curtis Whittit, Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord, Micaela Theisen, Hannah Inexperienced, Eric Blood, Matt Dietrich, Luke Verbus, John Reese, Alexander Angstadt, Ashley Saloga, Casey Wyatt, Ellie Greenwood, Olivia Rissland, and Marissa Harris. Our race manufacturing is a neighborhood manufacturing!
